The Original Cizeta V16T Prototype Will Be Auctioned Off
by AutoExpert | 5 January, 2022
Claudio Zampolli was a former Lamborghini engineer who founded Cizeta in Italy in the late 1980s. The V16T was Cizeta's only model, and only a few were constructed before the business went bankrupt in 1994. Later on, Zampolli added a few more continuation instances.
Zampolli founded Cizeta alongside Giorgio Moroder and commissioned Miura, Countach, and Diablo designer Marcello Gandini to develop the V16T lines. The first V16T prototype, dubbed a Cizeta-Moroder, was unveiled to the public during the 1989 Geneva International Motor Show. Moroder abandoned the project soon after, leaving only the Cizeta logo on all production models.
Moroder has kept the prototype for many years but is now selling it. The automobile, which was given a mechanical rehabilitation by Canepa Design in 2018 and is in functional condition, will be auctioned off on January 27 by RM Sotheby's. A 6.0-liter V-16 motor in a mid-engine, transverse arrangement powers the automobile. The motor has a peak output of 540 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque, and it's paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox. Only the back wheels receive power.
Because this is a prototype, there are minor variations from later production Cizeta models. Larger side intakes with additional strakes, as well as distinctive turn signals, side mirrors, and fog lights, are all present on the prototype. The prototype's interior is likewise different from the one used in the final models.
