The 2005 Zonda F was created to express a shared philosophy between Horacio Pagani and Juan Manuel Fangio – the five-time Formula One->ke190 World Championship winner. In all honesty, you could say that the Zonda F was actually a tribute to Fangio, as the “F” is said to stand for Fangio and he is also the inspiration behind the model. See, the Zonda F was unlike any Zonda->ke942 that came before it. It was the perfect mix of safety, performance, luxury, and weight management, all built around a Mercedes-Benz->ke187 V-12 engine.

All told, the Zonda F was the most evolved Zonda to be created at the time and was actually the first car ever to have exclusive bodywork in the natural carbon fiber. The interior had fine appointments and was extremely luxurious, and the Mercedes V-12 under the hood even took an update to further enhance the car’s racing heritage – yet another thing that paid tribute to Fangio’s racing career.

So, now that you know a little about the Zonda F, let’s take a closer look at everything and talk about it in more detail.

2005 Pagani Zonda F

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2005 Pagani Zonda F
  • Horsepower: 650@6200
  • Torque: 4000
  • Transmission: 6-Speed Manual
Pros
Cons

2003 Peugeot 307 CC

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2003 Peugeot 307 CC
  • Horsepower: 200@0
  • Torque: 3500
  • Transmission: 6-Speed Manual
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

The Zonda F was essentially a more honed version of the Zonda S 7.3, sporting only minor changes to the exterior. Up front, the car has the same headlights as the S 7.3, but the rectangular driving lights up front have been swapped out for a single round unit placed just below each set of headlights. Down below, the front air dam is wider, and there is a small light at each corner. Moving to the sides, the side view mirrors have been moved from the A-pillars down to the front fenders. The side has the same overall design, but the recess in the body for the lower rear vents has a little more character. There has also been another vent added to the top of the rear quarter with a vertical louver right in the middle.

To the rear, the most notable change is the single piece spoiler. On the Zonda models before the F, the rear spoiler was a two-piece unit with a break in the middle. The other big change in the rear is the fascia itself. On previous models, there was a center insert in the rear that housed the taillights and the rear grille, but on the F, that center insert, and the lower fascia are all one piece. The same quad exhaust outlet and black mesh remain, but the taillights have been separated into three units with the blinkers on top, reverse lights in the middle and the brake/taillights at the bottom. The rear diffuser is almost the same, but there is now a plate that runs across the bottom of it to help direct the air in an upward motion.

All told, the body was the cleanest iteration of the Zonda at the time, and it was more evolved from its predecessors. The entire body was made from carbon fiber, and at least one had a clear finish on the body to expose the beautiful carbon fiber all the way around.

Interior

The interior of the Zonda F looks more like something you would expect to see from ultra-luxury automakers like Bentley->ke15 or Rolls-Royce.->ke74 You can’t miss all of the red leather that Is everywhere. It is used to accent the carbon fiber doors, the handles on the steering wheel, and the dash. The seats are done up in the same rear leather, with a diamond quilted pattern used in the center. Furthermore, the entire floorboard is covered with diamond-quilted leather as well. There is, of course, a brushed aluminum Pagani emblem embedded into the floor just ahead of each front seat.

Adding even more to the luxurious nature of the cockpit are the wood accents on the flat-bottom steering wheel, the handbrake, and the shifter knob. Carbon fiber is used to make up the center console on the tunnel, as well as the steering column, the instrument cluster, and the center stack. Brushed aluminum can be found on the plate surrounding the shifter, the face of the radio and HVAC controls, the outside of the HVAC vents, and edges of the instrument cluster, and the three spokes on the steering wheel. This thing could arguably have the most luxurious cabin for a track focused car at the time.

Drivetrain

Here is where things get even more interesting. Just like the Zonda S 7.3 and the Zonda Roadster, the Zonda F utilized a Mercedes-sourced, 60-degree, 7.3-liter V-12. This engine, however, was offered in two different flavors. In base form, it produced 602 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque. If the Clubsport model was optioned, the engine was further enhanced with a new, longer intake manifold which brought the power output up to 650 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque.

The engine was mounted longitudinally and connected to a six-speed manual transmission with a twin plate clutch in between. Power was sent to a self-locking rear differential to drive the two rear wheels. The car was offered with steel brakes as standard, but carbon-ceramic brakes could be optioned on special request. Either way, the car had six-piston Brembo brake calipers up front and four-piston Brembo calipers out back. The car rode on forged aluminum/magnesium alloy wheels that measured 20-inches in the rear and 19-inches in the front. The wheels were wrapped in 255/25-series Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires up front and 335/30-series in the rear.

Suspension-wise, the car had double A-arm, four-wheel independent suspension with pull rod helical springs and Ohlins adjustable shocks. The suspension arms were made out of aluminum and magnesium alloy, and the car had anti-roll bars in the front and rear to cut down body roll during cornering. Where distribution sat at 46-percent in the front and 54-percent in the rear, which really wasn’t bad.

On the safety side of things, the car came standard with Bosch ABS and traction control, central carbon fiber safety cell with a steel and carbon fiber roll bar, and front and rear carbon fiber impact absorbers. All told, the car could hit the 60 mph sprint in 3.6 seconds, the 124 mph benchmark in 9.8 seconds and had a top speed that was said to be greater than 214 mph.

Competition

Ferrari Enzo

If there were ever a car to pit against the Zonda F, you would have to look at the Ferrari Enzo. It was built in only 400 examples, and Ferrari thought it was so great, that they named it Enzo after the company’s founder. It was powered by a 6.0-liter V-12 that delivered 660 horsepower and 485 pound-feet of torque. It could hit a 60 mph sprint in 3.14 seconds, 100 mph in 6.6 seconds, and the quarter-mile in 11 seconds. Top speed sat at a healthy and respectable 217 mph. Oddly, power was sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed semi-automatic transmission. The price of the Enzo when new started at $695,330, but it is still one of the most sought after Ferrari’s out there. In August of 2015, the last Enzo ever built was auctioned off as part of the Pinnacle Portfolio collection and sold for $6.05 million. If that doesn’t go to show how special the car is, nothing will.

Read out full review of the 2003 to 2004 Ferrari Enzo here.

Conclusion

There is so much that is cool about this car. For starters, it was the first to sport the carbon fiber finish. Secondly, that luxurious interior was outrageously excessive for the car’s purpose. More importantly, however, it was designed to pay tribute to one of the greatest Formula One racers out there and even sported the man’s last initial in its official name. It’s important to remember, however, that the Zonda F wasn’t a replacement for the S 7.3. Instead, it was built alongside the S7.3 as more of a special edition model. The Zonda F was the first Zonda to have a modified Mercedes engine, offer the Clubsport package, and offer Carbon Ceramic brakes as an option. Needless to say, this baby is a true piece of Pagani history and is surely worth remembering.