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BACKGROUND

In the ten years since the Zonda had made its salon debut at Geneva back in 1999, Pagani had produced six iterations of its iconic Mercedes-powered model. Of these, four were conceived for road use while the other pair were track-only specials.

By far the most radical Zonda to have appeared thus far was the six-litre C12 R which premiered at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2007 and went into limited production two years later following a major development programme.

Conceived exclusively for circuit use, the Zonda R was so comprehensively re-engineered that Pagani claimed it to be 90% new compared to the contemporary Zonda F. Most obviously, the Zonda R featured an ultra lightweight specification with a revised tub, uprated suspension, brakes and wheels, a 739bhp engine, a sequential instead of manual gearbox, radically different aero and a thoroughly gutted interior.

Inspired by some of the Zonda R’s features, Pagani’s Hong Kong distributor, SPS Automotive Performance, commissioned a batch of five Coupes built to the most extreme specification yet for a road-going incarnation of Pagani’s masterpiece.

The resultant Zonda Cinque was unveiled in Coupe form at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2009. At this point, Pagani thought the Cinque (Italian for five) would be the last iteration of the Zonda before an all-new replacement came on stream.

A Cinque Roadster was then announced in July 2009. The open top version made its salon debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2010 by which time it became apparent this was most definitely not the last Zonda as Pagani premiered its limited edition Tricolore Coupe alongside.

In addition to a more powerful engine, an array of R-type aero and cooling refinements, centre-lock instead of five-bolt wheels, uprated suspension and brakes and several new interior details, the Cinque featured a pair of really significant details: a new, even stiffer carbon-titanium tub and a sequential instead of manual gearbox.

The quintet of Coupes and Roadsters were all pre-sold.

CHASSIS

The Cinque was the first car of any type to feature a monocoque tub inlaid with carbon-titanium composite fibre which added titanium into the carbonfibre weave for increased strength and rigidity.

A 2730mm wheelbase was carried over from the existing Zonda road car line.

As per the Zonda F, the Cinque used chrome molybdenum steel subframes that had been honed a little thinner than earlier iterations. The front subframe supported the suspension, power-assisted steering box and various auxiliary systems. It was also deformable in the event of a frontal impact. The rear subframe carried the engine, gearbox and suspension.

An 85-litre fuel tank located in the lower section behind the cockpit was retained.

Suspension-wise, the Cinque incorporated greater use of magnesium and titanium. Ergal shock absorbers and titanium springs developed by Ohlins were specific to this latest model.

Like earlier Zonda road cars, ride height was electronically adjustable from within the cockpit.

As usual, the suspension layout comprised double wishbones all round along with anti-roll bars at either end. Anti-dive and anti-squat geometry was installed as well.

Automatically fitted as standard to the Cinque was the carbon ceramic brake disc pack offered as an option on the Zonda F. 380mm discs were present at both ends with six-piston calipers up front and four-piston items at the rear.

R-style forged monoblock APP aluminium-magnesium alloy wheels with coloured lips measured 9 × 19-inches at the front and 12.5 × 20-inches at the rear. They were shod with special Pirelli P Zero tyres (255/35 R19 and 335/30 R20 respectively). The rims were held in place with titanium centre-lock bolts instead of the five-bolt arrangement used by other Zonda road cars.

ENGINE / TRANSMISSION

In the engine bay was a further uprated version of the Mercedes-Benz Type M120 AMG 7.3-litre power unit, now with custom mapped Bosch engine management. Peak output went from 641bhp at 6200rpm (on the Club Sport-spec. F with its more radical camshafts) to 669bhp at an unchanged 6200rpm. The torque rating was once again 575lb-ft at 4000rpm.

These formidbale Mercedes-Benz engines were longitudinally-mounted 60° V12s with wet-sump lubrication, an aluminium alloy block and heads, dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder.

Having previously been installed without any further modification, that had changed with the Zonda F and was carried over for the Cinque. The cylinder heads were uprated for improved flow, hot camshafts were installed and the ECU was re-tuned.

