From its first road use approval in 1987 (although already the previous year the brand had competed in rallying at world level) until the present day. This is the history of a brand the simple mention of which today identifies a top product for the highest-performance cars all around the world.
However, this is also the story of an inexhaustible bond between a product for the road and one for competitions, in the wake of the world of motor racing which for Pirelli has always represented its most important laboratory for research and development.
As is traditional in the world of Pirelli sports tyres, even the very “concept” of the P Zero was derived from competitions. This had truly been the case for “Ercole”, which was tested by the Peking to Paris race in 1907. Then came the Stella Bianca, whose development derived fundamentally from racing circuit competitions with Alfa Romeo in the early Twenties, as was the case for the Stelvio, the winner of two World F1 titles with the Ferrari of Alberto Ascari.
Then in the 1970s came the Pirelli P7: this was conceived for the phenomenal Lancia Stratos at the introduction of the World Rally Championship. This too is how the Pirelli P Zero saw the light of day, a tyre “conceived” between the end of 1985 and the beginning of 1986 for another Lancia destined for the World Rally Championship: the Delta S4 with four-wheel drive, a Group B “monster” with extremely high levels of performance.
Manufactured solely in the size 205/55 VR 16 as a “Racing” version and developed from the experience of the four preceding years in Formula 1, the Pirelli P Zero had the particularity of an asymmetric tread divided into three different adjacent designs: a sculpted “rain” design, an intermediate pattern, and a “slick” section which was completely flat for use on asphalted stretches of road.
Whilst the Delta S4 did not survive the modifications introduced by the WRC – the Group B were too powerful and dangerous: the S4 was to be replaced the following year by the Group A Delta 4WD – the concept of the asymmetric tread as interpreted by the Pirelli P Zero opened the way then – in 1986 – to its long history of successes.
Like the Ercole, like the Stella Bianca, like the Stelvio, like the P7, the P Zero too transferred to the road its own “racing” technological prowess: in July 1987 Ferrari presented its F40 “Le Mans” masterpiece, which with its top speed of 320 km/h was the fastest and most sophisticated Ferrari ever produced. It was equipped naturally with Pirelli P Zero tyres measuring 245/40 ZR 17 at the front and 335/35 ZR 17 at the rear.
The road version of the Pirelli P Zeros for the Ferrari F40 adapted for “street legal” usage the concept of asymmetric tread design, with two outer bands destined for dry road holding and the central band designed for grip in wet conditions.
The tyre size rose to the “futuristic” 17 inches, the speed code was the new “Z” which was in excess of the historic limit of 240 km/h. Already by the time of the Frankfurt Motor Show of September 1987, the P Zero was fitted to a large number of supercars manufactured by tuning specialists such as Koenig, Hartge, Schnitzer on the Ferrari, Porsche and BMW platforms, whilst the original rally version continued to build its history of successes with the Lancia Delta 4WD of Markku Alen and Miki Biasion, and then with the Toyota 4WD of Kankkunnen, Waldegaard and Sainz.
In September 1988 another historic performance sports car brand joined the P Zero stable: Lamborghini chose the ultra-high performance Pirelli for its Countach Anniversary, which was built to celebrate the 25th birthday of the House of the Raging Bull. For the Anniversary, the P Zero range was extended with the introduction of the 15 inch diameter measurement, followed shortly afterwards by 16-inch tyres for the Alfa Romeo ES30 Zagato.
With eight different sizes available – between front and rear, and from 15 to 17 inches – the Pirelli P Zero officially took its place in the Pirelli price list in 1989.
1990 sees the P Zero secure a type approval of enormous prestige: the Lamborghini Diablo, a supercar of over 400 HP with a top speed in excess of 325 km/h. It has the same dimensions as those originally conceived for the F40 but with a number of innovations for the asymmetric tread design, which now has an internal band featuring deep grooves to improve road holding in wet conditions, a slick central band to maintain straight-line acceleration, and a slightly laminated external band to ensure maximum adherence on dry surfaces. The structure is the same as that of the tyres used during the F1 season, comprising a double-ply carcass and Kevlar-reinforced radial belts.
