► Roofless run-out Zondas
► Three cars to be built
► Named after Horacio Pagani
Thought the Pagani Zonda had gone out of production? You’re not alone. We’ve been reporting on ‘last-ever Zondas’ since 2009, but the Modenese supercar maker has built yet another variant – and that’s no bad thing, because the Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta is really quite something.
A surprise unveil at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance event in California, three examples of the Zonda HP Barchetta will be made.
The original Zonda went into production in 1999.
No roof, wraparound screen, 1250kg kerb weight
As the Barchetta name suggests, it’s an open-top Zonda – in fact, there’s no roof at all, a good reason not to take this car out in the rain. That and a 7.3-litre AMG V12 driving the rear wheels.
No power output has been disclosed, but it’s likely to be well in excess of 600bhp, propelling a kerb weight of only 1250kg.
One of the HP Barchetta’s most distinctive features is its dramatically cut-down wraparound windscreen, shown to best effect in profile. The side view also shows off the angled fairings which partially cover the rear wheels.
And in plan view, there’s no missing the ornate central air scoop, and this particular car’s tartan seat insets, which remind us a bit of Sir Jackie Stewart’s hat.
What does HP stand for?
Company founder Horacio Pagani – he commissioned this car himself, and one of the three to be built is thought to be destined for his own garage. The company describes the HP Barchetta as ‘how Horacio imagined his own Zonda.’
If this really is the last Zonda of the line, it’s a hell of a way to bow out.