Factory Visit: Pagani Automobili Headquarters

Visiting the world’s most exclusive automotive factories is part of any petrolhead’s dream. One example of these factories is situated in San Cesario sul Panaro near Modena, Italy. The company inside the factory is characterized by its limited series of supercars, their working relationship with Daimler AG, and a focus on perfection of the smallest of details. There is only one brand that comes to your mind if you combine this all and its Pagani Automobili.

The GTspirit team visited the Pagani Automobili headquarters in Italy for a factory tour of two buildings. First, there is the main office and showroom were the company’s owner Horacio Pagani and his team welcomes clients, the press and any enthusiast sharing the passion of Pagani. The showroom features a display of memorabilia, a Pagani-styled audio system, numerous models and one or two Pagani supercars awaiting the arrival of their new owner.

At the back of the showroom there is a magical door. It is covered with a mirrored surface and offers access to the workshop where all Pagani models are build. At the time of our visit the engineers were working on the first customer Huayras. The first model was almost finished and belongs to a Pagani collector in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is one of the biggest markets for Pagani and the Asian city features the biggest collection of Pagani supercars. If you look closely, you will immediately notice the different Zonda R rims fitted to Huayra number 3 and color changes to the front.

The workshop consists of two large spaces. One featuring the assembly area with three bays, and the second one holds the carbon fiber work shop where two red Autoclaves are the main highlights. An Autoclave is basically a big oven. The parts created for the car are heated to cure the carbon fiber, which finally finishes the part.

Carbon fiber is one of the most popular high-end composites currently used in the automotive industry and Pagani is keen on offering the best possible quality levels when it comes to this particular material. The attention to detail inherent in all carbon fiber parts and the usage of the carbon titanium composite are excellent examples of that. The method of combining a beta titanium alloy with advanced carbon composites offers a composite using the best properties of each component. The combination gives a better set of properties than either part could seperately.

Carbon fiber is anywhere in the workshop, but it is not only the focus on this composite which makes the Pagani supercar an one-of-a-kind vehicle. Walk around and let Horacio Pagani explain to you the sheer detail of his team’s workmanship. The amount of special, unique and one-of-a-kind parts used on the Pagani cars is endless. Stock parts are redesigned by Pagani, while suppliers produce them on a limited basis. A single nut or bolt used in the automotive or aerospace industry costs around eight euros, Pagani’s version costs 18 euros, has improved strengthness and has the Pagani logo engraved in it.

Leaving the workshop for the second building left us with wonderful thoughts. Thoughts with respect to the sheer focus on the smallest details and development of parts never seen in any other supercar. These were stored in the back of our mind when we reached the second building only 1km away. The doors opened and supercar heaven awaited us. The large storage space houses two sections; the development department and parking for Pagani supercars not used during the winter.

The lineup parked inside the building during our visit was extraordinary. In total twelve Pagani models were placed inside the buidling. Eight Zondas were parked in one single line side-by-side. Two Pagani Zonda Rs accompanied the group of Zondas. Both non-street legal customer cars are part of the limited series of fifteen Zonda R cars to be made. The space is – as you can see in the pictures – also a storage space for parts.

The development department offers two bays, occupied by the record-breaking Zonda R and the first-ever silver grey Pagani Huayra. The second and shinny red Huayra was absent and in Asia for an official introduction and Top Marques Macau car show. Development tasks and the installation of new parts are being carried out in this part of the building.

The future for Pagani looks bright. The order book is filled for at least two years, the Asian and US markets are keen to receive the new hypercar and the first production model of the Huayra is planned to leave the factory before the end of this year. The development of the new factory is well underway and will start sometime next year at the exact same spot as the second building. It will offer the exclusive car maker the option to increase the capacity of their production and development departments and extend the lineup of Huayra model variants.

For those of you who would like to know more about the Pagani Zonda, Zonda R or the Pagani Huayra. Click on the links and find out more on these subjects in our categories.