Horacio Pagani (born 10 November 1955) is an Argentine-Italian businessman and engineer in the automotive industry. He is the founder of Pagani Automobili S.p.A., an Italian specialty auto-maker.
Prior to founding his own company, Pagani worked for Renault and Lamborghini.
Personal life
Horacio Pagani was born in Casilda, Argentina to Luca and Maria Pagani. His father, Luca, was a baker from Italy.
Career
Pagani took an interest in engineering while still living in Argentina. However, he felt from the beginning that the rural town into which he was born was inadequate for fulfilling his dream of an engineering career. He opened a small shop where he worked at a very young age, gaining valuable experience in craftsmanship. By the age of 20, Pagani had designed and built his first F3 racer.
The turning point in Pagani’s life came when he was hired by Renault to improve the body of a racing car. His work offered staggering improvements and Pagani was able to showcase his talent. After having success on this small scale, Pagani visited Lamborghini and met with the company’s chief technical director Giulio Alfieri. In 1982, he decided to move to Italy and he was hired by Lamborghini. Pagani began working basic jobs such as sweeping the floors, however he was able to work his way up the company.
He became the chief engineer at Lamborghini and he built the Countach Evoluzione concept. He tried to persuade Lamborghini to buy an autoclave so they could extend the production of the carbon parts for the Evoluzione. They refused, saying that Ferrari did not have an autoclave, so Lamborghini didn’t need to have one. Pagani borrowed the capital to buy his own autoclave late in 1987 and then, in 1991, he broke away from the company and founded his own consultancy called Modena Design which continues to make carbon fiber composites for Formula One cars and clients like Daimler, Ferrari and Aprilia.
Pagani Automobili Modena was founded by Pagani in 1992. The first car he produced was the Zonda, which took seven years to complete, followed by the Huayra, named after Huayra-tata, the god of the wind in Incan culture.
What Is Horacio Pagani’s Net Worth?
Horacio Pagani is an Argentine-Italian entrepreneur, engineer, and auto executive who has a net worth of $100 million. Horacio Pagani is best known for being the founder of the Italian specialty auto-maker Pagani Automobili S.p.A. (also known as simply Pagani). He previously worked for Lamborghini and Renault. After founding Pagani in 1992, the Zonda was the first car Horacio produced. Pagani cars have been known to sell for millions of dollars right out of the gate. Some especially desirable Paganis have been known to fetch $10-20 million at auction.
Lamborghini
After Horacio found success improving the bodies of Renault’s racing cars, he met with Giulio Alfieri, the chief technical director of Lamborghini, and was hired to do basic jobs, such as sweeping. Pagani worked his way up at the company, eventually becoming the chief engineer, and in 1985, he built the Countach Evoluzione, “the first car entirely made of composite materials.” When Lamborghini refused to buy an enclave to aid in the production of carbon parts for the Countach Evoluzione, Horacio borrowed money to buy an enclave of his own in 1987.
Pagani Automobili ModenaThe following year, Horacio established Pagani Automobili Modena and began working on the Zonda, which he completed seven years later. In 2011, he produced the Huayra, named after the Incan god Huayra-tata, who is known as the “Father of Wind.” Today a Pagani Huarya will set you back $3-4 million:
“For me it is an honour to be recognized as one of the best designers and an excellence of Italian design by the ADI jury, but I want to stress that this award must be shared with the Pagani design and engineering team that has worked by my side ever since this wonderful adventure began. Without their frank and constant feedback, the passion they put into their work every day, none of this would be possible.“
In September 2022, Pagani Automobili unveiled its newest car, the Utopia, at Milan’s National Science & Technology Museum. Only 99 Utopia’s will ever be produced and each car will initially cost $2.2 million.
