Pagani is known for some of the fastest, most exotic supercars on the planet But the man who created Pagani actually started his career at Lamborghini But when Lamborghini refused to see his vision, he quit his job to start what became one of the most iconic supercar brands ever So let's dig into the story of Horacio Pagani And see how a simple engineer could team up with F1 drivers, fight the biggest names in the industry, And create a supercar in an era when the supercar was all but doomed I’m Guff, this is Albon, Let’s Get Started By the way, we’re giving away $1000 at the end of every month to a subscriber who comments below. So don’t forget to subscribe and drop a comment to win! Artfully sculpted Carbon Fiber… Gated manual transmissions… 12 cylinders screaming to 7000RPM… These were once just ideas, willed into existence by one engineer An engineer who started life as just a regular car crazed kid in the streets of Argentina Horacio Pagani was the son of Italian immigrants, His father, a simple baker, worked hard to ensure his family had a comfortable life in the small agricultural town of Casilda But Horacio, from a very young age, took an interest in something that wasn’t very popular in his sleepy village Cars At just 12 years old, instead of playing sports, Horacio was making model cars out of wood and scrap.
At 15, he built a makeshift motorcycle that he used to ride through the streets of Casilda Every chance he got he was either working on, talking about, or reading something about cars. And of course, the pinnacle of cars were made in the land of his forefathers, Italy Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, all represented the peak of sports cars, And although Argentina was home, the young Pagani couldn’t help but feel pride that Italians were the leaders in the industry. Eventually, Horacio went to University in La Plata, and there he was given the tools and education to keep growing his passion At just 20 years old, he designed and built a Formula 3 car, And this wasn’t just a show piece, it actually raced in the local series in Argentina That was just the beginning though, By the time he graduated with his Mechanical Engineering degree, He had developed a custom dune buggy, and more impressively, A single seater race car to Formula 2 specification.
Every piece on that car was designed and developed by Horacio himself, Save for the heart of the car, an engine made by Renault. Why is that important? Well, because, when Renault saw a scrappy young engineer building racecars with their powerplants, they knew they needed to give him a call And a call, turned to an interview, which turned to a job.
A job in racecar development for Renault’s racing program Horacio Pagani went from making balsa wood model cars to working with a massively funded racing team, and it was all thanks to his constant curiosity, and insatiable urge to constantly improve what was in front of him A trait that would later not only catapult his career, but also land him in hot water. But we’ll get to that later, After a word from our sponsor, Opera! I am an automotive memelord It’s not just a hobby like my mom says, it's my calling.
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So hit that link and join me in my quest to fill the internet with car memes that will disappoint your parents, or maybe just use Opera because it's actually a good browser… I know which I’ll be doing… Horacio’s work at Renault would prove to be one of the most pivotal moments in his career. You see, also connected to Renault, was Horacio’s soon to be mentor, Oreste Berta. And Oreste had friends, famous friends.
Most notably, legendary Argentinian racing driver Juan Manuel Fangio. All three of them came from Argentinian backgrounds, and all three of them shared an unbridled passion for cars, so Oreste insisted Fangio meet this young trailblazer in the industry. Pagani was establishing his footing deep within the Renault ranks.
. but there was a point where he climbed the ladder as far as he could, and there was nothing more for him there. As Fangio got to know Pagani, he quickly realized that his talents couldn't be wasted here at Renault, so he wrote letters to the best car manufacturers in italy; Leveraging his long standing relationships with Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati, to tell them that they needed this young man on their team.
This was a dream come true for Horacio, a true icon of the racing was cosigning his life’s work, and to the carmakers he dreamed of working with no less. Horacio was determined now more than ever, and with his newfound confidence from Fangio, he bit the bullet and moved to Italy with his wife in 1982. He hadn’t even gotten the job yet, but he knew that with his skills and Fangio’s support, he could do anything.
But there was one problem, the automobile industry wasn't exactly booming in the 80s. Especially in the supercar business. Although the 80s had the image of investment bankers on questionable substances driving supercars around, the supercar makers weren’t exactly growing.
And that meant hiring in the industry was very limited Horacio had to take odd jobs to keep the bills paid in his new home in Italy. It was a harrowing time for him and his family, he bet everything he had on himself, and none of it was a sure thing But months later, he finally got a phone call from one of the carmakers who read that letter from Fangio, Lamborghini! Lamborhini offered Pagani an entry level position in their bodywork department.
