Horacio Pagani, Charismatically Creating the Zonda Hypercar

WEBVTT
00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:15.839
If you had to imagine in your mind the autocratic, charismatic creator of probably the most impressive hypercar brand to emerge on its own in the last 30 years, you couldn't actually make up Horatio Pagani.
00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:18.000
He's perfect.
00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:22.399
So that was Chris Harris, the well-known auto journalist.
00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:26.000
And the quote's from a movie that I just watched, a documentary movie.
00:00:26.239 --> 00:00:29.760
The title of the movie was Apex, the story of the Hypercar.
00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:32.079
Here's why I like that quote so much.
00:00:32.560 --> 00:00:36.960
Because it was in this old documentary, and this thing's like at least 10 years old.
00:00:37.119 --> 00:00:42.640
And Chris Harris, he talks about Pagani, the brand and the creator, Horatio.
00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:48.000
What he just said is still true, and it's gonna be true 10 years from now.
00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:51.280
I think I've watched every single Horatio Pagani interview.
00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:53.039
So there's a great one that I just watched.
00:00:53.119 --> 00:00:55.840
It's it's fairly recent, maybe it's a year old.
00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:59.280
And Horatio's sitting on a park bench back in his hometown.
00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:01.200
He's in Argentina, where he grew up.
00:01:01.359 --> 00:01:06.319
And people are coming up to him to say hello to him during the interview, interrupting the interview.
00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:11.920
And they recognize him from like 30 to 40 years ago, back when he was a kid in Argentina.
00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:16.640
They're coming up to the bench that he's doing this interview from in the middle of this park.
00:01:16.879 --> 00:01:19.599
And there's this old guy that walks up to him.
00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:21.040
He wants to say hi.
00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:25.200
And instantly Horatio recognizes this old guy that walks up.
00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:30.319
It was an old friend that painted one of Horatio's first cars that he ever built.
00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:31.439
So they're talking about it.
00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:32.879
They called it the buggy.
00:01:33.120 --> 00:01:36.159
It was one of these first vehicles that Horatio ever made when he was a kid.
00:01:36.319 --> 00:01:40.079
He's talking to this old guy and he's telling him how great of a painter he was.
00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:44.000
This guy painted the buggy back in the day.
00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:46.799
And so Horatio's hugging this guy.
00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:53.200
They're hugging and shaking hands, and he's kind of squeezing his face and squeezing his cheeks like a long-lost friend.
00:01:53.359 --> 00:02:01.680
In this interview, Horatio stands up and stops this interview to talk to this old guy that he recognizes.
00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:05.920
And they're talking about how great of a painter this guy was.
00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:08.719
And Horatio just says, You were a genius.
00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:10.319
You were a genius painter.
00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:15.840
And this older guy is just standing there, just he just can't believe that he's standing there with Horatio.
00:02:16.159 --> 00:02:18.319
You can just tell he's just beaming.
00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:24.240
So then he goes, uh Horatio says he's been trying to find that buggy, that first project that he built.
00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:28.240
He's been trying to find the original buggy so he can restore it.
00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:31.039
And then he wants to put it in the Pagani Museum.
00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:35.599
He wants to have the old gang do the restoration.
00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:49.280
All the guys that worked on it with him back in the day, he wants to find the old buggy and then find the guys to have him restore this thing so he can put it back into the Pagani Museum where it belongs.
00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:54.240
And this one of these guys that walks by during this interview, he was the painter.
00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:56.240
He was the guy that painted the buggy.
00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:57.840
It was so cool to see this.
00:02:58.000 --> 00:02:59.919
He wants to get all the guys back.
00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:03.120
And in this video, he says, I want to find the buggy.
00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:05.039
Help me find the buggy.
00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:06.719
You got to watch the interview.
00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:07.680
I'll link to it.
00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:20.639
Anyway, like Chris Harris said, the reason I started this episode out with that quote from Chris Harris, the auto journalist who knows more about cars than I'll ever know.
00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:21.919
He said it.
00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:33.520
He said, if you had to imagine in your mind the autocratic, charismatic creator of probably the most impressive hypercar brand to emerge on its own in the last 30 years.
00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:34.479
He said it.
00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:37.520
You couldn't actually make up Horatio Pagani.
00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:38.960
He's perfect.
00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:44.639
So that's why I started this episode with that quote, because it's still true.
00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:47.120
It is the perfect quote.
00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:52.479
Pagani's the perfect character for a hypercar brand.
00:03:52.639 --> 00:03:57.039
And Chris Harris gave the perfect quote for Horatio.
00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:01.439
So there is so many interviews out there with Horatio.
00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:02.159
It's crazy.
00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:14.159
I've watched all of them, like I said, but as you start to watch them, you know, I start to feel kind of bad for Horatio because he's got to tell this story, the creator's story, his story.
00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:18.879
He tells it over and over because people want to know the details because it's such a great story.
00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:22.160
But he's got to tell the same thing over and over.
00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:24.160
And I'm I'm sure he doesn't mind telling the story.
00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:28.319
But then I was thinking, you know, most of these interviews are in Italian.
00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:30.240
So you gotta read the captions.
00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:32.399
It's kind of tricky.
00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:36.160
And so some of these interviews, they actually have like a fake voice.
00:04:36.319 --> 00:04:39.920
They're like dubbed over the Italian-speaking interviews.
00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:45.519
And so it's kind of tricky to match up, like who's talking and the voices don't sound very good at all.
00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:50.959
And so I was thinking, this creator's story of Pagani is so incredible.
00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:54.160
So I wanted to refresh your memory with this creator's story.
00:04:54.319 --> 00:05:03.120
It's just an amazing, awesome story, one of my favorites in any car engineering creator's racing story that I've done.
00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:05.279
This is probably my favorite.
00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:10.480
Not just the creator's story of how he got started, but the story is still going.
00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:17.120
And like every few months, there's a great interview that pops up, and I watch it and I find out something new about the guy, Horatio.
00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:20.480
But the story of how he got to where he is, it's just incredible.
00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:22.319
How he took this giant leap.
00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:25.920
He was just a talented worker at Lamborghini.
00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:28.160
And then he suddenly just put himself way out there.
00:05:28.319 --> 00:05:33.680
He started his own project, he built his own car, and that became the Zonda.
00:05:33.759 --> 00:05:35.839
And he launched it in 1999.
00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:47.040
But leading up to that, leading up to 1999, it's just such an incredible story of just determination and creativity and doing things so different.
00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:49.920
So this is really the big moment in the story right here.
00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:51.120
I gotta read this quote.
00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:56.639
It's from another interview that I found, and this is how he explains it in Italian.
00:05:56.720 --> 00:05:59.040
And I, you know, I just had to look at the transcript.
00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:02.160
This is the big moment right here in his early days.
00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:04.079
Horatio says this in that interview.
00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:08.160
He goes, I was left jobless because they were my only client.
00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:14.399
I was jobless, but I had debts due to the construction of my workshop as well as personnel costs.
00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:18.079
It was really tough being a single customer company.
00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:22.720
I decided not to complete the new workshop, but to continue in my old warehouse.
00:06:22.879 --> 00:06:26.000
I started to work for Formula One and several other clients.
00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:33.759
It was in that moment, probably one of the toughest for the car industry, that I decided I had to create my own.
00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:38.319
So this is way back in the early part of his career.
00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:40.959
This is where he actually describes it as the moment.
00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:46.560
And it's when he realized he needed to create his own car because he had this design company.
00:06:46.639 --> 00:06:52.399
It was modern design and he was building car parts for certain manufacturers.
00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:56.079
And this was the moment he needed to do his own car.
