Spies have caught a Pagani Zonda mule during a brief respite from testing and at first glance, not much has changed. The greenhouse looks similar to the current version, while the front end benefits from a revised splitter and a softening of the previous model's hard creases. While these changes are minimal at best, it's not until you scope out the massive air intakes above the rear fenders that you realize that big things are afoot. Those new inlets are rumored to feed a supercharged version of an AMG-sourced 5.4-liter V8 – the same 680-hp mill that powers the McLaren SLR. Partnered with Pagani's extensive use of carbon fiber and other lightweight components, there's little doubt that the new Zonda will crack the three-second mark to 60 and continue on to a top speed of well over 200 mph. No production dates are available yet, but expect the new model to debut sometime next year.[Source: AutoExpress]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nick @ May 14th 2008 4:12PM
Boo if they go for that engine combination. Half of what makes the current Zonda such a rolling orgasm is that magnificent NA V12 out back.
Chad @ May 14th 2008 4:44PM
I absolutely love the previous Zondas and I have to agree that is it doesn't have the same sound I'll be very sad.
dewfish @ May 14th 2008 4:20PM
I thought the first Zonda looked "unfortunate", but I am really starting to like this company.....
Quattrofan @ May 14th 2008 5:44PM
I was about to make the same type of commentary. Older Zondas looked a tad overdone (in a gay, gaudy type way). This is just plain meanness.
Cole Mitguard @ May 14th 2008 4:28PM
Hopefully this will lead to the Zonda becoming faster/lighter, however on a side not finally the beautiful 5.4 AMG Mill will get out of that slopster the SLR, the embarrassment of the super car world. Now, before people get mad, I know that it was supposed to be a luxury super car, but please, it hardly could compete with cars several times less than its cost. So anyway, good for your Zonda, 680+ hp and maybe shave that weight down from 2400 ish to about 2200, and you will have yourself an animal... not that the Zonda wasn't already, lol.
Cary @ May 15th 2008 12:39AM
And how exactly could it "hardly compete.."? I'll check back here regularly, I'm interested to know about other $400k supercars that easily out performed the SLR.
Cole Mitguard @ May 15th 2008 3:45AM
I can’t tell if you are being sarcastic... I hope you are because that will not be a hard to do... where to begin, at the low end the Corvette ZR1, same hp, faster 0-60, better track demeanor, and AWD, oh and 1/4 the price. But your right, that’s not a luxury car like the SLR is. So, how about the, Ferrari 599GTB, MSRP $225k, same 0-60, same hp, more brand prestige. In fact, with the exception of the Enzo, every car in Ferrari's line up is cheaper than the SLR, and in my opinion a better option. If you are looking a car that is just plain more beautiful than the SLR, you have the Aston Martin DBS, drop dead looks, a silky smooth V12 motor, MSRP of $260,000, nearly ½ the price of the SLR. Sure, it has a few less horsepower, and it takes a .4 extra second, but for the type of customer who is looking to make this purchase, the cool factor of owning the "007 Car" should make up for that. Then there is the Lambo LP460, MSRP $350,000, AWD, V12, .6 seconds faster to 60, higher top speed, better handling, and looks that are unmistakable. And still have 100k left in your pocket for walking about money. Finally, in the $450,000 range you have the Porsche Carrera GT, which I am sure will turn more heads than a SLR, and is the car I would most want to drive around town in and on the track. And Jeremy Clarkson agrees with me:
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article480909.ece
Maybe I am being to hard on the SLR, I just don't like it, and believe that there are plenty of vehicles that are less expensive, and are at least comparable, if not better. And especially when you consider that Most of the readers here are car enthusiasts, the SLR is not a drivers car, its a car designed for debutante’s, McLaren tried to turn it into a drivers car, as is apparent by the beautiful engine under the hood, but Mercedes had to add all the bells, whistles, and goodies that ruins any true super car. This car has not been the success that it was thought it could be, especially with at name like McLaren attached to it. It is also perched in an interesting price category, for another $100,000, probably not a huge amount to the buyers of this car, you have the Saleen S7 and the Koenigsegg CCX. I would like to see one report that shows the SLR has been a success for Mercedes, or that shows the SLR as an exceptional vehicle. The SLR will go into the Sunset after the 772 series has run through its paces, and the only people who will notice are the passerby’s of the local Mercedes Dealership who will wonder where the shiny silver car in the window went, and the rich ladies who will need to find something else to carry them down Rodeo Drive. I guess that what I’m saying, finally, there was never any need for the SLR to be classified as a Supercar. No true Supercar driver, would be interested in this because of all the above mentioned downsides. And the people who did buy this car, probably would have been just fine with none of the engineering that went into the SLR to make her fast.
Ed @ May 14th 2008 4:45PM
That's seriously cool.
topdead @ May 14th 2008 5:25PM
There SLR's V8 is already supercharged. Also, it only makes 626hp. The SLR 722's V8 makes 650hp. The motor you are referring to is out of the SLR 722GT that makes 680hp (which is the same V8 with just more boost).
John @ May 15th 2008 12:36AM
to be fair, none of the info mentioned on output was confirmed, just more of a statement that the AMG motor has made 680HP in a similar configuration
RLQ @ May 14th 2008 6:37PM
Something to look forward too.
komamura @ May 14th 2008 8:20PM
As much as I love the style of the zonda -and believe me I really do love it- I really wish they would do more that just reitrate on the same design. I want to seem more than just the zonda reinvisioned.
halfwit @ May 14th 2008 9:48PM
I was probably one of the first n Americans to see the original Zonda. It was early April of 1998. I was returning in the early evening from a cosmetic show in Bologna and was looking for my 2 star hotel in S. Modena. Dusk was falling and I looked over to my left to see what looked like an Italian Bat mobile cruise by me. The exhaust looked like a jet engine in the dim light. I normally would have given chase to see what the heck it was but I was too tired to care at that point. To my surprise the next year I saw the pictures of that bat mobile with that unique exhaust was an actual super car. Only wish I could afford one.