Is a Zonda really worth it?

[JCB123]

The Zonda is by far my favourite car - but I don't understand the silver / grey ones.....

[darksider]

NRS said:

It is actually a high asking price - with the normal S cars going for something like £450 000, then the S version at Amian cars going for 750 000 euros then it's perhaps not worth it. Quite a few of the F parts there will be removed if you upgrade it anyway, so there is no point paying for more.

Also if you're going for bodywork changes then it's going to get very expensive very quickly. The body parts will almost certainly be over £250 000 at a minimum. E.g. rear clamshell needed to the scope, NACA ducts in this car and so on.

250k for bodywork seems a little excessive doesn't it? I know carbon fiber is expensive but there is no way it could cost that much for this car.

[Beefmeister]

It does seem a little like Horacio just picks a number out of thin air for these upgrades.

But then, he can. So he does!

[NRS]

darksider said:

NRS said:

It is actually a high asking price - with the normal S cars going for something like £450 000, then the S version at Amian cars going for 750 000 euros then it's perhaps not worth it. Quite a few of the F parts there will be removed if you upgrade it anyway, so there is no point paying for more.

Also if you're going for bodywork changes then it's going to get very expensive very quickly. The body parts will almost certainly be over £250 000 at a minimum. E.g. rear clamshell needed to the scope, NACA ducts in this car and so on.

250k for bodywork seems a little excessive doesn't it? I know carbon fiber is expensive but there is no way it could cost that much for this car.

I could be pretty wrong (the actual owners on here would be a far better to get a correct idea about it from) but generally the costs seem very high. I know the price of the molds, but have been asked not to say - they are reasonably expensive. The problem is if you get air bubbles etc in the carbon then they just scrape the parts. I remember being at the factor and there was a whole batch of the same part that were scraped because of a few small bubbles within the resin. But as mentioned, there also seems to be a bit of overpricing since it is a Pagani - Streetrod has a much more knowledgable background in regards to painting, and has commented on the paint jobs a few times as being really expensive for what they are.

[KFC]

I'd love a Zonda. I can afford a cheap supercar just now and hopefully I'll be able to afford a better one in the future... but I reckon Zonda's are going to increase in value faster than my spending power increases, and will be out of reach forever

[Streetrod]

NRS said:

darksider said:

NRS said:

It is actually a high asking price - with the normal S cars going for something like £450 000, then the S version at Amian cars going for 750 000 euros then it's perhaps not worth it. Quite a few of the F parts there will be removed if you upgrade it anyway, so there is no point paying for more.

Also if you're going for bodywork changes then it's going to get very expensive very quickly. The body parts will almost certainly be over £250 000 at a minimum. E.g. rear clamshell needed to the scope, NACA ducts in this car and so on.

250k for bodywork seems a little excessive doesn't it? I know carbon fiber is expensive but there is no way it could cost that much for this car.

I could be pretty wrong (the actual owners on here would be a far better to get a correct idea about it from) but generally the costs seem very high. I know the price of the molds, but have been asked not to say - they are reasonably expensive. The problem is if you get air bubbles etc in the carbon then they just scrape the parts. I remember being at the factor and there was a whole batch of the same part that were scraped because of a few small bubbles within the resin. But as mentioned, there also seems to be a bit of overpricing since it is a Pagani - Streetrod has a much more knowledgable background in regards to painting, and has commented on the paint jobs a few times as being really expensive for what they are.

The thing with a bare carbon body is that you have no where to hide minor blemishes or mistakes. This is exaggerated on a Zonda because the car is covered in a few very large panels which just makes the chance of an error occurring even worse. Therefore in general each panel is made by only a couple of specialist guys at Pagani trusted to do this work.

When the Zonda F was still being produced the bare carbon option was a £40k option. If you want the same on a Huayra today its now £95k. To produce brand new panels on a Zonda is going to cost you a lot more.

The paint work on a Pagani is very good, far better than you will find on a Lambo or Ferrari, Only Koenigsegg can be compared. But can you do better? Hell yes, its all down to the time spent prepping the car. I spent an hour looking over a black E-Type Jag in the Earls Court pavilion at the Goodwood Revival last year. It had to be one of the best paint jobs I have ever seen; I could not detect a single flaw. If fact it was so good it would have been a shame to drive the car, and believe me you are unlikely to hear me say that often. If Pagani's were painted to the same standard I would say the price you would pay would be justified, but not practical for a car designed to be used.

[Dr JonboyG]

darksider said:

Really insightful, thanks! As you mentioned, I would probably get a permit to register the car as a "demo" vehicle. I really have no intention of driving it too much in the states. I am going to contact Alberto at Pagani and see what happens. I'll keep everyone informed as soon as I know more.

I'm pretty sure if you do that you can only keep it in the country for a year (or maybe two) and then it either has to be exported or destroyed.

[jshell]

Streetrod said:

As for the GJ, converting it too LHD is a relatively simple task as the mounting points are already in the chassis. This would make practical and financial sense as GJ I suspect could be had for a lot less than the cars currently on sale

Here is a pic of GJ to inspire you. That is a matt bare carbon body by the way that would be a major major cost if you were to have it recreated new. A quick coat of lacquer would be all that's needed if you fancied a shiny finish

Edited by Streetrod on Wednesday 1st January 12:12

He has purchased another Zonda, so I imagine he'd be keen to get shot of the GJ for the right price...though creating an edition out of the owners initials 'may' be offputting for potential purchasers.

