Team-BHP > The International Automotive Scene


Reply
  Search this Thread
7,257 views
Old 2nd August 2004, 22:06   #1
v12
Distinguished - BHPian
 
v12's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 6,737
Thanked: 7,200 Times






In the mid 1980s, Giorgio Moroder and sports car specialist Claudio Zampolli decided they wanted to create something truly unique. Their vision was of the ultimate super-luxury, super-performance sports car. This car borrowed from the realm of rich men's daydreams would offer everything the wealthiest might want in such a vehicle-bold innovative styling, custom manufacturing, greatly enhanced performance, and infinite luxury. Combining their names (Cizeta is Italian for C.Z., Zampolli's initials), the two men decided to refer to their supercar as the Cizeta-Moroder.

To create a look worthy of such a supercar, Moroder and Zampolli turned to Marcello Gandini. This accomplished sports car designer had become famous by producing the styling of many Lamborghinis such the 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 Marcello Gandini's Lamborghini Countach years earlier.

The car was shown at the Geneva Auto Salon in 1988 with enormous success. By 1991, the attractive Cizeta-Moroder V16T was delivered to the world and available for purchase. This exotic car offered many intriguing features, with its powerful 16-cylinder engine being without a doubt the most impressive. Packed with 540 horsepower, this V-16 granted drivers the amazing ability of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph within 4 seconds and an exhilarating, top running speed of 204 mph.

To accomplish such high performance, Oliviero Pedrazzi-the chief designer for Cizeta-Moroder-conceived a powerful engine that would combine the best of available sports car technology. Though it might be roughly imagined as two V-8s working together, this finely executed engine is actually much more sophisticated. For instance, 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 powerplant cooled.

With a price tag of $600,000 each, 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 car's introduction on the market.

Even the design of the sports car's 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's where the story of this dream car rests, at least for now.



Powertrain
Vehicle configuration Mid-engine, rear drive
Engine configuration Transverse V-16
DOHC, 4 valves/cylinder
Displacement 5995 cc. (365.8 cu. in.)
Max. Power (SAE net) 540 hp @ 8000 rpm
Max. Torque (SAE net) 400 lb.-ft. @ 6000 rpm
Transmission 5-speed, manual
Final Drive Ratio 2.97:1
Chassis
Suspension, front/rear Independent/Independent
Brakes, front/rear Vented disc/vented disc
Power assisted
Steering Rack and pinion
Power assisted
Wheels 17 x 9.0 in. front
17 x 13.0 in. rear
Cast alloy
Tires 245/40ZR17 front
335/35zr17 rear
Steel-belted radials

Dimensions
Wheelbase 2690 mm (105.9 in.)
Overall length 4442 mm (174.9 in.)
Curb weight 1700 kg (3748 lb.)
Fuel capacity 120 L (31.7 gal.)
BASE PRICE $600,000

Source : Cizeta Moroder

P.S. :
Find myself really lucky to have some pics of this car in my collection. Will scan and post them up by tomorrow.
v12 is offline  
Old 2nd August 2004, 22:54   #2
Team-BHP Support
 
Rudra Sen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 11,553
Thanked: 6,477 Times

Yes Giorgio Moroder is one of the the most flamboyant music director. He's early '80s album "From here to eternity" was one of the pathfinder in techno music. Scored numbers of good sountracks. I'm one of his fan as far as his music is concern. But I remember this car was basically designed to meet his style. Being one of the the most in demand music director
(Midnight Express, Cat people, Scarface, Top Gun, Flashdance etc) and one of the most expensive type, he always wanted something which other don't or can't have. By the way the car never became popular because of the crazy price tag and well, he never wanted that to be also.
Rudra Sen is offline  
Old 3rd August 2004, 00:03   #3
Senior - BHPian
 
X-Machine's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Mumbai/Tokyo
Posts: 1,475
Thanked: 29 Times