The Geneva Motor Show of 1991 designates the P Zero as the tyre of reference for the industry of the tuning and refining specialists, which had become extremely strong in Northern Europe: for them, the super-low specials from the firm of Pirelli now come for the first time in their “extreme” dimensions of 18 and 19 inches. The adoption of a rim of 18 inches as original equipment is now actual reality: this is offered the following year by Ferrari for its 512 TR, which is actually factory-fitted with dimensions of 235/40 ZR 18 at the front and 295/35 ZR 18 at the rear: more room for the braking system and shock absorbers, greater footprint on the ground, improved driving comfort. With its additional conquest, in the course of that same year 1992, of the 456 GT and the 348, the P Zero would finally cover the entire Ferrari range.
1994 brings a fundamental evolution in the “P Zero concept”: the introduction of the System, which links the traditional rear tyre asymmetric design to a steering front tyre design with an anti-aquaplaning function. The range of dimensions now extends from 15 to 20 inches, from the 55 Series down as far as the 30 Series: in practical terms, the P Zero can now be fitted as easily to a Ferrari as to a Golf or a BMW. And then there is a little stylistic flourish which in a few years’ time will take on much more importance: the P Zero inscription on the side wall in a bright yellow colour.
In the spring of 2000, alongside the original asymmetric model of the P Zero – now known as the “P Zero Giallo” – and the P Zero System, the firm introduces the new “P Zero Rosso” version, under the banner of sporting comfort and in particular that of the modern methods of computer-aided design.
The completely new tread design once again proposes the option of a steering front tyre and asymmetric rear tyre: the central semislick band is still present in order to guarantee driving precision during acceleration, whilst the outer band has wide lugs to enhance road holding on dry surfaces. The inner band contains wide grooves designed for the rapid evacuation of water. On the tyre walls, the “P Zero” inscription is obviously in red.
At the same time, the price list now also features the Scorpion Zero destined for the increasing segment of SUVs and big off-road vehicles: the “P Zero Collection” comes into being. Amongst others, the P Zero Rosso is type approved for all Porsche models.
In 2002 the P Zero Collection is enriched by the introduction of a new “boss”: this is the P Zero Nero, a tyre which further extends the range of applications of the ultra-high performance Pirelli family. In this case it is a model destined for the replacement market and for the transformation in general of standard tyre fittings thanks to the adoption of rims of 19 and 20 inch diameters.
The tread design is still asymmetric, with optimal-sized longitudinal anti- aquaplaning channels, whilst the internal structures have been reinforced in order better to support heavier and larger engines.
March 2003: the Geneva Motor Show introduces another P Zero innovation, the Corsa System. This is the tyre conceived specifically for the Ferrari Challenge Stradale, itself derived directly from a ten-year racing experience in the Ferrari Challenge – Pirelli Trophy Championships and from the Ferrari 360 GT cars involved in the FIA-GT Championship.
The P Zero Corsa System, as is customary, offers two different tread designs, an asymmetric one in the rear drive function, and a front steering one for improved road holding in wet conditions. The following year, 2004, for Pirelli’s “historic testimonial”, Naomi Campbell can baptise the complete Planet Zero range: the P Zero System, the P Zero Rosso, the P Zero Nero, the P Zero Corsa and – for big SUVs – the Scorpion Zero.
The new Mission Zero arrives in 2007, in memory of the Pirelli Film which celebrates the inexhaustible bond between the best known brand of the ‘P lunga’ series and the most fascinating and high-performance car in the world. Two decades after the creation of the first P Zero road tyre, the Nuovo P Zero dated 2007 makes its entrance as a further milestone in this continuing success story.
This time the leading role is undertaken by the nano technologies which lead to new compounds capable of guaranteeing maximum levels of performance, a total domination of the asphalt, but also an exceptional degree of comfort for whoever is at the wheel and for the passengers.
The objective is to guarantee very high levels of performance (up to 370 kilometres an hour) thanks to a tyre which is immune to signs of fatigue even when it is used at its limit. This aim is achieved by the above-mentioned compounds together with DAC (Dynamic Asymmetric Contour) technology which ensures a minimal deformation of the tread even when it is submitted to extreme stress: down the straights, round the bends, and during harsh braking.