00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:57.680
He keeps going in this interview.
00:06:57.759 --> 00:07:02.560
He says, it could have taken a very long time because I lacked the economical resources.
00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:05.040
But regardless, I began to design it.
00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:07.199
My team counted very few people.
00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:10.639
I started working on the Zonda outside of my work hours.
00:07:10.800 --> 00:07:12.959
During work hours, I had to make a living.
00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:17.519
Therefore, I was working on the car at night, early in the morning, on the weekends.
00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:19.920
That's how the Zonda was born.
00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:24.639
So that's from one of my favorite interviews of Horatio, talking about that big moment right there.
00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:26.879
He realized he needed to create his own car.
00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:29.360
That would become the Zonda.
00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:31.600
So back to this interview.
00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:34.399
Horatio explains this passion to create.
00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:37.759
And this is why he decided to build this car.
00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:41.120
One of the most beautifully designed cars ever made.
00:07:41.360 --> 00:07:44.720
So in that same interview, Horatio's asked, why do you create cars?
00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:45.600
Why do it?
00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:49.920
And he says, I've always loved art and I've always been good at it.
00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:52.800
But I was also curious about scientific topics.
00:07:53.040 --> 00:07:56.639
This led me to cars because it combined art and science.
00:07:56.879 --> 00:08:01.199
Then, when I was 13 or 14, I learned about a person that was like a guide to me.
00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:05.519
It was Leonardo da Vinci, who I discovered through a magazine of my father's.
00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:07.439
I read the sentence from Leonardo.
00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:09.759
Art and science can go hand in hand.
00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:18.240
For a boy like me, keen on scientific subjects, as well as artistically inclined, it was a revelation that sparked a great curiosity.
00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:22.639
So Horatio discovers he discovers this article on Leonardo da Vinci.
00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:23.759
He's 13 years old.
00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:25.040
He's in Argentina.
00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:27.920
And this would kind of set the stage for the rest of his journey.
00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:33.120
And this is a phrase that Horatio repeats in a lot of interviews, almost every interview that he does.
00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:35.840
He says, art and science can go hand in hand.
00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:40.639
And he and this is how he explains he's going to apply this great quote from Da Vinci.
00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:41.759
This is what he's going to do.
00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:56.000
He says, The passion for cars and specifically for these types of cars came from the Argentinian magazine Automundo, that mainly focused on racing cars, but also featured newly released sports cars, mainly Gran Turismo.
00:08:56.159 --> 00:09:00.399
Back then there weren't many brands, just five or six that were publishing about their work.
00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:04.480
So I saw the very first vehicles from Ferrari, Bertoni, and Lamborghini.
00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:06.639
To me it was love at first sight.
00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:10.879
These cars seem magical to me, and I realized that it was going to be my job.
00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:12.559
So that's great right there.
00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:13.440
That's from the interview.
00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:16.720
He realized he saw these cars in a magazine.
00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:22.240
He's got that quote from Leonardo da Vinci in his mind, and he's like, this is like magic right here.
00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:24.080
This is going to be my job.
00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:26.720
That's the start of the whole thing right there.
00:09:26.960 --> 00:09:29.759
So back to Argentina, small town.
00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:30.960
This is where he grew up.
00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:33.200
As a kid, he's building model cars now.
00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:34.559
He's drawing cars.
00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:37.200
He's designing all types of different vehicles.
00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:43.440
By the time he's 20 years old, Horatio creates his very own Formula Two single-seat race car.
00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:45.600
He did it completely from scratch.
00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:47.200
So there's another interview.
00:09:47.360 --> 00:09:52.080
It's called Drive Experience with uh David Cerone, I think is his name.
00:09:52.240 --> 00:10:01.039
He does this interview with Horatio, and they ex he explains more detail on his humble beginnings and what guided him along in those early years back in Argentina.
00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:03.679
So he says he grew up in a rural area.
00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:13.200
People didn't really get into the arts or the technical subjects, but he was so lucky to stumble on that Leonardo quote about the art and science walking hand in hand.
00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:16.480
Nobody was thinking about this stuff back then.
00:10:16.799 --> 00:10:21.919
Now he could focus on trying to apply that mindset to his passion for these cars.
00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:25.120
So young Horatio, he starts to go after his dream right here.
00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:28.159
He's trying to figure out the art and the science of cars.
00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:30.879
And he's already designing and building his own cars now.
00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:36.639
So that catches the eye of some influential people in the Argentina racing community.
00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:39.039
So he's building Formula Two race cars.
00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:40.399
He meets one of his idols.
00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:41.679
It's a car designer.
00:10:41.840 --> 00:10:43.440
His name's Arreste Berta.
00:10:43.679 --> 00:10:45.279
And he gets to know this guy, Berta.
00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:50.399
So he finds out that Berta also knows another racing legend.
00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:55.440
Maybe one of the biggest legends of all racing in all of Argentina.
00:10:55.679 --> 00:10:57.600
The guy's name is Fangio.
00:10:57.919 --> 00:11:00.000
And so I have a book right here.
00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:03.360
It's titled Pagani Hypercars De Torre.
00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:06.720
And it's by Italian author Daniele Buzzinetti.
00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:11.120
And there's some really great stories of Horatio's early years in this book.
00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:17.360
And it's an important part of the story right here because you're going to hear the name Fangio over and over in this story.
00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:23.279
So right here from that book, it says, Arreste Berta, who had excellent relations with Fangio.
00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:29.840
So through Berta, Horatio gets to meet Juan Manuel Fangio, the legendary race car driver.
00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:34.960
So now we're going to find out this is the big turning point in Horatio's career right here, meeting Fangio.
00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:40.159
And if you don't know, you're going to know now who Fangio is.
00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:44.799
You need to understand why meeting Fangio is such a big deal right here.
00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:47.679
Here's how the book says it Hypercars De Torre.
00:11:47.759 --> 00:12:01.120
It says, Horatio had grown up in the years shortly after the triumphs of Juan Manuel Fangio, the son of Italian immigrants, five-time Formula One world champion, and one of the greatest drivers in history.
00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:10.159
Fangio, considered a legend all over the world, was fundamental in sparking off a very strong passion for motorsport in the heart of the Argentines.
00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:12.000
So that was out of the book right there.
00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:15.600
So don't forget about this guy, Juan Manuel Fangio.
00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:18.320
He's key to this pagani story right here.
00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:20.879
And he's such a big influence on Horatio.
00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:28.639
I actually ordered a book on Fangio because I wanted to find out more about this guy and what made him one of the greatest race car drivers in history.
00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:29.679
So I found this book.
00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:31.600
It's by author Gerald Donaldson.
00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:34.399
It's titled Fangio, The Life Behind the Legend.
00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:39.840
Now, in the very first page of that book, in the introduction, this is what it says right here for Fangio.
00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:47.200
It says, more than anyone, Fangio represented the sporting ethic of a period of motor racing that is now long past.
00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:54.480
He was an artist in the cockpit, tremendously fast, and a daunting competitor, but he wasn't flamboyant.
00:12:54.639 --> 00:12:56.159
He didn't play to the gallery.
00:12:56.320 --> 00:12:59.759
He always said the best way to win a race was by going as slowly as possible.
00:12:59.919 --> 00:13:05.360
But if in order to win he had to go faster than anyone had gone before, he always seemed to be able to do it.
00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:11.679
And as his former teammate and lifelong admirer Sterling Moss points out, you never heard anything bad about him.
00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:15.759
From his fellow drivers, you never heard anything but admiration and respect.
00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:22.799
Out of the car he was calm and courteous, a unique blend of charm, humility, and tough acumen.
00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:23.919
End quote.
00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:28.240
So that's in the first page, the introduction of that book on Fangio.
00:13:28.399 --> 00:13:32.080
It's but it's an introduction by Murray Walker from this book on Fangio.
00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:40.320
So now eventually, Horatio gets to meet up with Fangio and he tells Fangio his goal is to create GT cars in Italy.
00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:42.960
So he wants to go to Modena, Italy.
00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:50.799
And so with Arrested Berta's help, he asks Fangio for a letter of recommendation so he can get a job with some of the big automakers in Italy.
00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:58.320
With the help of his friend, now Berta helps Horatio get a visit to go see Fangio at his office in Buenos Aires.
00:13:58.480 --> 00:14:02.399
At the time, Fangio's president of Mercedes-Benz, Argentina.
00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:04.639
So Horatio explains what he wants to do.
00:14:04.799 --> 00:14:09.919
He wants to go to Monena and he wants to design GT cars for the Italian car makers.
00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:14.159
He asked Fangio for a letter of recommendation so he can go to Italy to get a job.
00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:18.960
And so he's a young guy, but Horatio's not just some kid off the street.
00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:25.279
He already had an impressive portfolio of cars and projects and everything that he's been building for years already.
00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:29.600
So he showed them to Fangio and he impressed the legend race car driver.
00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:33.840
Enough that he agreed to write five letters of recommendation for Horatio.
00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:40.960
So he could go apply for work at Ferrari and Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, and there's a couple others that he sent these letters off to.
00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:45.519
And then before Horatio left the meeting with Fangio, he gets the blessing that he was looking for.
00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:47.600
But then Fangio makes it very clear.
00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:51.200
He says, he didn't give these letters out just to anyone.
00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:58.879
He said, in fact, I've written several letters of introduction, but it's only the second time I've ever written a letter of recommendation.
00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:03.919
So Fangio wanted to make sure Horatio knew that he needs to make good on this recommendation.
00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:05.120
This is a big deal.
00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:11.039
And I'm sure that pumped up Horatio even more to get out there after he gets these letters from Fangio.
00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:16.399
So Horatio heads to Italy and he applies for these jobs with the car makers in the Motor Valley.
00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:21.759
And he gets to meet with Ferrari and he starts to have meetings with all these automakers.
00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:27.120
Ferrari actually offered him a job on the F1 team from this letter of recommendation.
00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:29.679
Horatio says, no thanks.
00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:32.240
He doesn't want to go build F1 cars.
00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:34.159
He wants to build GT cars.
00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:35.279
That's his dream.
00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:41.440
He was into the beautiful technical car designs, not the racing, not going as fast as possible.
00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:46.240
So he politely declines that offer because he's over at Lamborghini.
00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:50.799
He gets a job offer from Lamborghini from this guy, Giulio Alfieri.
00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:52.399
And so now he's off and running.
00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:55.200
He's got a job offer and he's going to take it.
00:15:55.360 --> 00:15:58.639
He just loves the history of Lamborghini and the cars that they've been making.
00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:01.679
And I just did an episode on Ferruccio Lamborghini.
00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:06.399
Check out that episode if you want to know how this company got its start from Ferruccio.
00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:08.159
Amazing story.
00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:12.720
Horatio goes back to Argentina for six months after he gets this job offer.
00:16:12.879 --> 00:16:16.559
He's got a girlfriend there and he gets married to his girlfriend Christina.
00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:19.759
Just before Horatio and his new wife head off to Italy now.
00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:23.120
For that new job, he gets a letter from Al Fieri.
00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:24.799
There's no more job offer.
00:16:25.039 --> 00:16:26.720
They pull the job offer.
00:16:26.960 --> 00:16:27.919
So what does he do?
00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:32.080
He's in Argentina with the job offer pulled.
00:16:32.320 --> 00:16:34.000
He goes to Italy anyway.
00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:38.480
He shows up at Lamborghini asking for any position possible.
00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:44.480
And this guy, Al Fieri, is surprised to see Horatio in Italy.
00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:48.399
He's like, he's just like, hey, what are you doing here?
00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:50.720
Did you not get my letter that I sent?
00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:54.159
Horatio has to go work as a florist for a while.
00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:56.320
He works as a steel welder.
00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:57.600
He does all kinds of stuff.
00:16:57.840 --> 00:16:59.759
They live in a tent for a couple months.
00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:05.039
And then he goes back to Lamborghini and they finally offer him a position as a laborer.
00:17:05.200 --> 00:17:08.000
It's the lowest entry-level position at the company.
00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:10.000
So now he's working at Lamborghini.
00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:14.160
He's just rising up through the ranks super quick.
00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:16.960
And now he realizes that they need an autoclave.
00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:22.400
It's this giant oven that you can bake car parts in, this giant autoclave.
00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:29.119
This is an expensive, big piece of equipment, but Horatio knows that they're going to need it to build these cars.
00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:32.240
And Lamborghini says, hey, we're not doing that.
00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:36.160
And of course, the famous line, they say Ferrari doesn't have an autoclave.
00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:37.839
We don't need an autoclave.
00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:42.480
That same day, Horatio gets on his bike, he rides it to the bank.
00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:43.440
He pedals it.
00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:46.400
It's this is a bicycle, not a motorcycle.
00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:49.920
He's pedaling his bike to the bank.
00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:55.920
He gets to the bank and he wants a loan to buy his own autoclave.
00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:58.079
The bank agreed.
00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:04.079
Here's how Horatio tells that story in the interview with Drive Experience.
00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:05.759
This is how he says it.
00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:14.640
Until a day I was a pest, the general manager told me, if the Ferrari Road Cars department hasn't got an autoclave, why should we buy it?
00:18:14.880 --> 00:18:18.240
So that day, I always went to work with my bike.
00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:24.480
I went to the Santa Gata Bologna Bank and I asked for a loan to buy an autoclave.
00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:28.880
Maybe the bank director was madder than me and gave me the money.
00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:36.400
When I had the autoclave contract, back then in Italy, there were maybe four or five autoclaves in the whole country.
00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:40.880
I went to the manager and told him, where can I put this when they will deliver it?
00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:44.160
And he told me, You are committed, mad.
00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:46.640
Rent a warehouse and go on with your research.
00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:51.119
All that matters is to keep on working with us, with your team.
00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:52.240
All right.
00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:55.759
So that's the transcript from Horatio telling the story.
00:18:55.839 --> 00:18:59.599
That's Horatio telling the story right there in Italian.
00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:01.920
And that's how it went down right there.
00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:08.960
He's got his contract, he's got his loan from the bank, he's got the paperwork, he brings it back to his Lamborghini manager.
00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:12.240
And the manager says, You are committed, mad.
00:19:12.559 --> 00:19:18.000
Just put it, find a warehouse to put that in, but get back to work here with us.
00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:20.240
He doesn't want anything to do with it.
00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:23.839
The Lamborghini manager does not want anything to do with this autoclave.
00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:27.119
He asks him, Where can I store this when they will deliver it?
00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:30.160
The manager just says, You are mad.
00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:38.079
In the interview, Horatio actually says, he called his research, he said it was a research, but then he goes, he called his research actually hodgepodges.
00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:42.559
He said, Do your hodgepodges over there, but just don't leave us.
00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:43.839
Get back to work here.
00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:46.559
That's what they were telling him at Lamborghini.
00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:52.960
So Horatio learns all about the autoclave and how to make parts while working at Lamborghini still.
00:19:53.119 --> 00:19:56.960
So they ask him in the interview, they say, When did you realize you wanted to build your own car?
00:19:57.200 --> 00:20:00.799
Okay, so this is the big moment here that I started earlier with.
00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:02.160
This is it right here.
00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:06.160
So this is a car made completely of carbon fiber parts.
00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:11.039
Now he's got an autoclave, he puts it in a warehouse, just like his boss told him.
00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:14.160
He calls his new company, Modena Design.
00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:24.640
This is an engineering company, and he's going to make these parts with his own autoclave, and then he's going to sell them back to his employer, to Lamborghini, and to other manufacturers who need certain parts.
00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:30.640
Now, the Gulf War hits and it stops a lot of stuff going on.
00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:35.920
It's an economic slowdown in the auto industry, in most industries.
00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:47.440
And Horatio's figuring out that he's kind of in trouble here because everybody's slowing down and he's got big expenses from all this equipment and no orders coming in.
00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:51.119
So this entire time he has this dream of his own car.
00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:55.920
Okay, so that quote earlier, I was reading that, but he said this was the moment right here.
00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:58.160
He knew he needed to create his own car.
00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:00.559
Just making parts, it's not gonna work.
00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:04.240
It's nobody's building anything new, like what happens in a recession.
00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:05.920
He says, This is not gonna work.
00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:11.039
I have giant expenses with all my equipment and I have orders that are just trickling in here.
00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:16.480
He realized that his business making car parts with the autoclave, it just wasn't gonna do it.
00:21:16.559 --> 00:21:20.240
He wanted to take the next step, and of course, that's gonna be with his own car.
00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:21.839
So he decides to go for it.
00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:26.559
He's gonna build his own car, but this is gonna be pain right here.
00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:27.519
This is painful.
00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:30.160
He's gotta keep working during the day.
00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:31.599
This is from the book right here.
00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:37.519
He says, of course, we could only dedicate ourselves to the project in the evening or in our little free time.
00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:48.880
We had to devote a lot of time to the construction, which was completed entirely with manual methods of the models necessary for the manufacture of the final components in composite material.
00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:58.880
Yet toward the end of 1993, the concept of the car and the project of the bodywork had been completed, then it took another six years to complete the car.
00:21:59.279 --> 00:21:59.599
So this
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:01.839
Is a huge process.
00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:03.039
He's got to work.
00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:04.240
He's trying to pay his bills.
00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:07.599
He's trying to learn how to make parts in his autoclave.
00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:12.640
And he's trying to design the entire vehicle all at one time.
00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:14.880
So he goes on in the book.
00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:24.400
He says, I was satisfied with the results, but did not have the financial means to produce the car at all, albeit in an ultra-limited series, for the same reason.
00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:29.759
The car, even though it had been designed to house a 12-cylinder unit, was still without an engine.
00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:34.160
A problem that was difficult to solve precisely because of the cost.
00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:41.200
So he's got some things going here, but he knows like the engine is a giant problem.
00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:43.519
It's an incredible cost.
00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:44.960
So what's his plan?
00:22:45.039 --> 00:22:51.119
He's got to keep moving forward with the design, but the engine is still a giant question mark.
00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:53.039
So this is what the book says on this.
00:22:53.119 --> 00:23:01.039
It says, at the beginning of the design phase, Horatio Pagani did not even have an engine available for the C8 project, his future supercar.
00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:07.519
He could only hope that once he presented the prototype, a manufacturer would be interested in backing it.
00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:29.359
So he's got a big problem here, but he knows if he can get this great design complete, a prototype without an engine in it, he knows that he could maybe try to convince someone that already is building engines, maybe an existing manufacturer or someone would be interested in putting their engine in his car.
00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:30.799
That's what he's going for.
00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:33.599
So he says, like he, this is a huge issue right here.
00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:35.200
He's in the land of the motors.
00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:37.839
That's what they call this region in Italy.
00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:40.640
All these famous car brands are in this one area.
00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:42.319
They call it the Motor Valley.
00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:44.160
That's the name of this area.
00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:47.599
So he says he's in the land of the motors, but he has no engine.
00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:49.519
He just doesn't have the money for it.
00:23:49.599 --> 00:23:50.720
He can't build his own.
00:23:50.880 --> 00:23:54.559
The costs are way too high to develop an engine.
00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:57.119
Um, he's got to get this car design done.
00:23:57.200 --> 00:24:03.200
And he can make the pieces and he can put this car together, but he needs to somehow get an engine in this car.
00:24:03.359 --> 00:24:07.839
To build his own engine, he says the cost, it was totally beyond reach, is what he said.
00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:13.920
So the book, it says it was the impossible dream for a company that was already producing a miracle.
00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:17.920
So the the impossible dream is to find a powerful engine for his car.
00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:22.000
He's just barely scraping by to get the chassis and the bodywork completed.
00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:26.319
But now this giant task of an engine, that's going to be the next struggle.
00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:31.920
Don't forget about all those great relationships that he's got from back in the day when he was a youngster.
00:24:32.079 --> 00:24:34.640
Back in Argentina, he'd know some people.
00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:35.920
Don't forget that.
00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:42.559
Horatio goes back to Argentina to attend a birthday party for Juan Manual Fangio.
00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:44.640
It's his 80th birthday party.
00:24:44.799 --> 00:24:48.559
So Horatio goes to see Fangio back in Argentina.
00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:49.680
What does he do?
00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:59.200
He brings along some photos of his car that he's been building and he shows Fangio and then he says, Hey, I could really use some help finding an engine for this car.
00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:10.799
And so in this book, it says, by this point, Fangio already had been thinking about Horatio's problem that he's going to have to get an engine into that car and how he might be able to help.
00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:19.440
So you won't believe this, but at the time, remember, Fangio's been president of Mercedes-Benz Argentina for 25 years now.
00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:22.880
By 1991, he's the honorary president.
00:25:23.039 --> 00:25:26.000
So he has major influence at Mercedes.
00:25:26.160 --> 00:25:40.559
Needless to say, at this time, Mercedes-Benz has been working on a new V-12 engine that was super light and compact just for high-end sports cars.
00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:44.880
They invested 400 million marks to develop this new engine.
00:25:45.039 --> 00:25:46.480
Totally state of the art.
00:25:46.960 --> 00:25:51.200
Well, at the birthday party, Fangio tells Horatio about this new engine.
00:25:51.359 --> 00:25:58.400
And I'm sure Horatio's just trying not to jump right out of his shoes as he's hearing about this new engine.
00:25:58.720 --> 00:26:01.680
And the possibility of getting this thing in his car.
00:26:01.839 --> 00:26:07.599
I mean, this is the perfect choice, and it's all falling right into place, right in front of him.
00:26:07.839 --> 00:26:10.559
So what does Horatio need to do to close this deal?
00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:16.640
He needs to meet with the head engineer at Mercedes in Stuttgart, Germany, this guy named Dieter Zieg.
00:26:16.880 --> 00:26:20.240
And he's got to hope that Dieter Zieg likes his car.
00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:23.039
So Horatio heads to Germany for this meeting.
00:26:23.200 --> 00:26:27.039
And so here's what happens when he shows Dieter Zieg his car, a picture of his car.
00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:35.519
Horatio says, quote, I remember that when he saw the drawings and renderings, the engineer Ziech observed, it looks like a timeless car.
00:26:35.680 --> 00:26:43.519
And I replied with warmth, 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.
00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:45.920
And so this deal is not over.
00:26:46.079 --> 00:26:54.240
They hit it off in Germany, but Ziech still wants to check out the little factory and make sure everything that Horatio is showing him is actually true.
00:26:54.400 --> 00:26:59.680
And that he actually has a real factory and he actually has a real car that he needs this engine for.
00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:00.960
He wants to see it.
00:27:01.200 --> 00:27:02.240
So this is amazing, right here.
00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:03.839
Horatio talks about this in his book.
00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:06.319
In a lot of the interviews, he talks about this too.
00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:15.759
He needs to make his little company, Motin and Design, the headquarters, the little warehouse, where he builds his car parts and where he's building his car.
00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:20.160
He wants to make his company look a little bit bigger than it actually is.
00:27:20.319 --> 00:27:24.079
For this big meeting with Dieter Ziech, Horatio has an idea.
00:27:24.319 --> 00:27:32.480
He asks some of his friends to come over to the shop and he gives them all coats to wear to make them look like they're employees of modin and design.
00:27:32.720 --> 00:27:35.759
Because Dieter Ziech is coming to inspect the property.
00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:39.680
And Horatio doesn't want to miss his big chance to land this deal with Mercedes.
00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:41.359
This is the big moment right here.
00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:43.920
And there's this great quote from Horatio right here.
00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:54.400
He says, about the results of this meeting and this plan, this crazy plan that he had to dress up some of his friends, like they're employees of the company, just to make the to make the company look a little bit bigger.
00:27:54.640 --> 00:27:55.680
Horatio says this.
00:27:55.759 --> 00:28:04.319
He goes, I don't know if the expedient had any effect, but from that moment on, the subsequent relationship that still binds us to Mercedes came about.
00:28:04.960 --> 00:28:06.640
So the plan worked.
00:28:07.440 --> 00:28:08.559
They hit it off.
00:28:08.720 --> 00:28:10.240
He shows him his company.
00:28:10.400 --> 00:28:12.079
They show him the prototype.
00:28:12.160 --> 00:28:21.039
And of course, Dieter Ziech, the head of engineering at Mercedes-Benz, he's not just going to give his prized V12 engine to just anyone who makes a prototype of a car.
00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:29.680
He likes the design, of course, and I'm sure he liked Horatio, but he's really going off the recommendation of the racing legend, Juan Manuel Fangio.
00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:33.359
And he comes up huge for Horatio for a second time right there.
00:28:33.519 --> 00:28:40.720
The first time was that letter of recommendation that he gave to all the Italian car manufacturers, which turned into that first job at Lamborghini.
00:28:40.799 --> 00:28:45.200
That set him down the path of buying that autoclave so he can create his own car.
00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:54.240
Now the second time by recommending Horatio to Dieter Ziech and recommending him for this new Mercedes-Benz V12 engine for his new car.
00:28:54.400 --> 00:29:01.920
So if you're wondering why Horatio mentions Fangio's name in just about every single interview he's ever done, this is why, right here.
00:29:02.160 --> 00:29:07.920
He had a major, major impact on his life, and he changed it forever by backing him several times.
00:29:08.160 --> 00:29:10.960
And this quote from the book by Horatio just sums it up right here.
00:29:11.039 --> 00:29:22.480
He goes, Once again, Juan Manuel Fangio, an F1 champion, but also a man of great sensitivity and intelligence, who played an essential role in some key moments of my professional life, helped me.
00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:36.960
I was still a nobody, but Fangio managed to persuade engineer Dieter Zieg, at the time a member of the board of directors of Day Mueller Benz and future president of the same company to have a look at the design of the car I was making.
00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:43.680
So he gets the Mercedes-Benz V12 engine, the groundbreaking new engine.
00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:48.240
Mercedes was dumping 400 million marks into this development.
00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:55.599
And it would turn out to be one of the most epic, well-known, reliable, trusted performance engines of all time, right here.
00:29:55.839 --> 00:30:00.160
He gets that engine in his new car from the very beginning.
00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:02.400
Now, one more detail out on that engine.
00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:06.559
Horatio talks about this during this drive experience interview right here.
00:30:06.640 --> 00:30:13.839
He says, once he got the first Mercedes V12 AMG engine, he placed it into his Zonda car.
00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:17.839
He talks about how this engine was so much better than he ever could have imagined.
00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:21.920
First of all, it's a super powerful engine, but he knew that already.
00:30:22.079 --> 00:30:27.200
But it also had a lower center of gravity, which is a key factor for supercars.
00:30:27.440 --> 00:30:32.799
But more than that, Horatio has this thing he calls he has a weight mania.
00:30:33.759 --> 00:30:36.160
He says he has he's got a weight mania.
00:30:36.319 --> 00:30:38.400
Everything has to be lightweight.
00:30:38.559 --> 00:30:42.319
He's obsessed with keeping the weight as low as possible.
00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:47.200
He gets this Mercedes-Benz AMG engine, and it was lighter than he was planning.
00:30:47.359 --> 00:30:54.319
Which, if you can imagine, if you have a weight mania, then you're thrilled to get an engine that's lighter than you thought.
00:30:54.559 --> 00:30:56.799
So here's an awesome quote from that interview.
00:30:56.960 --> 00:31:02.640
He explains this excitement of getting his hands on this Mercedes V12 engine for the very first time.
00:31:02.880 --> 00:31:03.920
Listen to this.
00:31:04.160 --> 00:31:05.759
He told me a lot about this engine.
00:31:05.920 --> 00:31:13.680
In fact, after meeting Zeech and I received the first engine, the first thing I did, since I have that weight mania, things have to be light.
00:31:13.839 --> 00:31:21.119
I placed it on a scale, and I was surprised because I thought a sedan engine would be heavy, and I wanted to do a lightweight car.
00:31:21.279 --> 00:31:25.839
When I put it on the scale, it weighed 70 kilos less than the Diablo engine.
00:31:26.079 --> 00:31:27.119
70 kilos.
00:31:27.279 --> 00:31:30.720
And the center of gravity was 40 to 50 millimeters lower.
00:31:30.960 --> 00:31:33.279
So I was really, really surprised.
00:31:33.599 --> 00:31:37.599
So that's what Horatio's thinking when he gets his hands on this engine for the first time.
00:31:37.839 --> 00:31:38.799
It's lighter.
00:31:38.960 --> 00:31:40.799
It's a lower center of gravity.
00:31:41.039 --> 00:31:46.000
He did all of his design according to the Diablo engine because he knew the specs of that engine.
00:31:46.160 --> 00:31:55.359
But it was better, it was a big surprise because it was so much lighter and lower center of gravity from that Diablo engine that he was planning, that he was designing around.
00:31:55.519 --> 00:31:56.640
So here he goes.
00:31:56.799 --> 00:31:59.680
He keeps on going here how lucky he was, how fortunate.
00:31:59.839 --> 00:32:06.000
He's always humble and he's always talking about how, and this is how he just talks about how great this worked out.
00:32:06.160 --> 00:32:10.720
He says, I barely had the money to make the pieces one by one, to make this car.
00:32:10.880 --> 00:32:13.519
So thinking about the engine was absurd.
00:32:13.839 --> 00:32:16.400
We were talking about this yesterday with an English journalist.
00:32:16.559 --> 00:32:19.279
He was one of the first to interview me back in 1999.
00:32:19.440 --> 00:32:23.759
And one of the first questions he asked me was, Why didn't you build a Pagani engine?
00:32:23.920 --> 00:32:26.640
And I answered as I'm explaining it to you now.
00:32:26.880 --> 00:32:36.720
Yesterday we met again, he thought and said, In the end, you have been lucky because you took an engine from a factory who invented the car, a 140-year-old factory.
00:32:36.880 --> 00:32:43.200
And today, a Rolls-Royce has a BMW engine, a Bentley has a VW engine, a Bugatti 2.
00:32:43.359 --> 00:32:46.240
Lamborghini mounts engines built together with Audi.
00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:52.319
So in the end, what we chose, even though it was the only choice, wasn't wrong.
00:32:52.559 --> 00:33:00.400
Today, for the Waira, we have got a specific engine, the ME-158, made by AMG only for the Pagani.
00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:06.480
And it's the first time, according to the president, that they make an engine for a company they don't own.
00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:13.599
They also made the SLR engine, the McLaren, and eight cylinders, but back then they were 50% owners of McLaren.
00:33:14.319 --> 00:33:24.400
So even still, right there, he's talking about to this day, Horatio talks about how great this was to get that Mercedes-Benz AMG V12 engine.
00:33:24.559 --> 00:33:27.680
And the partnership is still stronger than ever to this day.
00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:31.359
It's really amazing to look back at how all this came together.
00:33:31.599 --> 00:33:34.720
So now he can finish the car, he's ready to show it to the world.
00:33:34.880 --> 00:33:47.279
But before he does that, last but not least, he needs a name for the car, which is a big deal, especially for the very first car from a new manufacturer in the Motor Valley of Italy.
00:33:47.440 --> 00:33:48.720
The name is a big deal.
00:33:48.880 --> 00:33:53.359
And this is for a car that now has a V12 engine from Mercedes-Benz.
00:33:53.759 --> 00:33:56.640
It's made from carbon composite parts.
00:33:56.880 --> 00:33:59.119
And the design is turning heads.
00:33:59.279 --> 00:34:02.799
So the name has got to be finalized right now.
00:34:03.039 --> 00:34:07.839
So the name for the Pagani model, it was always going to be the Fangio after the legend.
00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:12.480
And we know why that is such an important name after everything we've talked about.
00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:17.440
And this he was just this trustworthy friend that always had Horatio's back.
00:34:17.599 --> 00:34:24.239
But now, right before he releases the car at the auto show, he Horatio's having second thoughts if this makes sense.
00:34:24.480 --> 00:34:26.320
So he explains this process right here.
00:34:26.480 --> 00:34:30.880
He says, in fact, the car was launched after six years at the Geneva Motor Show.
00:34:31.119 --> 00:34:37.360
A month before the launch, I started to feel a bit scared because I loved Fangio, an intelligent and sensible person.
00:34:37.519 --> 00:34:41.119
He was the first to win five times the F-1 championship.
00:34:41.360 --> 00:34:45.679
He was too much, a life coach, an incredible person.
00:34:46.079 --> 00:34:49.599
And I thought the car couldn't live up to being named Fangio.
00:34:50.239 --> 00:34:51.440
So that explains it right there.
00:34:51.599 --> 00:34:54.639
Horatio's having second thoughts about the name of the car.
00:34:54.880 --> 00:34:57.119
He always wanted to name it Fangio.
00:34:57.519 --> 00:35:01.840
And then he's thinking, there's no way a car can live up to the name Fangio.
00:35:02.079 --> 00:35:03.760
I gotta get a different name in here.
00:35:03.920 --> 00:35:06.960
So he calls up his buddies back home in Argentina.
00:35:07.119 --> 00:35:10.000
And these were all the same friends that encouraged him when he was a kid.
00:35:10.079 --> 00:35:11.440
So these are trusted friends.
00:35:11.519 --> 00:35:13.679
He says, I need some help here.
00:35:13.840 --> 00:35:14.719
This is what he tells him.
00:35:14.880 --> 00:35:18.000
He goes, Guys, I need you to help me find a name for the Fangio.
00:35:18.480 --> 00:35:24.960
And so they sent me a list of names, among which there was Zonda, which was the name they liked as well.
00:35:25.119 --> 00:35:27.280
And so why did they like the name Zonda?
00:35:27.519 --> 00:35:28.559
What is Zonda?
00:35:28.639 --> 00:35:29.280
What does it mean?
00:35:29.440 --> 00:35:32.960
Well, back in Argentina, there's a track near the Andes Mountains.
00:35:33.039 --> 00:35:35.360
It's called Autodromo El Zonda.
00:35:35.519 --> 00:35:40.079
And this is a race track that's very familiar in the racing community back in Argentina.
00:35:40.159 --> 00:35:42.239
And the name just stuck right there.
00:35:42.400 --> 00:35:50.000
It just suddenly made perfect sense to name this car Zonda and not have to deal with any questions about naming a car after Fangio.
00:35:50.480 --> 00:35:54.880
He didn't want any controversy with that name, since this was he was such a respected friend.
00:35:54.960 --> 00:35:57.760
He just wanted, he didn't want to have questions about Fangio.
00:35:58.159 --> 00:36:00.320
So the car became the Zonda.
00:36:00.559 --> 00:36:06.480
Just about a month before the launch of the car at the Geneva Motor Show, Horatio changes the name of the car to Zon.
00:36:06.639 --> 00:36:17.360
And so I didn't even know this until one of these interviews, but I always thought that the name Zonda was named for the warm wind that sweeps down the Andes Mountains in Argentina.
00:36:17.440 --> 00:36:19.199
That's what her that's what Zonda means.
00:36:19.280 --> 00:36:20.079
It's a wind.
00:36:20.320 --> 00:36:28.079
But then here in one of these interviews, Horatio says the name Zonda was actually from that racetrack, Autodromo El Zonda.
00:36:28.239 --> 00:36:29.519
So it's a perfect name.
00:36:29.679 --> 00:36:34.320
So now the full name of the car, it's the Pagani Zonda C12.
00:36:34.480 --> 00:36:41.280
So the C for his wife, Christina, and then the 12 being for the V12 engine that's in the car.
00:36:41.519 --> 00:36:44.239
Now, a lot of these interviews they have some of his philosophy.
00:36:44.480 --> 00:36:54.800
Horatio talks about like what people found in his Zonda creation or that immediate impact that it made on the car industry once he unveiled the car.
00:36:55.039 --> 00:36:56.400
Hypercar is theatory.
00:36:56.559 --> 00:36:57.199
This is what he says.
00:36:57.360 --> 00:37:05.280
For years he had been thinking about the personality and characteristics of the Zonda C12, which could be summarized in four fundamental benchmarks.
00:37:05.519 --> 00:37:09.119
So these four characteristics of the Zonda, he said this is it.
00:37:09.199 --> 00:37:12.400
Number one, a futuristic and provocative style.
00:37:12.559 --> 00:37:14.480
Okay, that's definitely true.
00:37:14.719 --> 00:37:24.559
Number two, refined technology linked to the use of composite material, which were essential for performance and safety as well as a reason for further charm.
00:37:24.800 --> 00:37:29.599
Number three, an official supply of the Mercedes AMG V12 engine.
00:37:29.840 --> 00:37:38.719
And number four, the exclusivity of offering customers the possibility to create and closely follow the construction of their own car.
00:37:39.039 --> 00:37:48.719
So if you think about those four characteristics right there, those four things just absolutely blew people away when they saw this car.
00:37:48.960 --> 00:37:50.079
The book keeps on going here.
00:37:50.159 --> 00:37:55.599
It says, there were certainly many reasons to have confidence in the new Motor Valley manufacturer.
00:37:55.760 --> 00:38:06.800
But the exhibitions, Geneva in particular, are crowded with innovations and time is always short for those who have to present their products and for those who have to discover their characteristics.
00:38:06.960 --> 00:38:14.159
Of course, if it hadn't been immediately understood, the Zonda would have had many other chances to establish itself later.
00:38:14.400 --> 00:38:15.920
But there was no need.
00:38:16.400 --> 00:38:21.119
The experts looking for new products quickly found the Pagani automobile stand.
00:38:21.760 --> 00:38:26.559
So right there in the book, it says there's a lot of things going on at the Geneva Auto Show.
00:38:26.960 --> 00:38:28.559
Are you gonna stand out?
00:38:28.800 --> 00:38:32.559
Maybe it takes some time for someone's creation to be appreciated.
00:38:32.800 --> 00:38:41.039
So maybe it's not gonna happen at the auto show, but it says with the Zonda, there was no need for more time.
00:38:41.199 --> 00:38:43.440
It was understood instantly.
00:38:43.679 --> 00:38:46.800
So the book goes on to explain the impact of the Zonda right here.
00:38:46.960 --> 00:38:50.719
It's it's the introduction of the term hypercar.
00:38:51.039 --> 00:38:54.639
It says, Meanwhile, the automotive vocabulary was being updated.
00:38:54.800 --> 00:39:08.800
In view of the characteristics, considered revolutionary at the time, the Zonda C12 was defined as a hypercar, a term that went beyond the previous concept of supercar and immediately entered the terminology of enthusiasts.
00:39:09.280 --> 00:39:15.440
So the book right here, it's arguing that it was the Zonda that ushered in this new phrase, hypercar.
00:39:16.000 --> 00:39:20.480
Here's Horatio again explaining his enormous respect for the car industry.
00:39:20.639 --> 00:39:26.079
And it's always a soft-spoken and it's in a humble way in all these interviews, but here's what he says.
00:39:26.320 --> 00:39:28.719
Let's start by saying that I love the automobile.
00:39:28.880 --> 00:39:31.440
I love her and I have enormous respect for the others.
00:39:31.599 --> 00:39:35.199
I always try to send this message to the kids, to my colleagues.
00:39:35.440 --> 00:39:37.119
We have to build a unique car.
00:39:37.280 --> 00:39:40.719
We don't have to make a better car than Ferrari or Lamborghini.
00:39:41.199 --> 00:39:44.880
We have to think that we are here thanks to Maserati, which made a car.
00:39:45.119 --> 00:39:46.719
Lamborghini made another one.
00:39:46.960 --> 00:39:48.159
Ferrari too.
00:39:48.400 --> 00:39:50.000
We are here thanks to them.
00:39:50.239 --> 00:39:53.199
So we have to respect the heritage and the history.
00:39:53.440 --> 00:39:54.800
And that's Horatio.
00:39:54.880 --> 00:39:58.159
He's describing how much of a fan he is of the industry.
00:39:58.320 --> 00:40:00.239
And he goes on in this interview.
00:40:00.559 --> 00:40:08.960
He's explaining that he just ordered his own Ferrari and that he really loves visiting the Ferrari factory to check out the car that they're building for him.
00:40:09.199 --> 00:40:10.719
Here's what he says right here.
00:40:10.960 --> 00:40:12.079
He loves the industry.
00:40:12.239 --> 00:40:16.559
He wants to humbly show his respect for everybody that came before him.
00:40:16.800 --> 00:40:18.639
So they ask him, what are his goals?
00:40:18.880 --> 00:40:20.400
What's the future Pagani?
00:40:20.719 --> 00:40:26.800
He says, our goal is to keep investing on everything that evokes emotion, which is art.
00:40:27.039 --> 00:40:31.440
The pursuit of art is part of our DNA, and we pair it with scientific research.
00:40:31.599 --> 00:40:36.719
Today I had 10 signs printed that said, I think we are not as good as people think.
00:40:36.880 --> 00:40:39.119
I'm gonna place them everywhere in here.
00:40:39.360 --> 00:40:41.039
So he's pointing around to his factory.
00:40:41.119 --> 00:40:47.599
He's putting up these signs around the factory that say, I think we are not as good as people think.
00:40:47.840 --> 00:40:57.119
He goes on in the interview, he says, it's an incentive to keep working humbly, with curiosity, with a desire to learn and research to create something that evokes emotion.
00:40:57.280 --> 00:40:59.519
Our cars are not prescribed by a doctor.
00:40:59.760 --> 00:41:01.519
Our cars are useless in a sense.
00:41:01.679 --> 00:41:04.559
Clients are not forced to buy a car like ours.
00:41:04.800 --> 00:41:13.920
Therefore, to excite a person's emotions so they are willing to spend three to fifteen million euro, you really have to work hard.
00:41:14.239 --> 00:41:20.559
He's just constantly hammering on this thought of staying humble and respecting the other automakers who came before him.
00:41:20.719 --> 00:41:22.880
And then he's just trying to please the customer.
00:41:22.960 --> 00:41:27.199
He wants to focus on surpassing all expectations.
00:41:27.679 --> 00:41:28.960
So here's what he says right here.
00:41:29.039 --> 00:41:35.760
And in this interview, he ends with he says this, he goes, I would like to close by saying that we were not doing anything new.
00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:41.519
The idea of merging art with science was born with Leonardo da Vinci over 500 years ago.
00:41:41.760 --> 00:41:50.400
What we're trying to do humbly is to bring forward this Da Vinci concept, which is public domain still, of joining these elements together.
00:41:50.719 --> 00:41:55.840
So again, he's just like, we're not inventing any ideas here, we're just applying them.
00:41:56.320 --> 00:42:01.679
So how do you do all this driven to create a brand that just blows everyone away?
00:42:01.920 --> 00:42:04.400
Like Chris Harris said in that opening quote that I read.
00:42:04.559 --> 00:42:15.679
He said, if you had to imagine in your mind the autocratic, charismatic creator of probably the most impressive hypercar brand to emerge on its own.
00:42:15.840 --> 00:42:20.320
In the last 30 years, you couldn't actually make up Horatio Pagani.
00:42:20.719 --> 00:42:21.760
He's perfect.
00:42:22.079 --> 00:42:25.519
That was my quote from Chris Harris that I started this episode with.
00:42:25.760 --> 00:42:27.199
So how do you do it?
00:42:27.440 --> 00:42:30.400
There's another thing that he talks about in all these interviews.
00:42:30.559 --> 00:42:34.320
And there's a main thing that he focuses on in these interviews that I've watched.
00:42:34.480 --> 00:42:35.440
The customer.
00:42:35.599 --> 00:42:37.199
He knows he needs to deliver.
00:42:37.440 --> 00:42:39.119
One of these interviews, he said this story.
00:42:39.199 --> 00:42:44.880
He goes, they were sending out the initial renderings of the Wyra car, the second model that they designed.
00:42:45.039 --> 00:42:48.079
They sent all these sketches out to existing customers.
00:42:48.320 --> 00:42:53.280
So all the owners of the Zonda, the first model, they're developing the second model, the Wyra.
00:42:53.440 --> 00:42:59.119
And so they send out the sketch, and the car sells out right there.
00:42:59.440 --> 00:43:03.519
They all want to buy the Wyra just from looking at the drawings of it.
00:43:03.760 --> 00:43:07.119
Deposits start to pour in from the current customers.
00:43:07.440 --> 00:43:09.840
His customers, there's no details.
00:43:10.000 --> 00:43:11.840
There's no horsepower listed.
00:43:11.920 --> 00:43:13.440
There's no delivery dates.
00:43:13.599 --> 00:43:14.480
There's nothing.
00:43:14.719 --> 00:43:16.079
There's no prototype.
00:43:16.239 --> 00:43:22.000
Just a sketch for a$2 million car and people want to buy it right there.
00:43:22.239 --> 00:43:25.920
And that's when he's just like, wow, that was it, he says.
00:43:26.159 --> 00:43:29.360
There's a trust here that the customers have with us now.
00:43:29.519 --> 00:43:30.719
We have to deliver.
00:43:30.880 --> 00:43:33.280
We have to go beyond what they think is coming now.
00:43:33.440 --> 00:43:35.440
We don't want to let our customers down.
00:43:35.760 --> 00:43:37.440
That's what he is explaining in this interview.
00:43:37.760 --> 00:43:41.760
And that drove Pagani to exceed even the craziest expectations right there.
00:43:42.000 --> 00:43:46.159
That became the goal was to go even further than anyone could expect.
00:43:46.400 --> 00:43:50.079
He says, You have to do it because these cars are not necessary.
00:43:50.239 --> 00:43:51.599
They're just cars.
00:43:51.920 --> 00:43:57.599
So here's one mindset from Horatio right here to keep focusing on that goal on the customer.
00:43:57.920 --> 00:43:59.039
Here's a great quote right here.
00:43:59.119 --> 00:44:03.199
It says Despite the investment of so much passion into his automobiles, Mr.
00:44:03.280 --> 00:44:07.119
Pagani acknowledges a personal distance from his creations.
00:44:07.519 --> 00:44:09.599
I don't fall in love with my cars.
00:44:09.760 --> 00:44:12.800
If I fell in love with my cars, I would lose objectivity.
00:44:12.960 --> 00:44:15.519
I would not be able to see what are the flaws.
00:44:15.760 --> 00:44:20.480
A customer who spends all this money on a car, the first thing he finds are the flaws.
00:44:20.719 --> 00:44:26.960
So when I'm in front of one of my cars, I try to perceive the flaws to improve the vehicle.
00:44:27.199 --> 00:44:31.840
So he can't fall in love with his cars, otherwise, he won't be able to see those flaws.
00:44:32.079 --> 00:44:33.920
Last thing right here, Chris Harris.
00:44:34.079 --> 00:44:38.880
The quote that I keep on bringing up, he goes, You couldn't even make up Horatio.
00:44:39.039 --> 00:44:42.239
He said, autocratic, charismatic.
00:44:42.480 --> 00:44:49.679
So that word charismatic, if you watch these interviews, there's a lot that gets lost in the captioning.
00:44:50.000 --> 00:44:54.639
Because if you don't speak Italian, you gotta watch all the, you gotta read all the captions.
00:44:54.800 --> 00:44:58.880
But Horatio's charismatic in these super unique ways in these interviews.
00:44:59.039 --> 00:45:02.480
You just have to really pay attention with the captioning.
00:45:02.639 --> 00:45:06.639
My favorite little detail that had me laughing out loud in one of these.
00:45:06.880 --> 00:45:09.599
Horatio doesn't fly much in Italy.
00:45:09.679 --> 00:45:11.039
He just doesn't like to fly.
00:45:11.199 --> 00:45:12.400
He'd rather drive.
00:45:12.639 --> 00:45:14.000
Now just remember this.
00:45:14.239 --> 00:45:16.880
Number one, he loves his bike.
00:45:17.119 --> 00:45:20.159
He rides a bicycle to work every single day.
00:45:20.480 --> 00:45:22.239
He loves the bicycle.
00:45:22.320 --> 00:45:25.679
He says it's the best form of transportation, is pedaling a bike.
00:45:25.920 --> 00:45:32.000
Okay, but so getting around Italy, he spends a lot of his weekends in Milan and he'll take a vehicle there.
00:45:32.159 --> 00:45:36.480
So it's from the Pagani factory near Modena, and he's gonna drive to Milan.
00:45:36.639 --> 00:45:38.559
He's not driving a Pagani.
00:45:39.199 --> 00:45:41.199
He's taking a Toyota van.
00:45:41.519 --> 00:45:44.239
He says it's the ugliest car ever made.
00:45:44.480 --> 00:45:46.800
It's this giant square van.
00:45:47.360 --> 00:45:52.639
But he goes, in this interview, he says it's super functional because he can lay the seats way back.
00:45:52.880 --> 00:45:56.480
He goes just like first class in the back seat.
00:45:56.719 --> 00:45:58.960
And so the interviewer is just like, What?
00:45:59.119 --> 00:46:00.800
What, like, what are you talking about?
00:46:00.960 --> 00:46:04.960
And so Horatio, his eyes just light up talking about this.
00:46:05.119 --> 00:46:08.880
He goes, Yeah, the Toyota Alfred, they sell them in Japan.
00:46:09.039 --> 00:46:11.440
He goes, I have the only one in Italy.
00:46:11.760 --> 00:46:14.960
He goes, You have to look this thing up on the internet.
00:46:15.360 --> 00:46:17.039
The Toyota Alfred.
00:46:17.599 --> 00:46:19.199
So of course I did.
00:46:19.280 --> 00:46:24.159
I looked it up, and it's not what you would expect Horatio Pagani to be cruising around in.
00:46:24.320 --> 00:46:25.280
That's for sure.
00:46:25.519 --> 00:46:27.360
You need to see this Toyota van.
00:46:27.440 --> 00:46:28.719
It's called the Alfred.
00:46:28.960 --> 00:46:30.559
You can look it up on the internet.
00:46:32.159 --> 00:46:33.360
But it works.
00:46:33.599 --> 00:46:34.400
It just works.
00:46:34.559 --> 00:46:36.239
It's so functional, he says.
00:46:36.480 --> 00:46:39.679
So in the same interview, there's another great moment.
00:46:39.840 --> 00:46:42.960
And it just shows the charisma, like Chris Hyrakovs was talking about.
00:46:43.039 --> 00:46:47.760
The charisma and the humble outlook that just makes Horatio so unique.
00:46:48.000 --> 00:46:50.000
So in this interview, he's talking about another story.
00:46:50.079 --> 00:46:53.199
He says the owner of MV Augusta called him up one day.
00:46:53.360 --> 00:46:57.519
He asked him to do a restyling design for this F4 motorcycle.
00:46:57.679 --> 00:47:00.400
It's one of the most legendary motorcycles ever built.
00:47:00.480 --> 00:47:04.800
And it was designed by Tamborini, this iconic motorcycle designer.
00:47:04.960 --> 00:47:07.599
So Horatio says, Well, I just don't know.
00:47:07.760 --> 00:47:12.079
Well, why don't you just send me a bike, send me an F4, and I'll take a look at it.
00:47:12.239 --> 00:47:14.320
So they send him an F4 motorcycle.
00:47:14.559 --> 00:47:17.519
He puts it in his living room of his house.
00:47:17.840 --> 00:47:22.800
He watches the bike in the morning and on the weekends for six months.
00:47:23.039 --> 00:47:27.039
He's staring at this F4 motorcycle, this iconic motorcycle.
00:47:27.280 --> 00:47:35.840
And now this is the chance right here to leave his mark on this iconic motorcycle forever, to do this little redesign, this little refresh.
00:47:36.079 --> 00:47:37.360
Give his input.
00:47:37.519 --> 00:47:40.079
You know, he's the creator of this amazing brand.
00:47:40.239 --> 00:47:43.760
Now it's his chance to give some input into this motorcycle.
00:47:43.920 --> 00:47:48.079
Something that was created by the legendary designer Massimo Tamborini.
00:47:48.239 --> 00:47:52.320
Now it's his chance to put his little twist on it.
00:47:52.639 --> 00:47:53.360
Right now.
00:47:54.239 --> 00:47:57.599
So he finally calls back the owner of MV Augusta.
00:47:58.239 --> 00:48:03.039
He tells him honestly, the bike is so beautiful that I don't dare touch it.
00:48:03.679 --> 00:48:06.800
I don't have a better idea than to leave it as it is.