I read a few amazing books on Horacio Pagani, and the creation of the Zonda C12 hypercar.
For any car enthusiasts who know about the Pagani brand, this story of Horacio will hopefully remind you of the amazing brand he build, completely from scratch. And might give you a few insights you might have missed over the years.
And for those of you who are just now beginning to learn about Horacio Pagani, and the hyper cars he has designed at his shop in Italy, I can’t wait to tell you all about them.
Like many have said before me, they are truly a work of art on wheels.
Horacio Pagani and the Zonda C12
There comes a time in every venture where it seems things just can’t get any worse. Then, many years later, when success has washed away much of the pain from those days, we can look back and say it was the actions taken in that moment that propelled the venture to the ultimate goal.
It’s darkest just before then dawn – that would be a easier way to describe it…
Horacio Pagani had that moment. The moment many creators experience when all looks to be lost. When nothing is working. And when it looks like the critics were right, when they said you should have never even tried. This is the moment we begin our episode on the Pagani Zonda C12.
It was in this moment that Horacio decided he needed to create his own car. Which would turn out to be the Zonda C12.
Humble Beginnings for Horacio Pagani
There was nothing spectacular about the start of young Horacio’s life that would point to him becoming one of the greatest car designers in world history. His parents were hard working, small business owners, in rural Argentina.
That’s right, Horacio didn’t even grow up in Italy. He made his way into supercar stardom by starting out in a small village in South America. But he knew he loved the GT cars of Italy at a very young age.
Horacio’s Love of Art and Engineering
Horacio talks about this in several interviews I’ve seen. He says how he always remembers being good at art, and always had a curiosity for scientific topics. And so cars were a natural fit for this combination of art and science.
Then one day when he was 13 or 14 years old, Horacio talks about stumbling on a magazine of his father’s, and inside there was an article on Leonardo da Vinci.
When he read the sentence from Leonardo when he talked about, “art and science can go hand in hand,” that phrase really struck young Horacio.
He said it was a revelation that ignited a great curiosity in him. And then his passion from cars that came from a magazine called, “Automundo,”
The magazine focused on race cars for the most part, but there were also Gran Turismo sports cars that Horacio fell in love with. He knew he wanted to someday work on cars he saw in those magazines.
Horacio said in one interview, “To me it was love at first sight. These cars seemed magical to me and I realized it was going to be my job.”
The Ability to Dream and Imagine
In another interview, I heard Horacio talk about doing things that take great effort, and the ability to dream and imagine, and to have lots of passion, with whatever you do. That’s something that is so apparent when you study Horacio.
He talks about growing up in rural Argentina, and how lucky he was to have a passion for art and mechanics, because the culture there was rural. And he’s grateful he discovered Leonardo’s world of art and science walking hand in hand. Otherwise he might now be a farmer! Or a rancher?
Designing His Own Formula 2 Race Car
So Horacio didn’t just talk about doing things. He didn’t just read about art and science walking hand in hand. He actually did things.
When he was just 20 years old, he build a Formula 2 single seat race car from scratch. Not only that, but he began making connections within the local racing scene. Through that community, he met Oreste Berta, a race car manufacture.
And it was Oreste Berta who had a connection with Juan Manuel Fangio, a man who would change Horacio’s life multiple times. So these connections he’s making are so valuable to his future goals and plans.
Horacio Meets Juan Manuel Fangio
Easily the most important meeting, and the most influential relationship Horacio creates is when he meets Juan Manuel Fangio, the racing legend from Argentina.
He was a five-time Formula 1 champion, the son of Italian emigrants, and one of the greatest race car drivers in history. Fangio set off a strong passion for motorsport in the hearts of the Argentines.
I read a great book on Fangio titled, “Fangio, The Life Behind the Legend,” so I could get a better sense of the man who would help guide Horacio Pagani throughout his career.
The book was amazing, and it showed this was a man of tremendous respect and admiration. It describes Fangio as, “out of the car he was calm and courteous, a unique blend of charm, humility and tough acumen.”