[wessexrfc]

Makes the Noble M600 Carbon Sport @ £200,000 seem quite a bargin, but then again I would say that

[NRS]

jshell said:

Streetrod said:

As for the GJ, converting it too LHD is a relatively simple task as the mounting points are already in the chassis. This would make practical and financial sense as GJ I suspect could be had for a lot less than the cars currently on sale

Here is a pic of GJ to inspire you. That is a matt bare carbon body by the way that would be a major major cost if you were to have it recreated new. A quick coat of lacquer would be all that's needed if you fancied a shiny finish

Edited by Streetrod on Wednesday 1st January 12:12

He has purchased another Zonda, so I imagine he'd be keen to get shot of the GJ for the right price...though creating an edition out of the owners initials 'may' be offputting for potential purchasers.

I remember you mentioning this before, but the 3 cars of the type you mentioned are (were) all accounted for? I would imagine the name could be changed - the named editions are basically a plaque on the inside and a badge on the exterior. For example the GJ was a normal S before the update. The Zonda Absolute was also another repaired Zonda that changed it's name due to owner request.

[Beefmeister]

As all the big Zonda aficionados are in this thread, it seems as good a place as any to ask...

It occurred to me last night that I've never seen a Zonda on aftermarket wheels. Now I know a lot of people balk at the idea, but companies like HRE and ADV.1 make some exceptionally well designed, light and strong wheels in gorgeous designs.

Given the lengths people go to, to personalise their Zondas it surprises me that someone hasn't commissioned a custom set of wheels from one of the above makers. I know the Zonda wheels are lovely btw, but I also think that they could be improved upon. I know that ADV.1 have done Veyron wheels, as have HRE.

Is it something to do with Pagani themselves?

I understand a lot of people will hate the thought of it, but I was thinking some wheels like the ones below would look incredible on a Zonda.

Edited by Beefmeister on Wednesday 8th January 11:50

[Beefmeister]

I agree to an extent - the aftermarket wheels would be purely aesthetic - they are going to be no lighter/stronger than the OEM ones as I'm sure as you say that Horacio has designed them as thoroughly and obsessively as the rest of the car.

I don't know why I wonder about it really, as I do adore the F wheels, maybe it's because I'm not a fan of dished wheels, I like the deep concaved look at the rear.

[Lione1 Richie]

Have a look halfway down this web page and take a look at what one wealthy Japanese owner has done to his Zonda.....

http://www.speedhunters.com/2014/01/bow-japanese-c...

[Beefmeister]

Oh my. I've just been a little bit sick in my mouth.







I was talking about some motorsport-inspired wheels, not that kind of automotive abuse.

[NRS]

It was a bit of a car crash if you don't like the Japanese modification scene, watching that car slowly change month by month. However I believe quite a lot/ all is reversable (if I remember right the owner got their own parts made and the stuff underneath hasn't changed). But it's been a while since looking at that car so it might have changed with the later modifications.

Another "interesting" Zonda that had aftermarket wheels was this one:



At another point:



http://www.gtspirit.com/2010/03/19/overkill-wrappe...

Owner ran a strip tease club but has passed away.

[jshell]

NRS said:

I remember you mentioning this before, but the 3 cars of the type you mentioned are (were) all accounted for? I would imagine the name could be changed - the named editions are basically a plaque on the inside and a badge on the exterior. For example the GJ was a normal S before the update. The Zonda Absolute was also another repaired Zonda that changed it's name due to owner request.

So, could just re-badge it back to an S for sale? Would be an easy change then and invalidate my point about the initials being offputting.

[NRS]

jshell said:

NRS said:

I remember you mentioning this before, but the 3 cars of the type you mentioned are (were) all accounted for? I would imagine the name could be changed - the named editions are basically a plaque on the inside and a badge on the exterior. For example the GJ was a normal S before the update. The Zonda Absolute was also another repaired Zonda that changed it's name due to owner request.

So, could just re-badge it back to an S for sale? Would be an easy change then and invalidate my point about the initials being offputting.

I can't see a reason for not doing so - they were put on in the same way. That's why people complaining about there being too many "special edition" Zondas was a bit silly in some ways. The reality was they were just custom made Zondas which the owners called "GJ" or "HH" etc. They couldn't be called an "F" since all 25 of them were made already.

[darksider]

I found this Zonda awhile ago, any thoughts on the car and the dealership selling it?

http://www.jamesedition.com/cars/pagani/zonda-road...

[zondaboy]

darksider said:

I found this Zonda awhile ago, any thoughts on the car and the dealership selling it?

http://www.jamesedition.com/cars/pagani/zonda-road...

I have been in touch with this dealership and rental company over the last few months and I have enquired about their Zonda and Veyron.

Although we haven't done any business they were very nice and helpful. The guy I have been in contact with is Enrique. Seems like a very nice guy.

The price of the Zonda is 1.1M Euros no lower. I didn't think you would be interested in this car as I thought it might be over your budget.

There is a video on youtube of a rapper/singer named Stone Soul (never heard of him before) using the Zonda in one of his video shoots http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yamrMMpalBA

Personally I think it is one of the most beautiful Zondas ever made inside and out but I would have the hood in black or matching colour.

I can put you in touch with Enrique if you like.

[QROPS]

Zhuhai Circuit today.