Pagani Automobili: From Humble Beginnings to Italian Grandeur

Italy is renowned for its art, food or architecture, but the country stands proudly amongst the world’s greatest also for its progress in the automobile industry. Amongst the very best supercar brands, Pagani Automobili is a boutique producer of super fast and expensive sport cars. 

 

Pagani Automobili is based in the small town of San Cesario Sul Panaro, near Modena (Emilia Romagna region) in Northern Italy. It is about one hour drive from Bologna, about two hours from Milan or Venice. Here is the factory where they make their ultra-fast sports cars, including Zonda and Huayra. The exact address of the Pagani headquarter is Via dell'Industria 26, San Cesario Sul Panaro (MO).

 

 

The company begins with Horacio Pagani, born in 1955 in Argentina. A baker’s son, Pagani grew up fascinated with cars from an early age. Constantly researching, designing and creating gadgets inspired by automobiles, his love was truly recognised when he begun to study industrial design and mechanical engineering in the early 70s.

 

But simply learning about this exciting world was not enough for Pagani. In 1983, he moved to Italy to pursue his dream of building a sport’s car, joining Lamborghini. Here he contributed to the creation of the Jeep LMA, as well as built the Countach Evoluzione: the first car with a carbon fibre frame.

 

Still, this was not enough for Pagani. In 1991 he left Lamborghini to start up on his own, forming the consultancy Modena Design (that still exists today). The firm was focused on making carbon fibre composites for Formula One cars and clients like Daimler, Ferrari and Aprilia.

 

Finally, in 1992, Pagani Automobili was founded. But it would be 7 years until the Zonda, one of Pagani’s greatest achievements, was created!

In 1994, Pagani secured a deal with Mercedes Benz that would have them power Pagani with V12 engines. His first car was the Zonda C12, named after the air current which flows in the Andes in Argentina where he was born. It was unveiled to huge critical acclaim at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show.

 

In all of his cars, Pagani has been dedicated to providing optimum driver comfort. This is reflected in many of his subsequent cars, no least the Zonda Cinque Roadster and the Zonda R. Their robotized multi-program sequential transmission and adjustable suspensions, extra power and lighter weight really made these cars stand out in the market. 

 

The Pagani Zonda can easily be considered one of the world’s top super cars. Even without the long history of sports cars such as Ferrari and Lamborghini, its sensational speed and sleek design make it a huge object of desire in the motor industry.

 

The Zonda S is powered by a 7.0 Litres V12 Mercedes-AMG engine, producing 540 Hp. It is able to accelerate to 100 Kmh (62Mph) in 3.7 secs, can reach a maximum speed of 335 Km/h (208 Mph) and it can be yours for $500,000.  

 

As well as creating the exceptional Zonda, Pagani is also renowned for the Huayra. This stylish car was officially deputed in 2011 as the successor to the Pagani Zonda: it was an immediate success!

 

Pagani used elements of the Zonda’s traditional and cutting edge characters, but pushed them to the next level with the Huayra. Its charismatic details such as leather straps holding the rear clamshell and an exquisitely opulent interior really ticked all the boxes. Pagani had done it again, and he had done it with force: the power and performance of the Huayra was truly out of this world!

 

Another exciting feature was the active aero elements of the Huayra, with four flaps placed at the ends of the bodywork that independently transformed the aerodynamic shape of the Huayra.

 

The Huayra is powered by a twin turbo 6.0 Litres V12 Mercedes-AMG engine, producing 730 Hp. It is able to accelerate to 100 Kmh (62Mph) in 3.0 secs and can reach a maximum speed of 383 Km/h (238 Mph). The 100 units that were produced have been immediately sold out, so even if you could afford the €1.2 million price tag it would not be possible to buy it.  

 

Today Pagani Automobili remains a market leader, loved for their high end and cutting edge sports cars as well as their boundary breaking technology. A genius of the auto world, Horacio Pagani has paved the way for an exciting future of dynamic super cars from the heart of Italy.

 

 

 

Opening times:

Monday to Friday 9.30 - 17.30

Saturday 9.30 - 12.30

 

Ticket for factory and museum tour:

Adults €50 per person

Less than 18 yo: €25 per person

Less than 12 yo: Free  

 

Official website: www.pagani.com

 

You can visit the Pagani factory and museum with the following private tours (if you have questions please contact us):