The AMG-developed V12s found on Pagani’s visceral Zondas were sourced from Mercedes’ M120 engine found in Merc’s high-end luxury and sports cars.
So, if Pagani’s AMG V12 powerplants as closely related to Mercedes’, why don’t the latter’s vehicles sound like the howling mid-engine hypercars, you might ask? Well, the obvious answer is because they are not meant to – but, with the proper hardware installed, they actually can.
An old internet video depicting the phenomenal yelp of a S600 has been many times redeemed as fake, but the German V12s could sound close to a Formula 1 car, as Technical Garage Sasaki demonstrates with its Brilliant exhaust system in this video.
Usually, due to their luxurious nature, luxury vehicles conveyed by twelve cylinder engines run silky smooth and quiet, letting its passengers experience the refinement offered by such a “caged” powertrain.
Tranquilized and muffled by the factory exhaust system (especially by the manifold), a V12 can only purr almost silently even at full throttle. Add a totally new, full-length custom exhaust though and all hell breaks loose. Getting the a Zonda symphony in a much, much cheaper S600? Why not?