Cars Simplified: Everything Automotive Explained

Pagani Zonda

The Pagani Zonda's Carbotanium Monoque Frame

The Zonda is a supercar that was built by Pagani from 1999 to 2017, and it was the first vehicle the company produced. Most models are powered by a Mercedes-Benz AMG-built V12 engine, ranging from 400 to 900 horsepower. Some models feature a Pagani-developed carbon-titanium monoque, like the one seen at the right. Many model variations of the Zonda were produced, often in very limited numbers.

The back of the Pagani Zonda Chassis

The entire vehicle is race-inspired, featuring proven modern motorsports technology like the pushrod suspension, tube-frame chassis, and lightweight titanium exhaust system pictured at the left.

The extreme engineering and styling of the Zonda made it possible for Pagani to compete with other Italian supercar manufacturers like Ferrari and Lamborghini, which many other potential companies have only dreamed of.

Cinque

A Pagani Zonda Cinque with the driver's door open.

The Zonda Cinque is a high-performance version of the original Zonda. The Cinque was given a white/bare carbon fiber design, with a red stripe running down the center of the vehicle. The body is fitted with a wider front splitter, an adjustable rear wing, and a modified rear flat underbody.

only built ten, five of them being Cinque Roadsters. This makes them some of the rarest Zonda models ever produced.

Tricolore

The Zonda Tricolore is an aesthetically-improved version of the Zonda which features colored carbon fiber and a 670 horsepower Mercedes-Benz AMG engine. It was created by on the 50th Anniversary of the "Frecce Tricolori" (313th Aerobatic Training Squadron, the official airborne demonstration team of the Italian Air Force) in 2010.

At the right are three animated images of the Tricolore; two where it is being driven, and one where it is parked in front of one of the Frecce Tricolori aircraft. The carbon fiber on this example gives it a dark blue look, and it comes with eight-spoke yellow-gold rims.

Only three of these cars were ever made, with the VIN numbers ZA9C820C10SF76110, ZA9C820C10SF76117, and ZA9C820C10SF76119.