That meant he was starting as a low level grunt, sweeping floors and lending a helping hand when needed. And although he was once the hotshot engineer at Reanult, he stayed humble, kept his head down, and continually showed how committed he was to his passion and work. And eventually, as time went on, Lamborghini started to give him more freedom.
He rose through the ranks, at one point becoming a development engineer, And then eventually, he became head of their Composite Materials department. His first big break? The Lamborghini Countach Evoluzione!
This was the first Lamborghini ever to be made entirely of composite materials! Using technology that was only ever seen in aerospace or only the highest form of racing. And now Pagani could finally flex his skills This madman took the steel space frame from the regular Countach and remade it entirely of carbon composite A strategy that might seem commonplace today, but back then, it was truly unheard of.
The entire transmission tunnel, the roof, floor panels, door sills: ALL OF IT was one piece of honeycombed kevlar and carbon fiber material And in the arms race to manufacture strong but lightweight vehicles, this prototype was truly revolutionary. When it was all said and done, the Evoluzione weighed over 1000 pounds less than the base Countach! But there was a problem.
And it was a big problem. Production was just TOO expensive. Just one little fender bender would result in the entire shell needing to be replaced.
Pair that with the fact that composite materials were just too new and unproven, and you have a financial risk that Lamborghini just didn’t want to take. So the Countach Evoluzione died in the name of science, in one last test, a crash test. And the studies from that test proved just as valuable as Pagani’s initial research on composite materials.
There was now tangible proof in regards to impact resistance and safety with composite materials like carbon fiber. And so Horacio didn’t see this as an end, but as a springboard to further develop this tech into a real road car. Or… that was his plan at least.
He approached the Lamborghini execs and told them he needed to buy an Autoclave. This was a machine that would allow his department to produce composite parts on a much larger scale Which would in turn make composite material R&D more affordable, thus making Lamborghini's pursuit of lightweight composite road cars a reality It made perfect sense, especially after Pagani poured so much time and toil into the Countach Evo But Lamborghini just didn’t see Pagani’s vision. Their argument was that IF Ferrari isn't building cars with composite materials, then they didn't need to either.
The irony of Lamborghini, a company that was founded because Ferrari wouldn’t build cars the way they wanted, now saying they won’t build a car because it's not like a Ferrari, is truly ridiculous. And this was the moment that Pagani realized, just like all those years ago at Renault, that his dreams were now a dead end at Lamborghini… All those years of desperately wanting to work with the best car makers the world had to offer, only to be caught in some bureaucratic BS once he got there, It was a crushing realization, but on the other hand, proof that there was only one way to achieve the things that he knew he was capable of. So, Pagani put all his chips together and gambled them, heading directly to the bank to take out a loan.
If Lamborghini wouldn't give him his autoclave, then he was going to bet the farm and buy his own autoclave. And he was going to build everything by himself, without the rope around his neck of corporate cowardice. So, Horacio quit his job at Lamborghini and opened up shop just down the road Now it was just him, his ideas, and his muse… a financed autoclave, a constant reminder that now it was sink or swim for Pagani.
Horacio called his new venture: Modena Design. And he picked up right where he left off at Lamborghini, mastering carbon fiber! In no time at all, he was producing state of the art composite materials for the automobile industry.
And he was so ahead of the game, big name manufacturers were already knocking down his doors Renault, Aprilia, and Daihatsu all reached out to use Horacio's services. And his most notable customer was none other than the Ferrari Formula 1 team. It was a dream come true, finally being on the cutting edge of automotive engineering, But Pagani quickly realized, what he was doing wasn’t enough He started his automotive journey building his own race cars And even with how well the composites business was running, he couldn’t be making things for other people his whole life.
So after business hours were over and the invoices were filed away, Horacio and his team at Modena Design started work on their own special project. A car of their own, A car as beautiful, lightweight, and as capable as any other supercar on the market, if not better! And in honor of his wonderful friend who helped him find his success, He named the project “Fangio F1” The body was to be made totally of carbon composites, sculpted to not only be aerodynamic and strong, but also beautiful But there was one roadblock for project Fangio, Just like that single seater F2 racer Horacio developed years ago, the idea of creating his own engine was unthinkable.
Sure, he lived in the same place where the likes of Lamborghini and Ferrari developed 12 cylinder monsters, But for a small outfit like Pagani’s, It was far too intricate, expensive. So, once again, he looked for a donor engine, one that would be a suitable heart for a project of this caliber Luckily, the project’s namesake, Juan Manuel Fangio had somes friends over at Mercedes-Benz, Namely, the head of development, Dieter Zetsche. (Zet-shuh) But convincing an industry giant like Mercedes to supply you engines wasn’t an easy task Pagani had a plan though.
