Exclusive & Expensive: Pagani Unveils Zonda HP Barchetta

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The Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta has grabbed headlines all over the world for a multitude of reasons. Aside from the hypercar-level performance figures, the pricing of the Barchetta has many jaws dropping everywhere it goes.

Pagani first debuted the Zonda hypercar way back in 1999. Built out of a quaint cottage in Modena, Italy, the Zonda commanded a domineering price tag as well as exclusivity gained through a severely limited production run. It looks like Horacio Pagani just couldn’t sign off his beloved hypercar from production, because there is another one of these inbound. Meet the Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta.

First things first, the Zonda originally came with a 6.0-liter V12 developed by Mercedes-Benz that produced 389hp and 570 Nm. The engine sent power to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. You could spec your Zonda C12 as either a 2-door Berlinetta (Coupe) or Roadster. Almost two decades ago, the C12 rocketed to the ton in 4.2 seconds and 160 kph came up in 9.2 seconds. These figures would make it proper fast today, but in 1999 they were mindblowing.

Pagani continued to produce the Zonda is limited numbers, coming up with a lot of special edition models and one-offs built to spec for discerning customers. The Italian boutique hypercar maker announced a successor to the Zonda in the form of the achingly beautiful Huayra, yet the Zonda soldiered with even brasher special editions. Pagani plunked many powertrains under Zonda’s hood, including a 7.0-liter V12 from Mercedes-Benz and a 7.3-liter AMG V12.

After a brief period of time when the world thought the Zonda had retired for good, Horacio Pagani announced another exclusive run of the twenty-year-old hypercar. The Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta outputs 789hp and 1000Nm (yes, one thousand Nm) from its 6.0-liter biturbo AMG V12 motor. Power is fed to the rear wheels through an old-school six-speed manual transmission. The car weighs just 1,250 kilos, clocking a hundred in just over 3 seconds, with the top speed claimed to be north of 350 kph.

The top speed belies the capability of the car, for the Zonda HP doesn’t come with a roof, instead making do with a wraparound windshield. Just three examples of the HP Barchetta will be made, each costing a staggering $17.5 million. The Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta can lay claim to the title of the most expensive car in the world with a comfortable margin over the Rolls-Royce Sweptail. Unfortunately, even if you have said amount just lying around or stashed in your mattress, you can’t get yourself one of these. All three Barchettas have already been sold off, even before production. Horacio Pagani is keeping one for himself, maybe he’ll part with it for the right price? Either way, the Zonda is one tough soldier, toeing the line with the best of hypercars despite being two decades older!