Cizeta
Cizeta Automobili srl of Modena, Italy was a car manufacturer set up in the late 1980s by Claudio Zampolli (an Italian Ferrari dealer) and the record producer Giorgio Moroder.
The name "Cizeta" comes from the Italian pronunciation of co-founder Claudio Zampolli's initials. Their only product, the Cizeta-Moroder V16T, featured a technically advanced V16 engine (the first production V16 since World War II) and styling by Marcello Gandini that was strongly reminiscent of the Lamborghini Diablo's. The prototype was the only car to carry the "Cizeta-Moroder" badge, as Giorgio Moroder pulled out of the Cizeta project in 1990. The prototype remains with Giorgio Moroder to this day. No production Cizeta was ever badged "Cizeta-Moroder" but merely "Cizeta V16T". Only 8 cars were built before the shutdown of the firm in 1994. Subsequently, 2 more cars were completed (one more coupe, and one spyder) in 1999 and 2003.
The brand faded into virtual obscurity until its inclusion in the video game Gran Turismo 4.
Mr. Zampolli moved to the USA after the company went bankrupt in Italy and has set up a new company in California, called Cizeta Automobili USA. He currently services exotic cars as well as continues to build (on demand) the Cizeta V16T.
References
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