He brought the Fangio F1 concept to Dieter and showed it to him in the flesh. And Dieter was stunned The concept was unlike anything he had seen before, A truly remarkable piece of design, especially for a small Italian outfit that nobody had heard of. Horacio capitalized on this and asked Dieter for a tiny favor - an engine to put into his stunning car.
And that was that! Mercedes agreed to supply Pagani with the M120 6. 0L V12 engine out of the S-Class And now all the pieces of the puzzle were in Pagani’s hands.
Until tragedy struck. In 1995, right in the midst of the Fangio F1 development, Juan Manuel Fangio passed away. He was 84, and battling kidney failure for some time.
But it was still a blow to the racing world, and especially to Horacio. He found himself struggling to reconcile with the development of his new car. His dearest friend and mentor was gone.
A friend that opened so many doors for his career. But beyond that, there had been problems brewing for years now. Pagani was building a supercar.
But every year he continued development, the supercar market shrank and shrank McLaren stopped building the F1, Iso Rivolta had just crashed and burned Cizeta went belly up And then… then there was Lamborghini. Lamborghini was still in business, and still making cars, but when they heard about what Pagani was making down the road, they threw him a curveball. Now, Horacio and Lamborghini never burned any bridges, they were still cordial, but they didn’t have much of a relationship beyond that But in 1998, Lamborghini approached Horacio with an offer to buy his project car from him.
The very same company that refused to see his vision a few years prior. The same company that chose to emulate Ferrari instead of believing in one of their own, Now wanted to buy Horacio’s beloved project. And while the more prideful among us would laugh in their faces, Horacio Pagani was now fighting a battle in his heart The money would be life changing, it would help his family live comfortably for the rest of their lives And with every other boutique supercar maker struggling to stay afloat, this would be his way out, a guaranteed win, or at least, an escape rope.
But on the other hand, he would be giving away the keys to something so near and dear to his heart, something that his mentor Fangio even played a role in. But since his family was the main thing on his mind, he asked his family for help on this decision. And ultimately, it was Horacio’s son who swayed the decision.
He told his dad, “forget the money, forget the easy way out” This car was everything to him, it was the culmination of his life’s work. And beyond money, it represented the future that Horacio always believed in for himself. Impacting the automotive world with the vision that existed in his head and his alone.
So he soldiered on. The Fangio F1 was going to become a reality come hell or high water. And after even more years of grueling development, Horacio Pagani’s project finally made its debut for the masses at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show.
But out of respect for his mentor, he changed the name It was now the Pagani Zonda C12. And it stopped the automotive world in their tracks, It was a sleek, sexy carbon bodied coupe powered by a naturally aspirated 6. 0L Mercedes V12, making around 400hp and 472lbft of torque sent through a manual transmission.
And even with that massive 12 cylinder, the Zonda weighed just 2800 pounds, thanks to Horacio’s genius in composite materials and carbon fiber It was so impressive that the Zonda made every supercar maker hit pit lane immediately and reevaluate their designs. Horacio, and his team at the new Pagani Automobili landed themselves squarely in the big leagues with the Zonda And now, it was time to grab the supercar world by the horns. Of course, even though the Zonda was received with open arms, They weren’t exactly selling them at Honda Civic volumes Over the course of the first model year, Pagani’s small facility in Modena made only 5 Zonda C12s 1 was for crash testing, 1 was a test car, And just 3 were sent off to lucky customers And at an MSRP of $280,000, it wasn’t exactly in reach for many beyond the wealthiest car enthusiasts.
But for Pagani it was a perfect springboard for him to continue improving his vision of the ultimate supercar. The very next year he developed the Zonda C12-S This was largely the same car with a few minor visual tweaks, and one major mechanical one The M120 6. 0L V12 was replaced by the AMG built M297 7.
0L and it was now producing a manic 542hp And this one was basically mass produced compared to the last one 16 examples were made over the next 2 years, at an MSRP of $350,000 And by 2002, Horacio could finally sit back and feel like he had done it. He had created his perfect masterpiece on his own terms, and car enthusiasts around the globe loved it as much as he did But see that’s the thing about perfection, you can always make it perfecter And so, perfecter the Zonda became, In 2002 the C12-S 7. 3L variant was introduced, now revving to 7000rpm, and along with that came the first Zonda Roadster, the perfect way to cruise the streets of Monaco and listen to that V12 song But it wasn’t all about style for the Zonda, this was a sports car through and through Forged aluminum double wishbone suspension, Adjustable inboard ohlins coilovers, All connected to a lightweight carbon tub The Zonda was fast, so fast that it broke the Nurburgring lap record with a 7:44 time And that was the feat that sealed Pagani’s place in the supercar world.
