F is for fairly rare

I love the way Pagani's press release for its new all carbon-fibre Zonda Roadster F starts: "the Roadster F offers the outstanding driveability and performance of the F Coupe, enhanced by the pleasure of driving with a gentle breeze in your hair." Gentle breeze?! Gale-force hurricane more like! This little black number can hit 186mph, scorching past 124mph in 9.8 seconds.

The low kerb weight is achieved by the extensive use of lightweight materials such as carbon fibre, but that is only half the story. Slung out behind the driver is a Mercedes-Benz AMG-sourced 7.3-litre V12, which really should be classed as an unpredictable force of nature with its 650bhp and 780Nm of torque. You should know at this stage that the Zonda Roadster is rear-wheel drive only and has no traction control. Gulp.

As there will only ever be 25 examples of the Roadster F sold, we would be surprised if many owners really pushed this car to its limits, but at least they know what it can do. Indeed, even though Pagani mentions Monte Carlo and Le Mans in its press material, it openly states that the Zonda Roadster F is not a racecar, but "a jewel handcrafted in Italy, a whirl of emotions, a masterpiece for the connoisseur who cares to drive fast." Marketing drivel that may be, but the Roadster's interior and bare carbon-fibre body are nothing short of a work of art.