The C12 S has nothing to envy its most direct competitors, Ferrari and Lamborghini . It is equipped with a V12 AMG engine of 555 HP and passes 320 km/h of maximum speed.
The vehicle built by the Argentine designer Horacio Pagani has earned an important place in Europe, highlighted among the sports cars manufactured in Italy. The artisanal production of a small number of units per year was always a successful formula in Europe.
Just as Alejandro De Tomaso was the first Argentine to conquer Europe, in terms of car manufacturing, today Pagani joins with similar procedure. It designs bodywork and chassis, while the engine supplier is external.
De Tomaso used Ford engines mainly, while Pagani adopts Mercedes Benz engines. The drivers used in Horacio Pagani cars are specially developed by the Mercedes AMG sports division. The AMG is responsible for all engine developments for high-performance models of Mercedes street cars, large-scale racing cars and other competitions.
The Pagani C12 S Roadster features a V12 located between the passenger compartment and the rear axle, achieving optimal weight distribution and a low centre of gravity. The V12 of 7,300 cm3 displacement and 48 valves (DOHC) delivers a maximum power of 555 hp at 5,900 rpm. It reaches its limit at 7,000 revolutions and generates a maximum torque of 533 pounds foot at 4,050 rpm.
The Zonda has rear wheel drive driven by a manual 6-speed gearbox. It reaches over 320 km/h and accelerates from 0 to 100 in just 3.6 seconds. As you can see, the numbers compete without any problem with any Italian rival. Even its fuel consumption is lower than that of a Ferrari 575M, with the C12 S performance being higher.
Although its interior is almost as vulgar as that of a Ferrari F50, it is considered an elegant car. I think it's inexplicable, it's enough to see that the knobs located on the center console do not differ too much from those of an ordinary kitchen... I think in general it is very confusing expensive with good. High price carbon fiber is wasted, just because it's a fashion, doesn't make it exclusive or elegant.
There are very low weight materials that can replace it inside, especially in parts such as the console or the same support panel of analog indicators. Carbon fiber in body parts or elements that provide structural rigidity, is a good choice. But its indiscriminate application where it is not needed, it is not.
© Adrián Blanco 2005 - Prohibited the total or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —
Porsche Cayman S Audi S4 Super sporty: Grand Sport 90 Ford Shelby GR-1 concept New technologies