Pagani Zonda R, Improved Aerodynamics, Structural Stiffness And Suspension

After prompting from customers, Horacio Pagani has created the Pagani Zonda R, a Zonda for any race track, and any race where there are no real regulations. With a top speed of about 230 mph, a 0-60 mph time of around 3 seconds, the performance will be electrifying – but you can only get it on the track.

A racing car mostly for non-racers

Paganis are bought by people who just love brilliant and exclusive cars, and most are not interested in racing but they do love driving round a race track. It is for people like these that the Zonda R was conceived. However, it is a true sports racing car, and could easily be adapted for some classes of racing.

Horacio Pagani himself is not interested in racing, but is ready to build what his customers want. Although the Zonda R looks very similar to the Zonda F it is a completely new car with very few shared components. To start with, the car has been lengthened by 15.5 in (394 mm), with an extra 1.8 (47 mm) inches in the wheelbase. This allows much more efficient splitters and diffusers to be used, increasing downforce.

Better aerodynamics, more cooling air

In addition, there are small fins on the sides of the front fenders, a large air outlet for the radiator in the hood this reduces lift and a large rear wing mounted high up.

The racing pedigree is further shown by the air outlets above the front wheels, and the large rear at intakes sprouting above each rear fender. Then, above the roof is another air intake for the engine.

All these changes make the Zonda R more forceful and powerful. At the rear, the extended tail with big diffusers not practical for road use - and the large oval extension for the exhaust pipes all show how much this car has been designed for racing.

No compromise for comfort

Pagani says that he could do many things on the Zonda R he would not do on the Zonda F. For example, it has a completely flat bottom, with very low ground clearance, which is not suitable for the road car as it would get damaged.

With engine as part of the structure

A major difference between the Zonda R and other Zondas is that the Mercedes-Benz engine is designed to act as a stressed member of the frame – as is common on racing engines. It is bolted to the carbon fiber hull, and carries the small sub-frame for the rear suspension.

Horacio Pagani says that this concept is no good for road cars, owing to the uncomfortable vibrations fed through to the driver.

New front sub-frames, made from Avional aircraft specification aluminum alloy to save weight, replace the steel ones of the Zonda F. They are rather different owing to the use of different suspension joints and the geometry designed to give sharper response.

Metal-to-metal suspension joints

On a road car, you need the comfort afforded by rubber bushes, but on the Zonda R you need instant response at the wheels. Therefore, metal-to-metal suspension joints which give the driver greater control, without the flexing you get with rubber bushes are used.

Likewise, the Zonda R lacks the sound-deadening and comfort features of the Zonda F.

Again, just to suit racing, a roll cage and flexible rubber bag fuel tanks enclosed in the body. These have four fuel pick-up pumps and quick refuellers, as on FIA GT race cars.

To improve cooling, the main air intake is larger, and there are big side air intakes to cool the brakes.

Needless to say the brakes and wheels are large – the carbon-ceramic brake discs are 15-inch (385 mm) diameter front and rear, and the tires have very low profiles - 295-35/18 at the front, and 335-30/19 at the rear.

Mercedes-Benz AMG racing V-12

As usual, Pagani has chosen a Mercedes-Benz AMG engine, and such is his good relationship with the German firm that he is using an engine reserved previously for Mercedes-Benz racing saloons. This is a very powerful 6.0 liter, 60-degree V-12 M 120, a dry-sump, lightweight unit, which as I mentioned earlier is a stressed part of the body structure.

Output of 750 bhp power

This fantastic engine produces 750 bhp at 7,500 rpm, with 523 lb ft (710 Nm) torque – this is a tremendous amount of torque for an engine of this size. With that much power, and less weight than the Zonda F, the Zonda R has staggering performance. This is also a light engine weighing just 436 lb (198 kg).

To improve weight distribution, Pagani has had a new transaxle built in which the gears are installed across the car behind the differential unit, instead of sticking out fore-and-aft behind. This arrangement, first used by 

With a weight of about 2,600 lb (1,180 kg) the Zonda R has a power-to-weight ratio of 635 bhp per tonne a formidable exotic car, and with the ability to corner with a lateral acceleration of about 2g.

Here is the most extreme Pagani, built without compromise for full-out performance on the track. The cost? Around $1.5 million.

Please note that the images of the Zonda R are with an unpainted body, showing the pattern of the carbon fiber.