Horacio Meets Fangio
With the help of Oreste Berta, Horacio was able to meet Fangio at his office in Buenos Aires. At the meeting Horacio explains his goals to Fangio, and that he wants to create Grand Tourers in Italy. It was Horacio’s dream to go to Modena, and join one of the great car brands to design amazing GT cars.
Horacio also shared his portfolio of cars he had already created. The F2 racer, and several projects. Fangio was impressed, and agreed to write Horacio a letter of recommendation so he could go to Modena and apply for a job at the famous automakers in Italy.
But Fangio famously warned Horacio, “I have written several letters of introduction, but this would be only the second time I write a recommendation.” – So don’t screw it up! Is basically what he was telling Horacio. And Horacio would make good on his part of the deal. But it would take time. And success was not assured.
Horacio Heads to Modena
Horacio met with the famous automaker of Italy. Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, De Tomaso, Lamborghini, and soon had interviews at a few of them. Giulio Alfieri from Lamborghini made a job offer, and Horacio considered the trip a success.
He headed back to Argentina to pack up his belongings. He decided to get married to his girlfriend, Christina, in the process of packing up, and the newlyweds headed back to Italy to go to work at Lamborghini.
Before he could get back to Italy, though, Horacio received a letter from Giulio Alfieri. The letter explained there would be no more job offer from Lamborghini. Things were changing in the economy, and at the car company, and there was no more position available like they discussed during the interview.
Horacio and his new bride traveled to Italy anyway. And showed up at Lamborghini. When Alfieri saw Horacio he was shocked. He said, “Didn’t you get my letter? There’s no more job here for you.”
Horacio said yes, he did receive the letter but wanted to see if there’s another position available. He would do any type of work that would just get his foot in the door. Unfortunately, Alfieri said there was no work at all.
So Horacio was left scrambling for any type of job just to survive in Italy. Welder, florist, and any odd job he could find. He and Christina also slept in a tent for a short time, because they had no money.
A short time later, Horacio showed back up at Lamborghini and asked Alfieri if there was any job available. He said, sure we can get you hired as a laborer, but it was the lowest level position in the company. Horacio agreed, and began his work.
Horacio Moves Up At Lamborghini
Needless to say, Horacio flies up the rankings within the company, once he starts working at Lamborghini. As he works his way onto one of the design teams, he constantly begs his boss to get an autoclave.
This is a giant oven, used for cooking car parts made from carbon fiber materials. They are super lightweight, and with the ability to bend and shape small pieces for car designs.
The boss at Lamborghini continues to tell Horacio there is no need for an autoclave. They are too expensive, too big, and not many people really understand how to work them. Plus, Ferrari does not use an autoclave, so they don’t feel the need to use one either.
Horacio Buys His Autoclave
Horacio doesn’t take “no” for an answer. After being told “no” from his boss, he promptly rides his bicycle to the local bank and asks for a loan to buy his own autoclave.
The bank approves the loan, and Horacio brings his boss the contract for his new autoclave. Horacio asks his boss at Lamborghini where he should put his new autoclave once it’s delivered. His boss responds, “you are committed mad!” Get back to work, he says.
Horacio does exactly what he’s told, and gets back to work with his team. Once his new autoclave is delivered, he stores it in a warehouse where he can begin to learn how to use the machine, and also how to make parts that Lamborghini might need for the cars they are building.
He starts his own design firm called, Modena Design, and begins to manufacture car parts for Lamborghini, while still working full-time at the automaker. Just making the autoclave car parts on the side, then selling them to his employer.
This works like a charm. That is, until the Gulf War starts. Then many development projects in the automotive industry are shut down. An economic recession hits much of the world, and Horacio is left without his only customer.
This is a very difficult situation for Horacio. Now he has no customers, but still has plenty of expenses and the costly autoclave machine to pay for.
He scrambles to find new customers, and finds work with Formula 1, and a few others who need parts made from the autoclave.
