Cizeta-Moroder V16T

The Cizeta-Moroder V16 T was an Italian supercar (built from 1991 to 1995) created by automotive engineer Claudio Zampolli in a joint venture with music composer Giorgio Moroder. It was the only product of the Cizeta company.

The Cizeta-Moroder name comes from the spelling in Italian of the initials of the designer Claudio Zampolli (Ci-Zeta) and Giorgio Moroder. The V16 T implies that its engine is a V16 unit mounted Transversely in the central rear position, just forward of the rear axle and behind the passenger seats. However, the engine was not a true V16. Rather, it was made up of two flat plane V8s, mounted transversely, with gearing between the two providing a single output from the center of the engine assembly to the longitudinal transmission.

The car was viewed from the beginning as an exclusive supercar, easily capable of topping 200 mph (320 km/h), and requiring just four seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (approx. 100 km/h), while at the same time equipped with many luxury features.

The most remarkable part of the car was the cutting-edge 6.0 L engine, designed from the ground-up to be a 16-cylinder unit, with four valves per cylinder (for a total of 64 valves). Eight camshafts in total completed the sophisticated valvetrain, and for cooling, two side-mounted radiators were required. All this produced 540 bhp and 540 Nm of torque. The power was transmitted to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission.

The chassis was formed of an aluminium honeycomb structure, wrapped in a sleek body designed by the famed Marcello Gandini, who had previously designed the Lamborghini Countach and some aerodynamic Maseratis (and later the Lamborghini Diablo).

Gallery

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Trivia

• Until the Bugatti Veyron entered production, the Cizeta-Moroder V16T was the only post-war production car with a 16 cylinder engine which is road legal in some countries.
• The rear 17 inch tires, with a section width of 335 mm, were the largest tires ever produced for a passenger car at the time.
• Although predictions for production foresaw one car per week, only eight examples were actually built (from 1991 until the company's demise in 1995).
• The prototype car was built as a complete roadgoing car. It was available to the press for loan - and received favourable reviews.
• The car was developed by a group of ex-Lamborghini employees.
• In 1991, the list price for a Cizeta-Moroder was an estimated €250,000 or US$300,000. This price tag made it unaffordable for most people, just like its contemporary and ultra-fast McLaren F1 supercar.
• The Sultan of Brunei is an owner of three V16Ts.

External links

• www.SuperCars.net - Brief history of the Cizeta-Moroder V16 T (with stats).

External Picture Galleries

• www.ExoticCarSite.com - 2003 Cizeta Fenice TTJ Spyder car wallpaper pictures.