V16....whooaaa.Thats a good find pal.It actually looks a lil like Lambo.I guess cos the workers also worked on the Lambo earlier as mentioned.Nevertheless,lovely stats and good car.
X-Machine is offline  
Old 3rd August 2004, 02:49   #4
Team-BHP Support
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 17,689
Thanked: 76,306 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by [b
Quote[/b] (X-Machine @ Aug. 02 2004,22:33)]It actually looks a lil like Lambo.
Claudio Zampolli was, at one time, a Lamborghini dealer in Los Angeles. So, you know where the inspiration came from.
Aditya is offline  
Old 6th August 2004, 23:13   #5
v12
Distinguished - BHPian
 
v12's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 6,737
Thanked: 7,200 Times

Ok guys, here are the pics. Will post them one by one. This seems to be the prototype Moroder cos its a LHD. The production versions were RHD.





v12 is offline  
Old 7th August 2004, 02:23   #6
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: mumbai
Posts: 2,232
Thanked: 720 Times

what the hell are those 6 pop up headlights for?
isnt that gonna affect visibility??? i m damm sure it wont. But.....
dipen is offline  
Old 7th August 2004, 10:47   #7
Senior - BHPian
 
Stratos's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Belgium
Posts: 2,609
Thanked: 1,437 Times

Nice pics and Info.. but V12 I dont think the Moroder was the first to have a V16. In the olden days.. Cadillac had fitted a V16 in one of their cars too.. it was called the Cadillac V16. And if u read some old version of OVERDRIVE mag, that Caddy was in India too with the Maharajas
Stratos is offline  
Old 7th August 2004, 14:10   #8
v12
Distinguished - BHPian
 
v12's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 6,737
Thanked: 7,200 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by [b
Quote[/b] (Stratos @ Aug. 07 2004,09:17)]Nice pics and Info.. but V12 I dont think the Moroder was the first to have a V16. In the olden days.. Cadillac had fitted a V16 in one of their cars too.. it was called the Cadillac V16. And if u read some old version of OVERDRIVE mag, that Caddy was in India too with the Maharajas
What i mentioned was that the Moroder was the 1st V16 Supercar

Oh and if i forgot to mention this, the V16 engine is actuall y 2 Ferrari V8s.
Source : Cizeta Moroder



v12 is offline  
Old 8th August 2004, 04:10   #9
Team-BHP Support
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 17,689
Thanked: 76,306 Times

Very true. The Moroder was the only supercar to sport a V16 engine. The other car (not supercar) I can remember having a V16 was the Sbarro Royale - 7064cc V16.
Aditya is offline  
Old 8th August 2004, 12:44   #10
Senior - BHPian
 
Stratos's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Belgium
Posts: 2,609
Thanked: 1,437 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by [b
Quote[/b] (v12 @ Aug. 07 2004,12:40)]What i mentioned was that the Moroder was the 1st V16 Supercar
sorry dude!!!! My mistake!!!
Stratos is offline  
Old 14th August 2004, 15:07   #11
v12
Distinguished - BHPian
 
v12's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 6,737
Thanked: 7,200 Times

More Pics :


*** Can anyone please identify the car on the extreme right [only spoiler visible]?

v12 is offline  
Old 14th August 2004, 16:19   #12
v12
Distinguished - BHPian
 
v12's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 6,737
Thanked: 7,200 Times

More info on the Moroder :

The Cizeta Moroder V16T :
-So expensive to develop that the owner had to auction off 4 of his dreamcars [including a ferrari 250 GTO].
-So expensive that only 10 were made to order.

Claudio went bankrupt trying to develop this car. So much was the enthusiasm to create his own car that he auctioned off 4 of his personal dream cars to obtain cash for the project. The cars on auction were a Lamborghini Miura SV, Ferrari 250 GTO, Ferrari Daytona and a Ferrari 275 Coupe.

The car was very expensive [300,000 US $] that not many people could buy it. Thats why it had a limited market. Thats why only 10 cars were ordered from the factory. The Sultan of Brunei owns 2 of them.

Read the whole story here: http://www.angelfire.com/de/moroder/cizetamoroder.html
v12 is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks