Pagani shows its most extreme supercar to date

When Horacio Pagani was developing his original supercar, the great Juan Manuel Fangio was a keen supporter, and the car was to be named the Fangio F1. The great racer died before the car came to light and Pagani changed the name out of respect to Zonda. At the Geneva Show, Pagani revealed the ultimate evolution of the critically acclaimed supercar: the Pagani Zonda F, dedicated to the memory of Fangio.

Apparently Fangio wanted Pagani's supercar to be powered by a Mercedes-Benz engine, and the version fitted to the Zonda F is supplied by AMG. We think you'll agree that its mouth-watering specification befits an extreme supercar such as the Zonda F: its 12 cylinders are mounted in a 60-degree V, with four valves per cylinder and a displacement of 7.3 litres. The resulting output is a smidgen over 600bhp at 6150rpm and a mind-boggling peak torque figure of 760Nm at 4000rpm. Bear in mind that the Zonda F weighs about the same as a Honda Civic Type-R, yet has three times as much power and nearly four times as much torque... To say that it will be a brisk car would be like saying that Mount Everest is quite a tall mountain.

Pagani claims that the Zonda F will hit 62mph from a standing start in 3.6 seconds, and 124mph in only 9.8 seconds. Stopping from that speed again takes only 4.4 seconds thanks to huge carbon ceramic brake discs. The figures are all the more astounding when you remember that the Zonda is rear-wheel drive only and makes do with very little electronic intervention.

Love or loathe the Zonda's looks, it is undeniably a serious supercar, and the menacing silver and black finish of the show car further enhances its appeal. The interior is certainly a matter of personal taste, and it is unique, though for my money I could do without the flat-bottomed half-wooden Nardi steering wheel and quilted red leather. I wholeheartedly agree with the profligate use of carbon fibre throughout the cockpit though. Stunning.