When I was growing up as a teenager the regular posters on my nook walls were that of the Countach, Daytona, F40 and Stratos cars, but somewhere in a far out corner stood out an extraordinary poster which is still imprinted in my brain of a vehicle which I adored the most, the Cizeta Moroder V16T. It was a poster from an Indian edition of Sun tabloid magazine in the late 80's and it exuded brutal power with seeming grace. My love affair with this automobile has endured the test of time because I am still in awe of this strikingly beautiful machine. When I started blogging on one of my most intrinsic passions, Cars; my first instinct was to write an article on the Cizeta.
The Cizeta is the amalgamation of two unlikely characters, legendary music producer Giorgio Moroder sports car dealer and specialist Claudio Zampolli, who decided they wanted to build something truly unique. Their vision was of the ultimate super-luxury, super-performance sports car. Combining their names (Cizeta is Italian for C.Z., Zampolli's initials), the two men decided to refer to their Super Car as the Cizeta Moroder. To create a look worthy of such a Super Car, Moroder and Zampolli turned to Marcello Gandini, the greatest designer of some of the most outstanding Super Cars in the world. This accomplished designer had become famous by designing the Lamborghini Miura, Countach and the Lancia Stratos. And the two visionaries were rewarded for their choice with a design that is rich, sleek, sporty and dramatic.
But where do you go to build a car the likes of which the world had never seen? Moroder and Zampolli went to the Mecca of fine Italian car production-Modena, Italy. Here a crew gathered that included many who had worked on Gandini's Lamborghini Countach years earlier. The car was shown at the Geneva Auto Salon in 1988 with tremendous success. By 1991, the attractive Cizeta-Moroder V16T was delivered to the world and available for purchase. This concept car offered many features, with its powerful 16-cylinder engine being the most impressive and is the first and in all likelihood the only car in history to use a massive V-16 engine in a 90 degree angled configuration. Packed with 540 horsepower, this V-16 granted drivers the tremendous ability of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph within 4 seconds and an exhilarating, top running speed of 205 mph.
To accomplish such high performance, the chief designer, introduced a powerful engine that would combine the best of available sports car technology. Though it might be roughly imagined as two V-8's working harmoniously, this finely executed engine is actually much more sophisticated. For example, the engine is transversely mounted just ahead of the rear wheels, and the design incorporates 64 valves and a total of eight camshafts. Two radiators keep this power plant cooled. The V16T had twin Bosch fuel injection system, and the engine puts out 560 bhp at 8000 rpm and 398 lb-ft of torque at 6000 rpm. When ignited, it has a deliciously humbling rumble to it, smooth yet ominous, like a purring Jaguar. When called upon, the power comes on in a smooth torque rush accompanied by the engine`s profound basso timbre and resonance. The Cizeta-Moroder came with many other enhanced features besides the inspired engine. For instance, the luxurious and roomy interior sported full leather, and high-end audio and air conditioning systems were standard. Aluminum formed the body of the automobile except for the roof which was built of steel as an added safety feature. Its immense brakes were provided by Brembo. And the tires, manufactured by Pirelli, were the largest available (245/40 front and 334/35 rear) at the time of cars introduction on the market.
Even the design of the sports cars logo received maximum thought and attention. In 1988 Moroder received the Philadelphia award for design excellence for his attractive logo concept for the Cizeta-Moroder.
Once production was up and running, the plan was to produce one of these super Italian sports cars a week. And other designs and models were envisioned for the future. But despite some orders, including one from an impressed Sultan of Brunai, a world recession forced production of the Cizeta-Moroder to come to a halt. And that is where the story of this dream car rests, at least for now.
(Part of the Text Adapted from: CarStyling)