It has been over four years since we first visited the Pagani factory in San Cesario sul Panaro. At the time only 40 people worked at Pagani, 20 in the factory and 20 in design and management. One and a half years ago in November 2011 we visited the Pagani Factory again and also had a first glimpse at the plans for the new factory and the location where the new factory would arise.

Now 18 months later we returned to San Cesario sul Panaro to have a first look at the new factory and all facets the production of the Pagani Huayra. We arrived at the headquarters of Pagani in an industrial area just outside the town of San Cesario Sul Panaro and were greeted by Horacio Pagani and a cup of Italian espresso in the showroom and welcoming area. The headquarters which was formerly responsible for the complete production of the Zonda and the first Huayras will remain home to the Pagani design and R&D department.

The headquarters also houses all the carbon fibre production. Both the area and team that Pagani has for the carbon fibre production trippled in size since a large part of the production has moved to the new factory already. This not only offers the employees more space to create the first pieces of a new Pagani but also allows more people at the same time to work on the parts, which allows a reduction in production time and more cars to be produced annually.

In the back of the ‘old’ factory Pagani’s famous autoclave used to bake the carbon fibre parts is still there. Although a new autoclave up to three times the size is on its way to further enhance production. This allows Pagani to cure larger parts and more parts at once, again reducing precious production time. After inspecting a Huayra undergoing final testing before customer delivery and admiring the Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster parked in the back of the room it was time to go to the new factory..





The New Pagani Factory

The new factory, which consists of two existing buildings on the same industrial park in San Cesario sul Panaro that Pagani bought in 2011, looked from the outside almost the same as it did when we were last there one and a half years ago. The real progress was made inside, where formerly only building 1 was used, it was now building 2 which was of most interest. This former warehouse has been completely stripped and rebuild to Pagani’s designs and specifications, it consists of two big halls with office space in the front and a ‘secret room’ in the back.

The first hall consists of storage for all the larger Pagani parts, automated storage for smaller parts, high-tech paint facilities and cabins for detailing and polishing of the carbon fibre bodies. The ‘secret room’ in the back is the place where magic happens, it is here that the roof is mounted to the carbon fibre tub using a special technology.

The second hall can be described as every car enthusiasts dream hall. A bright, white, hall with seven bays where the Pagani Huayra and the last Pagani Zonda Revolutions are build. The room is illustrated with large images of Pagani’s creations and magazine covers from around the globe. During our visit the Pagani employees started production on Huayra number 23 in production bay number 1. In the last one and half years Pagani produced no less than 22 Huayra’s and with the new production facilities nearly in full swing they hope to be at number 42 by the end of this year. Next year the production of 25-30 Huayra’s is foreseen, the ultimate goal is set at 40-45 new cars a year.

With the new facilities Pagani has also hired new talent. From 40 employees in 2009 to 57 in 2011 and 77 now in June 2013. Pagani said that When the new factory is completely finished in early 2014 the company might have over 100 employees. Talking about the official inauguration of the new factory, Pagani plans a special event for the second quarter of 2014.





As you can see in the pictures the new factory development is still work in progress and the original plans for building 1 had to be changed due to the ever changing Italian regulations. Instead of a complete renovation of the building Pagani has now decide to completely demolish it and replace it with a hypercar worthy new building hosting a new showroom and possibly a small museum.

For now building one is used for repairs and upgrades to existing Paganis. When we were there a Pagani Zonda F just finished receiving specific Cinque inspired exterior upgrades. It is also here where a small team prepares prototypes and demo cars. In total 121 Zonda’s, 10 Zonda R’s and 2 Zonda Revolutions (out of 5) have been produced. There is one Zonda prototype that over the years has been upgraded across all specifications in the Zonda range and currently exists as the orange Zonda 760 prototype. There is also one Zonda R prototype which we hope to see at the Nurburgring again soon!

In the Huayra range a total of 5 prototypes have been build and have been used for both regular testing as crash tests to receive US road approval. These crash tests required a significant investment from Pagani to build, crash and rebuild these cars over and over again to pass 11 crash tests. Now however its becoming apparent that Pagani made a good decision, as nearly 30% of all Huayras are destined for the United States. At the time of writing Pagani has build 22 Huayras and orders (deposit paid) for another 90. At least 30 of them will go to the United States. Another 40 will go to Asia, traditionally home to some of the worlds most dedicated Pagani collectors.

Another interesting statistic is that nearly 40% of the Pagani Huayra buyers own or have owned a Pagani Zonda. When asked if Pagani would build another Zonda on a customers request the answer was: “We have no more engines available for the Pagani Zonda, but nothing is impossible”.

Pagani is very dedicated to make the Pagani Huayra even more successful than the meanwhile legendary predecessor. In due time we will also see a Pagani Huayra Roadster, but with the order books filled for the next two years at least, we are more likely to see it later rather than sooner. We are very pleased to have been able to share our impression of some automotive history in the making with the GTspirit readers and fans. Feel free to share your impressions, feedback and questions in the comments below!