The Cizeta Moroder V16T comes from Italian auto engineer Claudio Zampolli, who worked for Lamborghini before deciding to go to the United States to strike out on his own by running car dealerships and service businesses. The Cizeta portion of the company’s name derives from Zampolli’s initials. When he decided it was time to develop his car, he knew he needed something bold to stand out from the crowd, saying to Car and Driver, “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve liked the largest and most powerful cars. I don’t knock the V-8 Ferraris and Lamborghinis—they’re fine cars—but the car that carries my own initials has to be something special.” His solution was to give this car a massive V-16 engine.
Then it came to designing the vehicle’s body, and he enlisted big-time Italian designer Marcello Gandini. Further entrenching this car in the history of Lamborghini, Gandini was the designer of that company’s Miura, Diablo, and Countach models, crème de la crème of their sports cars. So, the Cizeta Moroder V16T wasn’t just inspired by those cars. It was designed by the same person, with his Lamborghini P132 prototype acting as the design base. Crossover was inevitable.
The Cizeta name is accounted for, but what about Moroder? That comes from legendary Italian composer and synthesizer pioneer Giorgio Moroder. He would have his Lamborghini serviced at Zampolli’s shop and decided to join Zampolli as a principal financial backer.
[Featured image by Pat Durkin via Wikipedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED]
