As RM Sotheby's prepares to open auctions in Abu Dhabi on December 5, one lot in particular is already thrilling collectors. Among the Ferraris, Lamborghinis and the spectacular McLaren F1 expected to fetch more than $21 million, a Pagani a real eye-catcher: the Zonda Riviera. A unique piece, a masterpiece that could break the symbolic $10 million barrier, and perhaps even exceed it.
A Pagani Zonda... created twice by Pagani
The Riviera is no ordinary Zonda. It was originally a Zonda F, an emblematic model designed as a tribute to five-time F1 world champion Juan-Manuel Fangio, a close friend of Horacio Pagani. But unlike the other models to come out of the Modena workshop, this one benefited from a rare privilege: full passage through the Unico program, a service where Pagani redesigns and rebuilds its own cars without limit, down to the last bolt. It's this dual creative process, both historic and artisanal, that makes the Riviera a true automotive objet d'art.
To become Riviera, the car was completely stripped bare before being reassembled around an aerodynamically improved body. The work is spectacular: Pearl White tint, reworked air intakes, new hood, enlarged rear wing, air intake on the roof and even an endurance prototype-style carbon back fin. The bespoke interior blends leather and blue Alcantara, a palette chosen to evoke the Mediterranean and underline the identity of this one-off. The whole perfectly evokes Horacio Pagani's philosophy of "Art and Science", so dear to Leonardo da Vinci.
Why can it exceed $10 million?
Official estimates range from $9.5 to $10.5 million. But the recent history of Zonda auctions suggests that the hammer could go higher. In December 2024, a Zonda LM Roadster fetched over $11 million, setting an all-time record for the model. Before it, the Zonda Aether reached 6.8 million in 2019 in Abu Dhabi, while the Zonda R "Revolución Specification" passed 5.34 million in 2023 in the USA. The Riviera, unique and twice crafted by the brand, is clearly in the league of the most extraordinary examples, if not above.
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