Claudio Zampolli, once employed at Lamborghini, envisioned creating his personal supercar. Moroder supplied the necessary capital to make it happen.
Design came from Marcello Gandini, known for the Miura and Countach, resulting in an extravagant form powered by a V-16 engine rated at 540 horsepower at 8000 rpm.
The sole Cizeta-Moroder V16T will be offered at RM Sotheby's auction.

Four cylinders suggest economy. Eight imply strength. Twelve convey refinement. Sixteen cylinders, however, signal pure excess. Who would pursue such an idea? The individual who connected Sammy Hagar with Van Halen.

RM Sotheby's will present in Monterey, California, one of the most extravagant supercars from the late 1980s, a machine that makes a Countach seem ordinary by comparison. It features four pop-up headlights, bodywork three inches broader than a Testarossa, eight camshafts, and four extra pistons beyond anything from Maranello or Sant'Agata Bolognese.

RM Sotheby's

Known as the Cizeta-Moroder V16T, this remains the single example of its type. Serving as the prototype for nine later vehicles, only this one received the combined name linking its ambitious builder with the financial backer. Cizeta represents the initials of Claudio Zampolli, a specialist mechanic and determined visionary. Giorgio Moroder provided the other element, famed for producing Donna Summer's iconic disco tracks and earning three Oscars for scores including Flashdance.

Zampolli began his professional path assisting renowned Lamborghini test driver Bob Wallace on the Miura P400 and P400S models, gaining expertise in exotic vehicle development. This experience fueled his ambition to construct a supercar bearing his own name, an achievement he ultimately realized despite significant challenges.

RM Sotheby's

Relocating to Los Angeles, Zampolli built a business importing high-performance Italian cars to America. The engine sound in Van Halen's Panama belongs to Eddie Van Halen's Miura, which Zampolli maintained. He also appears in the Can't Drive 55 video after assisting Hagar with his 512BBi. When the band sought a replacement vocalist, Eddie contacted Sammy from Zampolli's facility.

Zampolli possessed Lamborghini connections and the vision for an extreme machine but required funding. He approached prominent Hollywood figures, with one engine cover reportedly marked Cizeta-Stallone. If any vehicle embodied Rambo III, this would be it.

RM Sotheby's

Financing ultimately arrived through collaboration with Moroder, granting the prototype its hyphenated designation. Styling by Marcello Gandini and engineering by ex-Lamborghini specialists brought the project forward, albeit gradually. This pace contributed to Zampolli and Moroder parting company, yet not before completing this vehicle.

Following its debut and extended storage, Moroder delivered the V16T to Bruce Canepa's facility near Santa Cruz. Experienced with intricate projects like the Porsche 959, the team resolved unfinished prototype elements and prepared it fully for road use.

RM Sotheby's

The centerpiece remains the 6.0-liter 16-cylinder engine, positioned transversely in the bay like a Miura V-12 (accounting for the T designation). It delivers a claimed 540 horsepower at 8000 rpm, though its standout trait is exceptional torque flexibility, paired with a five-speed manual transmission. The result feels akin to piloting a Ferrari 308 equipped with dual engines.

The Cizeta-Moroder V16T combines a compelling history, striking presence, and a driving character distinct from contemporaries. It stands as a remarkable achievement. Although Claudio Zampolli never expanded into high-volume supercar production, he succeeded in creating several vehicles carrying his name, an accomplishment noteworthy even to David Lee Roth.

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Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's half-century obsession with the Citroen 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.