Pagani Zonda Cinque - Carbon Cinque - 2008

Aside from the slightly complicated technological business of making hypercars that won't explode or spontaneously combust, it must be a fairly simple job working in Pagani head office.

Make an insanely fast supercar. Make an even faster track-only version. Make the even-faster version road legal. And so on.

This is the Pagani Zonda Cinque, essentially the road-going version of the track-special Zonda R.

That's not 'Cinque' as in 'kitchen', but 'Cinque' as in 'five', because Pagani is building just five of these Enzo-rivalling monsters, and all have already been sold.

The Cinque develops 678bhp and 575lb ft of torque from a Mercedes-sourced six-litre V12 - good for a 0-60mph time of around 3.4 seconds and a top speed on the scary side of 217mph.

Thanks to a host of trick aero aids, Pagani says the Cinque creates 750kg of downforce at 186mph which, with any luck, should keep you firmly stuck to the road.

If you're tempted to make the prospective Cinque owners an Offer They Can't Refuse for their car, be warned: it won't come cheap.

Phrases like 'titanium monobloc wheels' and 'carbon titanium aerdoynamic diffusers' tend to add up to seriously big money, and the price tag on the Cinque is believed to be around £750,000.

Still, it's another awesome bit of machinery from the latest genuine entrant to the supercar clique.

How long until the next even-faster Zonda?