The tale behind the creation of the Lamborghini-look-alike Cizeta-Moroder V16T is as interesting and unusual as the car itself.
Launched back in 1991, the Cizeta-Moroder V16T had a strictly limited run of just 11 vehicles, including its original prototype.
With so few examples made, you’d be forgiven for never having heard of a Cizeta-Moroder V16T, but chances are it will look pretty familiar thanks to its Lamborghini-like body.
And this is because the car was actually created by a team of ex-Lamborghini employees.
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The Cizeta-Moroder V16T was a powerful car
The Cizeta-Moroder V16T was first conceived by Italian auto engineer Claudio Zampolli, who spent part of his career working at Lamborghini before moving out to the US.
In fact, the car’s name Cizeta comes from the pronunciation of Zampolli’s initials.
The Moroder part comes from Italian composer Giorgio Mordor – a friend of Zampolli who would regularly have his Lamborghini Countach serviced at Zampolli’s auto shop.
Moroder signed on as a financial backer for the car, helping Zampolli’s dream car become a reality.
Finally, the V16T in the name comes from – you guessed it – the fact that it’s fitted with a beefy 6.0 liter V16 engine.
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve liked the largest and most powerful cars,” Zampolli told Car and Driver.
“I don’t knock the V8 Ferraris and Lamborghinis – they’re fine cars – but the car that carries my own initials has to be something special.”
Just 11 of the look-a-like Lamborghini cars were ever produced
To ensure the car look the part, Zamprolli enlisted the help of fellow former Lamborghini employee Marcello Gandini – the designer behind the Diablo, Countach and Miura – to work on the car’s design.
Sadly, rising production costs and a rumored spat between Zamprolli and Moroder over building materials meant that mass production of the Cizeta Moroder V16T never happened.
In the end, the cars were built on a special-order basis and very few were actually made – just 11 in total.
In 2009, Zamprolli commented that ‘you don’t make money’ creating the vehicles as they did.
However, as we know, rarity often translates into a boost in price – and the original Cizeta-Moroder prototype sold at auction for more than $1.3 million in 2022.
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