This represents a consistency in the product which has the further benefit of an improved longevity in terms of mileage. In this case too one of the secrets is in the differentiation between the bands of tread. In the centre, a new angle for the transversal grooves ensures maximum acoustic comfort and absolute stability. On the side bands, stiffer lugs ensure total stability, driveability and cornering control even at edge-of-the-limit driving. With these characteristics, the Nuovo P Zero brings with it notable improvements in nearly all areas relating to performance: improved handling on dry or wet asphalt, greater efficiency during braking and resistance to aquaplaning, optimum physical and acoustic comfort, and increased mileage. All this is provided across a wide range of dimensions: from 16 to 18 inches with Run Flat technology; from 17 to 20 inches, with speed codes up to the letter Y, in traditional format.
The next chapter in this success story is the introduction, in 2010, of the new P Zero Corsa System,designed for the Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera, which adds the P Zero Corsa Asimmetrico 2 to the evolution of the preceding steering tyre. This novel coupling becomes the original equipment fitting for the most powerful and marvellous sports cars: Lamborghini, McLaren, Ferrari, Pagani, Porsche, Maserati and Aston Martin.
Its specific structure provides the Corsa Asimmetrico 2 with maximum stability at high speeds and during cornering, thus allowing them also to be used on race circuits. The asymmetric design delays the phenomenon of aquaplaning, which is a typical feature of driving in wet conditions using semi-slick tyres directly derived from competitions.
Thanks to its advanced sports racing pedigree it lends itself to a double use, on road and on circuit, providing in both cases the maximum levels of performance and safety. In 2015 the P Zero Corsa Asimmetrico was chosen as original fitted equipment for the McLaren 650S, coupé and spider, and for the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde.
In the same year as the new Corsa System (2010), Pirelli wanted to give its keenest sports driving customers the right tool to use to participate in racing circuit events such as Track Days. Not an entirely slick tyre which can only be used on a race track, but a tyre typeapproved for travelling on roads yet which has an extremely high level of performance on a racing circuit. In this way, keen drivers can make their way to the events, completely safely, leaving home with the same tyres that they are going to use on the track.
This is how the P Zero Trofeo comes into existence, and it closely resembles Rally tyres for dry asphalt. The version developed in 2012, designated the P Zero Trofeo R, uses new compounds with a novel formulation and boasts a redesigned tread, two modifications made to improve stability and particularly lateral road holding on dry surfaces, whilst still achieving a significant reduction in the degree of wear. The asymmetric tread design is divided into three portions: the inner area with longitudinal grooves to facilitate the expulsion of water, the fuller central area to improve stability, and the outer area similar to a slick.
In 2012 Pirelli is once again back in Formula Uno. It had returned the previous year, twenty years exactly after last quitting the world of the Grand Prix. For the ‘P lunga’ the bond with F1 has always been a strong one. It is tinged with history and with emotion. In 1950, the first year of GPs valid for the world championships, only two brands were present and they are still there today, in confirmation of the strongest history of the time: Ferrari and Pirelli.
In the intervening period came years and cycles of presence and absence, of success and of minor satisfactions, and of choices driven also by company and financial evaluations in a world of ever-increasing rapid change. But in 2011, here is Pirelli once again on the biggest stage for car racing.
In the Australian GP of 2011 the P Zero F1 range makes its competition début, with its various colours designating the various choices of compounds and treads: the red, yellow, white and silver P Zeros (the latter would subsequently become orange), indicating, respectively, tyres with slick treads made of compounds which are supersoft, soft, medium and hard; Radial green and blue for tyres with sculpted treads, respectively for intermediate and wet use. This launch introduces a radical change to the F1 set-up. Such a variety of tyres contributes to exciting and often unpredictable races.
And now for the Nuovo P Zero, not just one of them, but in fact three! One for thoroughbred racing cars, one for high-performance saloon cars and the new P Zero Corsa, close relative of the Formula 1 tyres. Because P Zero is today the brand which designates all the competition tyres, from the Grand Prix to Tourism to rallies. But it is also the identity card for maximum performance road tyres and guaranteed absolute driving satisfaction in the most demanding and spacious vehicles.
With such a history going back for thirty years, which has kept pace with and indeed often inspired the greatest advances in car technology, the performances , the driving satisfaction, the safety and the thrills aroused must surely only be an early indication of what is in store for the future…
