Day 4
The final day started at 4:30 am for us. The owners of the Pagani Zonda Fantasma Evo and Huayra BC “Kingtasma” had kindly agreed to do a sunrise photoshoot with us. The Zonda Fantasma was originally a crashed orange Zonda F brought back to life as a dark red Zonda 760 making its debut at the Raduno last year.
After some issues while on last year’s Raduno, the owner asked Pagani to add further upgrades to it. The changes include an increase in power to 800hp, less weight thanks to generous use of carbon fibre and titanium, a manual gearbox, and black highlights instead of chrome. The final result is one of the best-looking cars ever made.
The Huayra BC “Kingtasma” took inspiration from the original Zonda Fantasama, hence the similar color. It was great to see these two together on the same Raduno so it was the perfect opportunity to get the two together for a shoot.
The cars were brought together on a hill as the sun rose over the rolling hills of Tuscany. Once the shots were taken, we went back to their hotel via the most Italian town I’ve ever seen. Luckily by the time we got there it was around 6am and everyone was still asleep making for a great photo spot. They were asleep, that is, until the Zonda howled back to life.
Once the cars returned back to the hotel there was only a couple of hours until it was time to head back to the factory. The last day was supposedly a quick motorway drive back to the factory in Bologna via a lunch stop. The cars filled up with fuel before heading towards their lunch stop but when 13 Paganis, three Ferraris, a Lamborghini Huracan, and about a dozen crew and support cars all stop at the same petrol stations chaos is sure to ensue.
That’s exactly what happened. Baffled Italian locals wanting to fill up their rattly Fiat Pandas were struck with awe and curiosity as the Raduno pulled in. Staff from the cafe next door abandoned their posts and went outside to have a look, camera phones in hand.
Seeing these cars drive through various towns, villages, and cities and seeing the universal reactions of the people made this Raduno all the more special. Despite being a renowned name in the motoring world and being an icon from Modena, many people had no idea what these odd looking cars were. Many had to look at the badging or simply ask one of the dozens of people taking
photos of them what they were.
This would be the last time we’d see the cars together. Once they made their way to their lunch stop via the motorway it was time to say goodbye. We decided to head straight back to the factory. Just like that the four day adventure in Tuscany with Pagani, their customers, friends, and staff came to an end.
It was an epic adventure and one even beyond my imagination. The scenery, the food, the people, and of course the cars made for an unforgettable experience that could only ever happen in a country as laid back, as romantic, and as beautiful as Italy. Grazie Mille to Pagani, to everyone who made it possible, and to Italy.
By Ken Saito