But at this moment, it’s when Horacio realizes he needs to create his own car.
The Idea of the Zonda is Born
By 1993, Horacio has a design in mind for his own car. With the autoclave, he can produce the parts in his spare time, and design the other components. But it’s the engine that he knows will be a major hurdle.
The process of finding a powerful, lightweight engine for his supercar design would take another six years. But it would be worth the effort. The Zonda was now set in motion, although a long way from the finish line.
Fangio and The AMG V12 Engine
It seemed like the impossible dream for Horacio. How to get one of the big auto manufactures to let him use a powerful engine for his car. There was no possible way he could design and build his own, it was much too expensive.
But he had an ace up his sleeve. He discussed the need of an engine with Juan Manuel Fangio, who was the head of Mercedes Argentina at the time.
Fangio would lobby Mercedes and persuade them to give Horacio the newest developed AMG V12 engine. A massive undertaking to build and design this engine, to the tune of 400 million marks, and it was state of the art. One of the best engines you could find.
Horacio just needed to convivence one more person at Mercedes he was worthy to receive such an engine. That man was Dieter Zetsche. But once Zetsche saw the design of the future Zonda, he would tell Horacio it looked like a timeless car. He was right.
And Horacio quickly responded, “thank goodness it’s a timeless car, because I’m the one with no money and I’m going to need a lot of time to make it!”
The partnership between Mercedes AMG and Pagani was born, one that would remain strong to this day.
The Pagani Zonda C12
With his Mercedes AMG V12 engine, Horacio was blown away by the specs. Lighter than planned, and a lower center of gravity. It was perfect.
Now, it was time for the name. Horacio explains the name of the first car was always going to the the “Fangio.” But just months before revealing the car to the public, Horacio was having second thoughts.
And it wasn’t for a lack of respect for the legendary racer, Fangio, it was out of too much respect.
Horacio didn’t want to hear anything about using the “Fangio” name as a way to sell cars, or profit from such a respected man.
He didn’t want the car to not “live-up” to the greatness that was Fangio. And with Fangio, who passed away a few years earlier, he would not be around to give the car his blessing, or critique the car if it needed improvement.
Horacio asked his friends back home for some much-needed help. He needed a new name for the “Fangio” car. There was a racetrack back in Argentina, called the “Autodromo El Zonda.”
So just before the launch of the car at the Geneva Motor Show, Horacio changed the name to the “Zonda.” And the “C-12” would be added, the “C” for his wife, Christina, and the “12” for the V-12 engine.
And it was a perfect fit. The Zonda blew away the onlookers in Geneva. Buyers lined-up. And Horacio suddenly had the unique problem of turning away potential customers, because he wasn’t sure how he would build so many Zonda cars yet.
The Pagani Zonda, the First Hypercar
A new term was coined at Geneva in 1999. The “hypercar.” The Zonda redefined the vocabulary of the motor world, and has continued to impress car enthusiasts and collectors still to this day.
I love Chris Harris’ description of Horacio Pagani. During a documentary I was watching titled, “Apex: The Story of the Hypercar,” he said this,
“If you had to imagine in your mind, the autocratic, charismatic, creator of probably the most impressive hyper car brand to emerge on it’s own in the last 30 years, you couldn’t actually make up Horacio Pagani, he’s, he’s perfect.” – Chris Harris
That’s a perfect way to describe Horacio, and his incredible story. And Horacio is not finished, not even close.
Another amazing quote that I really love, that Horacio said during an interview when asked about his future goals for Pagani, he said this –
“Our goal is to keep on investing on everything that evokes emotion, which is art. The pursuit of art is part of our DNA and we pair it with scientific research.” -Horacio Pagani
I can still remember the first time I saw a Pagani, I was just like, “Damn, what is that?!” And that was all it took for me to dive in and start learning about this amazing brand, and the amazing story of Horacio.
Don’t forget to check out my Creators podcast episode on Horacio Pagani, and creating the Zonda C12.