PAGANI MAKES CONNECTION WITH MIDDLE EAST

Two exclusive luxury companies came together on the 6th February to highlight a partnership that would bring the world of Luxury living products and services of Aladiyaat Group and Pagani producer of the finest cars. Aladiyaat Group is privately owned and headed by Chairman and CEO Montaser Al-Kuzbari, known for luxury UAE lifestyle investments. Pagani again is privately owned and run by its founder Horacio Pagani to whom is the creator of the world renowned and record breaking Pagani Zonda Hypercar. 

Aladiyaat Group an investor in the automotive, industrial and Lifestyle sectors, hosts an exhibition at Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi to unveil its association with the world renowned Pagani Automobili. Pagani produces exclusive Italian sports cars that have taken the world by storm. The event was an exclusive invitation to a select number of VIP guests, motoring and lifestyle journalists from across the region and it was amazing to have been chosen to attend.

The highlight of the event was to ChronEVO, the new and most amazing Pagani Huayra a creation of science, art and tradition. These influences have all been injected into each Huayra to ensure style, exclusivity and a drive like no other.

Horacio Pagani is an engineer by trade but it is hard to understand where the motoring influence came from. Horacio’s Father was a baker and his Mother an artist. Horacio became interested in building model cars out of Balsa wood and even today you can see his model designs in the Pagani showroom. At the age of 20 Haracio moved from Argentina with his wife to Italy. Working with Lamorghini, Horacio would still keep his hand in designs and modelling of cars during his own time. He built his first F3 racer, without full specs and from his own perception of how it should be built. 

He became the Chief Engineer at Lamborghini and was involved with the building of some amazing cars, including the Lamborghini Countach Evoluzione concept. It was the work that Horacio had been doing in the background and the understanding of the market of super sports cars that led Horacio to ask Lamborghini to purchase an autoclave. The idea was to extend the production of carbon fibre parts. This was refused by Lamborghini noting that Ferrari does not use one! However Horacio was not to be stopped and he raised his own capital, buying an autoclave for himself in 1987. After perfecting the art of producing composite material car parts in 1991 Horacio broke away from Lamborghini and started his own consultancy called Modena Design. A consultancy that still continues to make carbon fibre composite parts for Formula one and maintains clients like Ferrari, Daimler and Aprillia. 

In 1992 he finally set up a facility for manufacture in the small Italian town of San Cesario sul Panaro near Modena, Italy and work started on his first major Hypercar, the Pagani Zonda. In late 1999 after 7 years in the making, the Zonda hit the world. Pagani was now a name imprinted on all motoring enthusiasts’ brains. The Zonda was an astounding car, loved by the media and broke records with its speed and agility. Then came the Huayra.

Huayra, meaning a strong wind has some impressive figures and set-up. While Horacio ensures the highest quality and production of the chassis, body and interior are not to be matched in the industry with composite materials; he also demands the finest heart for the car. Mercedes AMG are the makers of a fine bespoke and exclusive to Pagani only engine design. The heart then, a 6.0 Litre V12 twin turbo with 720 bhp and 1000 nm of torque. Impressive, well let’s just say that this power has been moulded into a car that inclusive of engine only weighs 1350kg. For perspective a Rolls Royce Ghost has a 6.75 litre V12 twin turbo and hits 62mph (100kph) in approx. 4.8 secs and that is over 2.5 ton (2500kg).

The outcome of all this power is a car that propels itself to 62mph (100kph) is just 3.3 seconds and you thought the Gods were powerful! The most impressive part of all this power is the transmission. Horacio has spent many miles and hours in testing the single clutch transmission. Yes you heard me right, single clutch! Many may say why not the new smooth double systems but I believe this will be people that have grown accustomed to smooth and are forgetting the traditional manual and more involved drive. 

The experience of the day was a trip around Yas Marina circuit and what a ride. The helmet was passed to me and I slid into the car. I introduce myself to Thomas and enjoyed his quick spec introduction chat on the Huayra. The gull wing door is closed and I am cocooned in a shell of carbon and alloy. I already feel the heart beating faster just from the enjoyment of the exquisitely designed interior. You can see every cent of the USD 1.3 mil that this car costs.

So off we go! Down and through the pit tunnel smooth and slow, then Thomas said “are you ready”. And I reply “I most certainly am”. Thomas hits the throttle; we take off out of pit exit, fly over turn 3 and 4 and in no time have reduced a little altitude and hit turn 5, 6 and hairpin 7. It took the corner of 7 as if on rails. Suspension soaks up the rumble strip like an iron smoothing the surface. The gear change was a pleasure, your head and shoulders jerking between each change. From turn 7 to 8 is the straight, I am watching the speedo and in approximately 1 km the car hits 295kph (181mph), then Thomas hits the carbon ceramic brakes at a conservative 200 metres before sweeping around the 90 degree turn 8 and onto the start straight for another round. You cannot help but be impressed with this car but impressed because of its background and traditional standards and influences. 

The Huayra is a car that has been created to serve everybody’s passion for motoring, a car like many Italian Marques it decorates the streets with its art and passion for motoring. The association with Aladiyaat Group will most certainly be prosperous for Pagani. Aladiyaat Group’s focus is on exquisite investments and Pagani is most definitely an exquisite investment.

​I also posted a contribution also in YallaMotor.  Middle Easts No.1 Automotive Magazine
https://uae.yallamotor.com/car-news/pagani-automobili-exclusive-middle-east-event-2239