The intake and exhaust systems also came in for attention.

An F / Cinque-type induction system featured larger intake manifolds and a hydroformed aluminium alloy intake plenum with reduced 1mm wall thickness replaced the standard Mercedes-Benz unit.

The exhaust manifolds were hydroformed as well; instead of the 1mm thick stainless steel arrangement, the Cinque got the normally optional 0.7mm Inconel superalloy system as standard. The exhausts and silencers were made by MHG in Germany; equal length pipes on the manifold were bent F1-style and ceramic coating was employed to keep temperatures down.

Displacement was an unchanged 7291cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 91.5mm and 92.4mm respectively. A 10.0:1 compression ratio was also retained.

Instead of the usual Pagani-built six-speed manual gearbox, one of the Cinque’s major new features was a sequential automated manual unit supplied by Cima and robotised by Automac Engineering. One of three alternative drive modes could be selected: Comfort, Sport and Race. In Race mode shift times took less than 100 milliseconds and the traction control was automatically disabled.

BODYWORK

Using the existing Zonda F as a basis (which had itself come in for some fairly significant surgery as a result of extended wind tunnel tests), Pagani added a number of downforce-inducing aerodynamic refinements to the Cinque, many of which were inspired by the track-only R variant.

The front clip was modified with a larger, subtly re-profiled chin spoiler, a canard was added at each corner and a bank of vents were carved out from atop the fenders (just behind the exterior mirror pylons).

Down each flank, the Cinque featured a re-profiled sill treatment with new skirts, new air guides fore and aft and snorkel-type brake intakes atop the rear fenders.

Specific to the Cinque Coupe was a roof-mounted engine intake snorkel while the Roadster got its own shortened version that gave it a very distinctive look compared to previous iterations of the open Zonda. Engine deck lids for both body styles were modified to suit.

At the back, Pagani added a new adjustable rear spoiler and a massive rear diffuser. When combined with a markedly flatter underbody, the Zinque Coupe was able to generate 750kg of downforce at 300kmh and up to 1.45g of cornering force.

As standard, Pagani supplied the Cinque with a bi-colour exposed carbonfibre and painted finish highlighted with a contrast (or matching) centre stripe.

Body panels were fashioned entirely from carbonfibre in as few sections as possible.

Roadster versions featured a strengthened firewall structure, a further reinforced windscreen and billet alloy braces that connected the points where the roof rails would originally have resided.

INTERIOR

Inside, much of the leather, wood and natural aluminium normally found in a Zonda cockpit was replaced with a mix of exposed carbonfibre, high gloss black paint and alcantara suede.

Ahead of the driver was a new carbonfibre steering wheel with alcantara rim. Mounted either side of the steering column were F1-style gear shift paddles.

Between the seats was a new transmission tunnel left in fully exposed carbonfibre. This housed a conventional gear shift lever for the sequential ‘box (forwards for downshifts, backwards for upshifts), a toggle switch for the three alternative drive modes, an engine start button and a simplified handbrake.

New racing style Toora carbonfibre bucket seats with leather bolsters and alcantara centres replaced the usual Zonda seats.

Contrast stitching for the steering wheel, seats, floor mats and door panel inserts was standard along with air-conditioning, electric windows, electric mirrors, a high end audio system and a pair of suitcases that could be stowed in exposed carbonfibre luggage bins ahead of the rear wheels.

Each Cinque came with a numbered plaque mounted on the alcantara band above the leather-trimmed glovebox door.

Instrumentation was housed in a simple oval binnacle with a high gloss black finish to match the pod-style air vents and centre console fascia.

Large analogue read outs for road and engine speed were flanked to the left by a fuel gauge and to the right by a water temperature dial. Also off to the right-hand side were myriad warning lights. At the base of the instrument binnacle was a digital screen that provided the driver with all kinds of additional diagnostic information.

OPTIONS

As the Cinque came with practically everything imaginable as standard, options were limited to a choice of exterior and interior colour schemes although in typical Pagani fashion, bespoke alterations were always possible given sufficiently deep pockets.