Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XVII

2 5 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I The quad tailpipes that have become a Zonda trademark protrude menacingly from the rear of the car, looking more like weapons of destruction than simply an exhaust system. Surely a frightening sight for anyone driving behind, and with performance like this car boasts, that’s likely to be all of us. Rising above the bodywork is a simply enormous carbon fibre active wing that, with one flip of a switch, will automatically engage the air passing over it to hold the car to the road once it reaches over 0.81-Gs in lateral acceleration. Like the exterior, the cockpit means business. When you climb aboard, you won’t find heated and cooled seats, cup holders or an infotainment screen. What you will find, however, is exactly what you need, exactly where you need it. Every single item in the minimalist Revolucion cabin is dedicated to speed and precision. A steering wheel-mounted rpm gauge sits where you might expect to find an airbag or satnav device, while above that beautifully tactile wheel and embedded in the carbon fibre dashboard sits a small display that shows the crucial readouts on all this car’s essential performance parts and systems. Thick, five-point safety harnesses and racing seats are there to hold both driver and passenger firmly and safely in place when the pure power of the Zonda is released. Sure, it’s a fairly Spartan place to be, but what is included in this package is designed to suit a specific purpose. That purpose being speed. And plenty of it. As is usual with Zonda, the Revolucion’s power is provided by an engine sourced from AMG. This latest Mercedes-Benz powerplant is an updated version of the unit found in the Zonda R that came before. Now, though, it’s been tuned to produce 800 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. This fearsome 6.0-litre V-12 screams to life on the road or track, unleashing the kind of soundtrack that raises the hairs on the back of your neck and sets the pulse racing.