Pagani Zonda F Roadster

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the Pagani Zonda F Roadster, the open-top, two-seat, mid-engine, rear-wheel drive car with the 7.3L naturally aspirated AMG V12 petrol (7291 cc) engine in the 650 PS, 780 Nm form that Pagani prints on its own Roadster F page. It was shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 2006, and the F stands for Fangio. It is not a guide to the Zonda F coupe, which has its own guide in this catalogue, nor to the Zonda Roadster F Clubsport, or to the earlier Zonda S Roadster and C12 S Roadster. Where those cars differ we say so below, because an advert that says only "Zonda Roadster" can describe several quite different machines.

We have not driven this model for this article. Everything here comes from three cited sources: Pagani's own page for the Zonda Roadster F, a June 2010 PistonHeads forum thread titled "pagani zonda f roadster", and the government recall checker. We also read Pagani's 2009 Roadster F press release (a PDF hosted on allcarcentral.com), a Wikipedia article on the Zonda, a GTspirit article of 13 October 2011, and PistonHeads' February 2006 road test of the coupe, and we flag every point that rests on them. An autoevolution page returned a 403 error, so we did not use it. Where sources disagree we say so rather than pick a winner quietly. Prices and costs, where mentioned, are history or single examples and not valuations.

The figures at a glance

• Engine: 7.3L naturally aspirated AMG V12 petrol (7291 cc), 60 degree vee, 48 valves, mounted behind the cabin.
• Power: 641 bhp, which is our conversion of Pagani's figure. Pagani prints "(478) 650/6200", meaning 478 kW and 650 hp at 6,200 rpm, and 478 kW is 650 PS, so its "hp" is the metric unit. 650 x 0.98632 is about 641.1, which we round to 641 bhp. Wikipedia prints 650 PS (478 kW; 641 hp), which agrees.
• Torque: 780 Nm at 4,000 rpm, as Pagani prints it. Wikipedia gives 575 lb ft for the same figure.
• 0-100 km/h: 3.6 seconds, Pagani's own figure on the Roadster page. Wikipedia's specification table says 3.4 seconds instead. We use the manufacturer's number.
• 0-200 km/h: 9.8 seconds, from Pagani's press release, which also says the car passes 300 km/h "topless".
• Top speed: 345 km/h. Pagani prints "more than 345 km/h". Wikipedia's table says 350 km/h. Neither is a figure we can confirm for a car today.
• Drive: rear-wheel drive and mid-engine, with a mechanical six-speed gearbox plus reverse and a self-locking differential.
• Weight: 1,230 kg dry, with a quoted weight-to-power ratio of 1.89 kg/hp. Wikipedia says the Roadster has virtually the same weight as the coupe.

What the Zonda F Roadster is

Pagani's press release calls it a limited run of 25, hand built at the Pagani atelier in San Cesario sul Panaro, with the same driveability and performance as the F coupe plus open-air driving. The structure is the main engineering point. The release says carbon fabrics are used for the central chassis, bodywork and interior, and that this is how the dry weight was held at 1,230 kg. Wikipedia says the open car kept its chassis stiffness without adding weight.

The roof is described in slightly different words. Pagani's press release says an original roof made out of carbon fibre and cloth, removable in a few seconds. Pagani's Roadster page lists a folding roof with a carbon-fibre centre section and a canvas lower section. Wikipedia says a removable carbon-fibre roof and canvas side curtains. These do not contradict each other, but they do not match word for word, so if a car you are viewing has a roof that looks different, ask Pagani for the correct arrangement. The photograph at the top of this page shows a car with a red fabric roof in place.

How many were built, and when

Pagani prints "25 units" on its Roadster page and "a limited run of 25" in the press release. Wikipedia says production was limited to 25 units, and a GTspirit article dated 13 October 2011 says the final car, number 25 of 25, was photographed in the Pagani showroom.

The PistonHeads forum thread gives a more complicated picture, and it is a set of four posts from 13 and 14 June 2010, not reporting. The original poster presents a video of "number 22/25". A poster called jerwatt says only 24 Zonda Roadsters were built while 25 F coupes were planned, and a poster called RJDM3 says the 25th car was to stay with the factory. We cannot verify any of that, but it explains why you may see 24 or 25 quoted. We use 25, as Pagani does, and treat the 24 claim as unconfirmed forum comment.

The dates are also loose. The Geneva debut in 2006 is consistent across sources. The GTspirit article suggests the last car was completed as late as 2011, so we give 2006 to 2011 as an approximate span and not a model-year list.

