One-off Pagani Zonda Aether heads for auction at F1 season finale

It is not every day you’d find a Zonda up for sale, and according to auction house RM Sotheby’s, this one-off Pagani Zonda Aether is the first Zonda to head to auction in nearly seven years.

Headlining RM Sotheby’s first-ever Middle East auction, the Aether roadster’s auction is set for November 30, right on the eve of the final race of the Formula 1 2019 season at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit.

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According to the auctioneers, the Aether is expected to fetch around USD$5.5 million (AUD$8.2 million), which is nearly a cool AUD$3 million more than a new Huayra Roadster – once considered the most expensive new car on sale in Australia upon its launch.

Built in 2017, five years after the official discontinuation of the Zonda series, the Aether roadster sports similar styling elements to the Zonda Cinque roadster, such as its rear arch air intakes, swooping overhead roof scoop, and rear wing.

Beneath sinister looking exposed carbon-fibre and red accented exterior, the Aether packs Pagani’s “760” specification engine - the 559kW tuned version of the Zonda’s 7.3-litre AMG-sourced naturally-aspirated V12 – which is mated to a traditional six-speed manual transmission.

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Other unique appointments to the Aether include the fitment of door straps and a green starter button that were lifted from the track-only Zonda R.

According to online reports, the Zonda Aether was commissioned and owned by Swiss luxury car dealer Ronnie Kessel, the same individual who commissioned the one-off Ferrari SP38 from the Maranello car maker’s ultra-exclusive Atelier programme.

While we cannot confirm those reports, we certainly get that impression from Kessel’s own Instagram account.

RM Sotheby’s confirms that the Zonda Aether is offered straight from the original owner’s collection, and will be part of an auction line-up comprising of more than 30 racing, sports, and supercars.