Baby Zonda To Target Lambo

Don't place your deposit on a Gallardo just yet. For most of us, a Lamborghini in the garage is a distant dream, but anyone fortunate enough to be in the market for a compact supercar could soon be spoilt for choice.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Chris Thorp

29th March 2004

Auto Express can reveal Pagani is planning to produce a baby Zonda, which will use Mercedes power in a bid to teach its Italian rival a thing or two about exotic performance. Talks are underway with the German firm's in-house tuner AMG about donating the supercharged V8 from the SL55 to the newcomer. The Zonda already uses a 7.3-litre version of AMG's V12 powerplant, tuned to produce 555bhp. In the new model, the smaller V8 is likely to provide at least 490bhp and a sub-4.5-second 0-60mph time.

As our exclusive images in this week's issue show, the car will be a more compact evolution of the Zonda's shape, with a far more muscular stance than the Lamborghini. What's more, it will lose some of the larger Pagani's outrageous styling, giving a cleaner look. It will still be easily recognisable, with the familiar shape of the glass area and bulging wheelarches complementing the drooping rear end and sharp nose. The design will be finished by two raised, centrally mounted tailpipes, which will no doubt emit a suitably sporty exhaust note.

The project is still in its early stages, so don't expect to see the baby Pagani on the road until 2006. With the full-size Zonda costing ΂£350,000, the newcomer will make the exclusive marque far more accessible, with prices likely to start at around ΂£130,000.