The Journey Begins
At a very you age, sometime in the 1960s, Pagani developed an interest in both art and science – foreseeing how each could be applied to cars and the car industry. Initial inspiration came from Argentinian magazines, such as Automundo, through which Horacio became particularly impressed by the cars produced by Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati. And, through drawings and models, he set out to produce various shapes using various materials. Hoacio's wonder about materials would be the foundation of his experimentation and what would ultimately lead to such advances later in life.
The second inspiration for Horacio came from an article about Leonardo Da Vinci in Reader’s Digest, though which Pagani was introduced to Da Vinci’s philosophy and belief that the disciplines of Art and Science could walk “hand in hand,” combining form and function to advance learning and yield a more complete product. Horacio argues it was this realization
that informed the direction of his life and fueled his ambition to design the perfect automobile.
Preparation: Individual Experimentation Versus Formal Training
Beginning at age 10, Pagani made models of cars from balsa wood; and while in middle school, he also experimented with materials such as steel, aluminum, plastic, and fiberglass. What he learned he applied when building his first motorbike and his first car – a buggy using a chassis and engine of a Renault Dauphine (see photos).
After middle school, in 1974, Pagani enrolled at La Plata University, located south of Buenos Aires, to study Industrial Design. It was a time of political instability within Argentina, with the military and far-left guerilla groups engaging in violent confrontations. Consequently, Horacio was forced to abandon his studies. However, the next year, in 1975, Pagani enrolled in the University of Rosario, which was closer to his home in Casilda, to study mechanical
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