Why the quoted power and torque vary

Pagani's Roadster page prints only 650 hp and 780 Nm, with no 602 PS alternative. That is why this guide uses 641 bhp and 780 Nm. The picture is less tidy on the coupe, where Pagani's page lists both 602 hp with 760 Nm and 650 hp with 780 Nm, and our coupe guide uses the lower pair as the standard car. The press release also muddies things slightly: it quotes 650 hp and 780 Nm in the main text, but attaches the 1.89 kg/hp weight-to-power ratio to the Clubsport version. We cannot tell from these sources whether every Roadster F left the factory with the higher output, or whether some were closer to the coupe's 602 PS and some had the Clubsport pack. If an advert quotes 602 PS, 594 bhp or 760 Nm for a roadster, ask for the build documentation. A GTspirit page quotes 680 hp for the open car, which no other source we read supports, so we ignore it.

Acceleration has the same problem. Pagani's own 3.6 seconds to 100 km/h matches the coupe's published figure, while Wikipedia says 3.4 seconds for the roadster. The PistonHeads coupe test timed 0-60 mph at 3.6 seconds, which is a different measurement and a different car. All of these are old claims or road-test numbers, not promises about any example today.

How the Zonda F Roadster differs from other versions

The Zonda F coupe is the fixed-roof sibling with its own guide. Pagani gives it 602 hp and 760 Nm as the headline specification, with 650 hp and 780 Nm listed as another setting, and Wikipedia says production was also limited to 25.

The Zonda Roadster F Clubsport is a lighter, more powerful variant with an upgraded engine, according to Wikipedia, and it is not the standard car described here. The earlier Zonda S Roadster and C12 S Roadster are different models, and we did not read enough about them to compare figures. If an advert mentions Clubsport, carbon-titanium or a car that has been converted, it is not the standard car in this guide.

Chassis, brakes and wheels

Pagani's Roadster page lists four ventilated Brembo discs, carbon-ceramic at 380 x 34 mm at the front with six-piston calipers and 380 x 34 mm at the rear with four-piston calipers. The coupe page lists steel discs as standard and carbon-ceramic as an option, while the Roadster page shows only the carbon-ceramic set, so check which brakes a particular car has. Wheels are forged aluminium and magnesium alloy, 19 inch at the front and 20 inch at the rear, fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres in 255/35 R19 at the front and 335/30 R20 at the rear. Check the tyre sizes and the age of the tyres on any car you view.

PistonHeads' 2006 coupe road test says the low Kevlar front splitter wears away over serious bumps and ruts and that replacing it would cost around 10,000 euros, and that some owners had problems with the wider rear track. That test is of the coupe, not the roadster, and it gives no roadster detail, so treat it only as a general warning about the shared bodywork.

Running costs and parts

We found no running cost, service interval, insurance or parts price figures for the Roadster F in any source we read, so we give none. Pagani's coupe page lists optional remote diagnosis, but the Roadster page itself is a specification sheet and not a maintenance guide. Budget on the basis of a specialist quote, not on a figure from an article.

What to check before buying

• Confirm the car is a Roadster F and not a coupe, a Clubsport or an earlier roadster, and ask for the chassis number and the Pagani documentation, including the plaque number.
• Ask whether the car is the 650 PS specification, given the 602 PS coupe figures that circulate.
• Check the roof, its carbon and fabric parts and any side curtains for fit, damage and completeness.
• Check the carbon panels, front splitter and underside for scrapes and repairs.
• Check which brakes it has and what has been replaced, and check wheel and tyre sizes and tyre age.
• Ask who has serviced it and whether the work was done by Pagani or a dealer.
• Ask what has been changed from the original specification.
• Run the registration through the recall check described below.

Recalls and the DVSA check

None of the sources we read mentions a recall for the Zonda F Roadster, and Pagani's page does not either. We did not run the government checker. GOV.UK says it shows safety recalls that have not been checked or fixed, along with the MOT history, when you enter a registration number. Without a registration you can enter the manufacturer, model and year, and non-safety recalls are not covered, because the manufacturer contacts you directly. A car imported into the UK may not appear in the checker at all, so also ask a Pagani dealer to confirm anything open.

About the photograph

The picture at the top of this page is a rear three-quarter view of a black carbon car with a red fabric roof, photographed by Ben in 2013 and listed on Wikimedia Commons as a Zonda F roadster. The Commons description gives nothing more, so we cannot tell you its specification, and we use it only to show the shape of the car. We cropped and resized it.

Verdict

The Zonda F Roadster in this guide is 641 bhp and 780 Nm from a 7.3L naturally aspirated AMG V12 petrol, a quoted 3.6 seconds to 100 km/h and more than 345 km/h, rear-wheel drive and mid-engine, in a carbon open two-seater built in a run of 25. It is a very rare, hand-built car whose paperwork matters more than its headline figures. If you are shopping for one, confirm which specification you are looking at, insist on a full history, and treat every published figure as a claim with the caveats above. We have not driven it, so use the sources and a proper inspection to decide.