Now, there was another family name that lived alongside that of Ferrari and Lamborghini But Pagani still wasn’t content, there was more to be had from the Zonda platform In 2005, he released the Zonda F The F was for Fangio. And this car was taken up a level in just about every department. There was a heavy emphasis on aero The mirrors were relocated for undisturbed air flow The front and rear splitter were larger for increased downforce And the air intakes on the front and sides were massive to keep the upgraded V12 cool.
Upgraded to now make 620Hp, in a chassis that weighed 2711 pounds dry. And if you really wanted to take flight, there was a new clubsport option that bumped horsepower to 650 The ultimate Zonda under the badge of the ultimate racing driver in Pagani’s eyes. Later in the year you could get the Zonda F in roadster trim Yet somehow, Horacio Pagani STILL wasn't finished improving his creation.
Because over the next 7 years, new versions of the Zonda came out the Pagani factory regularly The Zonda Cinque and Zonda R came in 2009 The R was an all out track focused car. A 740HP car capable of doing 0-60 in 2. 7 seconds….
In 2009! And it held a Nurburgring lap record at 6 minutes and 47 seconds. .
Beating out the Ferrari FXX by 11 seconds! The Cinque was the street legal version of the R, a little bit softer, a little bit better to live with, but still absolutely manically fast Every time you thought the Zonda was as fast as it could be, the king of carbon fiber would deliver the world a version even more impressive than the last In 2013, the Zonda Revolucion came out. An even crazier Zonda R that now weighed 2359 pounds and made 791 HP A power to weight that rivals the fastest cars ever made.
But, as it goes, all good things do come to an end. The Zonda was eventually discontinued in 2019, And Horacio Pagani finally put the project that changed his life to rest, and now it was time to focus on the the newest offerings from Pagani But here’s the thing, when that very first Zonda C12 came out in ‘99, it set a new precedent for the supercar world. Across the board, supercar makers began to take composite materials far more seriously after seeing what Pagani was doing with the Zonda And the Veyron, Enzo, Carrera GT and the Mclaren SLR were all proof of Pagani’s impact Horacio was well aware of this, it was the impact that he wanted to make.
So when that Zonda R came out, the track only variant, it was more than another wild Zonda. It was also to test the waters for a more extreme Pagani in the market. The Huayra.
Released in 2011, the Huayra made 730HP and 738ftlb of torque, Still powered by Mercedes-benz, but now sporting twin turbos on a 6L V12 developed specifically for the Huayra And just like the Zonda, it pushed the envelope for its usage of materials, Its gorgeous design, And its tremendous attention to detail. And also like the Zonda, The Huayra went on to see a few transformations in its lifetime First the roadster, Then the Huayra BC, Then the Huayra Tricolore, Then the Huayra Imola and of course… the Huayra R And for those who had over 3 million bucks to spend, every Pagani was the perfect rolling piece of art, one that was just as comfortable at a concours as it was at the circuit. Something that Horacio himself made abundantly clear, as he was often spotted driving around his personal cars.
And now, as of just this September, we were introduced to Pagani’s third act: The Pagani Utopia And in typical Pagani fashion, it bucks every trend. It's promised to have no batteries, no hybrid power, no dual clutch transmission, and no gimmicks. Just a beautiful carbon chassis an AMG V12 making 852 HP and 811lbft of torque All hooked up to an optional 7 speed manual transmission It is not a car built by bean counters, It is not a car sullied by regulatory nonsense It is simply an expression of the mind of one man.
Horacio Pagani. And to think that it all came from such humble beginnings A boy in Argentina with a dream, who surrounded himself with other dreamers, and took risks for what he believed in, even when those above him pushed him not to Horacio Pagani, in a time when cars are becoming more and more the same, continues to produce cars that are refreshingly different Cars that he himself would want to own, to drive, to look at and admire Cars that refuse to conform themselves to mold of what the industry claims is best Cars that inspire the love of all things automotive in enthusiasts young and old And I for one can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. Thanks for watching Subscribe if you haven’t already!
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