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" Who does he think he is, Ferruccio Lamborghini...or even Enzo Ferrari?   That was not an unkind thought we had about Horacio Pagani 10 years ago. He seemed like a nice guy, but starting a company just outside Modena, Italy, to build exotic cars? Why didn&amp;#039;t the Argentine-in-Italy carbon-fiber expert just buy a big yacht? At least he could relax and get a tan while the money vaporized.   Okay, we were wrong. A decade later, Pagani Zondas remain near the top of the exotic-car list. They&amp;#039;ve been tested fast in a straight line, reaching 0\u201360 mph in the mid-3-second range and proved able to get around the N\u00FCrburgring in a video game-quick 7:27.82.   Every Zonda features another highly prized quality among exotic cars: rarity, with fewer than 100 in existence.   While lacking the classic, flowing beauty of a Pininfarina-designed Ferrari, the Zonda&amp;#039;s shape is an attention-getter. It stops you in your tracks. We didn&amp;#039;t think the design would age well, but a decade down the line it still rivets attention and holds it \u2014 from that low nose with its four small headlamps back to the big center exhaust port corralling four outlets. A photographer&amp;#039;s dream.   The attractive interior is a mix of modern (carbon fiber), retro (toggle switches) and art deco (the design of instruments and controls) accented with aluminum and fine leather.   That Zonda body style is done as a coupe or a roadster in three levels, all with a mid-mounted 7.3-liter AMG/Mercedes-Benz V-12. The S version comes in at 555 bhp and 553 lb.-ft. of torque, the F with 602 bhp and 561 lb.-ft., and the F Clubsport dynos at 650 bhp and 575 lb.-ft.   All use 6-speed manual transmissions, Brembo disc brakes and have the sort of A-arm suspensions you&amp;#039;d expect in a race car. Plus the level of suspension and aerodynamic tuning that allows 210-plus-mph top speeds.   Being in a Zonda at speed is a pure exotic-car moment. Like a Ferrari Enzo, there are nicely crafted touches from the museum-quality carbon-fiber finish to air conditioning that keep this from being a race car on the streets. Still, you are not cushioned or coddled or kept from enjoying the unfiltered fun of a truly fast machine. One with a price that likely will soak up $500,000 or more.   Sadly, the Zonda is nearing the end of its run. But don&amp;#039;t mourn the supercar too much as the next step Pagani takes is pointed at the U.S.   Zonda production will round out at 100 with an added model called the R, a track-oriented version in the image of Ferrari&amp;#039;s FXX. Looking like a still-more-aggressive Zonda \u2014 if you can imagine such a thing \u2014 the R will have a 750-bhp version of the AMG V-12.   While that project is being wrapped up in the original factory in San Cesario sul Panaro, both a new factory and car are being prepped for 2009. Code-named the C9, the new Pagani will be a carbon-fiber machine, possibly powered by a Mercedes/AMG V-8, so how about the SLR&amp;#039;s supercharged V-8 with its 617 bhp and 575 lb.-ft. of torque?   Here&amp;#039;s the best news: Having been frustrated in attempts to certify the Zonda in the U.S., Pagani will design the C9 for sale worldwide. We might see the new car at the 2009 Geneva show. Although there haven&amp;#039;t been any concept drawings yet, we can count on the new Pagani being exciting...and fast. And expensive. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/news/a14108/pagani-exotics/>