All Zondas look like they will be more complicated to drive than space ships,
but they're not. They're easy.
And because this one has grippy, slick tyres, it's the easiest of the lot.
You can whizz about at top speed...
and you've got time and brain power to think,
"I really like the way they've got these air vents laid out."
That's a nice strap, kind of old fashioned and modern all at the same time.
It doesn't really matter if you're not concentrating.
Because it doesn't weigh anything
and because its carbon brakes are so enormous,
it will go from 125 miles an hour
to a dead stop in 4.3 seconds.
Oh, yeah. Like that.
The only way to stop faster is to hit a tree.
And this is the first Zonda to have a flappy-paddle gearbox.
It isn't the most refined system in the world, if I'm honest,
And it does mean that when you floor it,
you enjoy the fury and all you have to do when the fury runs out,
pull the lever and it starts all over again.
Go! Yeah. Go! Go! Yes, go!
Go, go, go!
This car is fantastic,
an extraordinary example of what can be done when there are no rules.
But for a toy, it is a bit expensive.
The car will cost you £1.46 million and because most British racetracks
have noise limits, which this breaches, you'll need your own.
And the going rate for one of those these days, about 6 billion. Billion!
One last go, come on.
Honestly, what a machine.
What a machine.
It seems a shame, then, that we wave goodbye to the Zonda with a car
that absolutely brilliant, but also completely useless.
The people at Pagani obviously thought so, too,
because they recently announced
that the R would not be the last Zonda after all.
They would actually finish by making five road-going versions of it.
And then they'd really definitely finish with five convertible versions of those.
But like a 1970s rock band, they don't seem to be able to end the song
because they now say that there will be another, one last hurrah.
This is it, the Tricolore.
Named after the Italian Air Force aerobatic squadron,
this too is a quietened down, softer version...
of the R.
It's heavier, slightly less powerful,
and thanks to, oops, normal road tyres, a lot less grippy.
Oh, dear.
But it's still a great car.
And still properly, properly fast.
And because you don't need your own track, it's about 6 billion less than the R.
That makes it good value.
But of course, what makes this the best value of all
is that I'm driving Revelation.
The final encore.
Bye-bye, Zonda. Bye-bye.
Poor old Richard Hammond.
You know the Zonda is his favourite car and now it's all gone.
No, actually, because after I made that film,
Zonda announced they would make two more Tricolores.
Really? But then it's over?
No, because when they finish doing those,
they're going to make a new one called the 750.
-Right, then that's the last Zonda? -No, because after that...
They're doing one called the HH.
Then they're going to start finally building the new car... What's it called?
-Huarrr... -Yeah, that one. Huayra.
Anyway, while they're dithering about, making up their mind,
it's time now to find out how fast this one, the R, goes round our track.
Of course, that means handing it over to our tame racing driver.
Some say his nipples are explosive.
And that he's recently had a Mexican...
I mean Brazilian! I mean Brazilian! Why did I say that?
I'm sorry, Mr Ambassador. Anyway, all we know is he's called the Stig.
And he's off. I can't imagine this is going to take very long.
V12 AMG fury powering towards the first corner. Here we are.
So much grip in this car.
It is just gliding through.
Bit of a four-wheel drift there.
No stereo, of course, just 12 cylinders singing.
Actually, not singing, shouting! Actually very wide through Chicago.
How will he attack Hammerhead?
Leaning hard on those incredible brakes. Yes. He's nailed it now.
Yes, he's through.
Really open the taps now.
Cuts a steady throttle through the follow-through.
Unsettled a bit by the bump on the apex. Stig not scared.
Two corners left. It stays so... Look, it's so flat.
It actually looks undramatic. Oh, a spit of flame!
Into Gambon and across the line.
I have the time here.
He did it in one minute 26.7.
-No! -No, I'm lying.
-One minute 8.5. -What?