The “P Zero Concept”
It was in 1981 that Pirelli made its return to Formula One, with Toleman, after twenty-five years away. It had spent those years researching radials and testing them on dirt tracks in rally races. The Long P now equipped Alfa Romeo, BMW, Citroën, Fiat, Ford, Mitsubishi, Opel, Peugeot, Subaru and Toyota. But it was with Lancia that the turning point had come just a few years previously, when the Stratos took to the track in the World Rally Championship in 1974. The car was so powerful that Pirelli had to create a new project, the P7, the precursor to the quintessential high-performance tyre – the P Zero, a symbol of absolute perfection. This was to be the tyre that, more than any other, would affect every area of motorsport, from Formula One to rallying, to GT and the famous road races, as well as the endurance contests with the Ferrari F40 LM at Le Mans. Experimentally introduced in 1984, the P Zero hit the roads in late 1985, and in early 1986 it was fitted on another Lancia, the Delta S4 racing version, which immediately made its mark with a long sequence of successes and victories. This came in 1986, and Ferrari and Pirelli once again started making history together.
At Maranello the following year, the Prancing Horse officially unveiled the F40, which to all intents and purposes was a road car but its true vocation was clearly sporty. With a top speed of 320 km/h it needed tyres that could offer comfort, superb performance, efficiency and grip on dry and wet, on both straights and corners. In other words, it needed the P Zero. As it had already done with the Stelvio, the Long P specially created two sizes (245/40 ZR 17 for the front and 335/35 ZR 17 for the rea) for the Scuderia. Not long after this, all car manufacturers started requesting custom-made tyres. The P Zero family took shape as the result of the constant evolution of tyres of sports cars adapted to different needs. In 1988 Lamborghini became part of the “P Zero racing stable” when it chose the ultra-high performance tyre for its Countach Anniversary, which celebrated the twenty-fifth birthday of the Raging Bull company, making it the star in a short television communication masterpiece, The Day the Earth Stood Still. Its use off road, however, is but a small part, however prestigious, of what the P Zero can do.
It was in 1981 that Pirelli made its return to Formula One, with Toleman, after twenty-five years away. It had spent those years researching radials and testing them on dirt tracks in rally races. The Long P now equipped Alfa Romeo, BMW, Citroën, Fiat, Ford, Mitsubishi, Opel, Peugeot, Subaru and Toyota. But it was with Lancia that the turning point had come just a few years previously, when the Stratos took to the track in the World Rally Championship in 1974. The car was so powerful that Pirelli had to create a new project, the P7, the precursor to the quintessential high-performance tyre – the P Zero, a symbol of absolute perfection. This was to be the tyre that, more than any other, would affect every area of motorsport, from Formula One to rallying, to GT and the famous road races, as well as the endurance contests with the Ferrari F40 LM at Le Mans. Experimentally introduced in 1984, the P Zero hit the roads in late 1985, and in early 1986 it was fitted on another Lancia, the Delta S4 racing version, which immediately made its mark with a long sequence of successes and victories. This came in 1986, and Ferrari and Pirelli once again started making history together.
At Maranello the following year, the Prancing Horse officially unveiled the F40, which to all intents and purposes was a road car but its true vocation was clearly sporty. With a top speed of 320 km/h it needed tyres that could offer comfort, superb performance, efficiency and grip on dry and wet, on both straights and corners. In other words, it needed the P Zero. As it had already done with the Stelvio, the Long P specially created two sizes (245/40 ZR 17 for the front and 335/35 ZR 17 for the rea) for the Scuderia. Not long after this, all car manufacturers started requesting custom-made tyres. The P Zero family took shape as the result of the constant evolution of tyres of sports cars adapted to different needs. In 1988 Lamborghini became part of the “P Zero racing stable” when it chose the ultra-high performance tyre for its Countach Anniversary, which celebrated the twenty-fifth birthday of the Raging Bull company, making it the star in a short television communication masterpiece, The Day the Earth Stood Still. Its use off road, however, is but a small part, however prestigious, of what the P Zero can do.
