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In the rear-view mirror: Pirelli becomes a sports car specialist

Pirelli presented its new tire on a Lancia Delta S4 Stradale in 1985. This was an obvious choice because the car and tire had a common history. The Stradale was the 250 hp homologation version of the Group B rally Lancia Delta S4 with (estimated) 460 hp on Pirelli racing tires. Because of the Stradale's exceptional all-wheel drive dynamics, it needed tires that could deliver the performance of the sports car on the road. This demand triggered a revolution in the tire industry and ultimately led to the UHP (ultra-high performance) category and its first representative, the Pirelli P-Zero.

In the 1980s, turbochargers and superchargers had boosted the performance of sports cars to a previously unattained level. Without today's electronic driving aids, grip, stability and safety depended crucially on the tires. This brought about far-reaching changes in the automotive world. Pirelli's flagship tire at the time was the P7. The first low-profile tire in history was launched on the market in 1976. The experience that the Italians gained with their P7 on the road and on the racetrack and the vision of engineer Mario Mezzanotte paved the way for the P Zero.

Its concept was as simple as it was groundbreaking: the three most important characteristics of a racing tire were to be combined in one profile. The inner shoulder with grooves like on rain tires provided grip on wet roads. The outer shoulder, inspired by slick tires, offered traction on dry roads. The middle section of the tread incorporated elements of intermediate tires, creating a balance between the extremes. This combination pushed the boundaries of tire design at the time.

Pirelli's motorsport know-how was crucial in transferring this concept to road tires. A remarkable result at the San Remo Rally demonstrated the capabilities of the P Zero on the road. At that time, Miki Biasion drove his Lancia Delta S4 on all stages with P Zero tires, which were not yet available to the public. They worked so well that he left them on the car on a very wet stage. He won this stage and left his competitors, who were driving on specialized racing tires, behind.

The P Zero still sets standards for road tires today. In 2019, for example, the company introduced the Elect package for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, which is designed to provide more range and greater mileage. It has since become the industry standard. In 2023, Pirelli presented the P Zero E, the first UHP tire with at least 55 percent bio-based and recycled materials, which received the coveted Triple A rating from the EU tire label. Today, the company tailors tires to the special requirements of premium and prestige car brands with its "Perfect Fit" strategy.

The list of vehicles on which P-Zero has been fitted is long and includes icons of the automotive world. These include the Ferrari F40, 512 Testarossa. LaFerrari, Ferrari F40, 512 Testarossa and LaFerrari as well as the Lamborghini Countach, Diablo, Murciélago and Aventador and the McLaren MP4-12C and P1, but also the Pagani Zonda, Huayra and Utopia as well as the Aston Martin Vanquish, DB9, V12 Vantage plus various versions of the Porsche 911, Cayenne and Macan. In motorsport, the P Zero stands for top performance in Formula 1 and all other racing categories.

In four generations, the Pirelli P Zero has become the market leader with over 3000 customized homologations for various car manufacturers. Pirelli recently announced the fifth generation for the coming months. (aum)

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Photo source: Pirelli via Autoren-Union Mobilität

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Lancia Delta S4 Stradale.

Lancia Delta S4 Stradale.

Photo source: Lancia via Autoren-Union Mobilität

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