Disco daddy's unique 1988 Cizeta-Moroder V16T supercar up for auction

It’s 1980s excess in car form.

The Cizeta-Morodor V16T was designed by Lamborghini Countach creator Marcello Gandini.

The Cizeta-Morodor V16T was designed by Lamborghini Countach creator Marcello Gandini.
(RM Sotheby’s)

The Cizeta-Moroder V16T is one of the most over-the-top attributes of all-time.

The Cizeta-Moroder is powered by a 6.0-liter V16 engine.

The Cizeta-Moroder is powered by a 6.0-liter V16 engine.
(RM Sotheby’s)

The mid-engine coupe penned by Lamborghini Countach designer Marcello Gandini features four pop-up headlights and a 6.0-liter V16 mounted transversely in the engine bay that’s good for a claimed 204 mph top speed.

Giorgio Moroder financially backed the car and accompanied it on the auto show circuit.

Giorgio Moroder financially backed the car and accompanied it on the auto show circuit.
(Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

The car was the brainchild of engineer Claudio Zampolli and bankrolled in part by famed music producer Giorgio Moroder, who is known as the “Father of Disco.”

The V16 engine is mounted transversely in the engine bay.

The V16 engine is mounted transversely in the engine bay.
(Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Moroder worked on a string of hits Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” and “Call Me” by Bondie, as well as writing the scores to several films including “Scarface” and “The Neverending Story.”

The Cizeta-Moroder V16T's interior features the simple styling common among supercars of the era.

The Cizeta-Moroder V16T’s interior features the simple styling common among supercars of the era.
(RM Sotheby’s)

The first prototype hit the auto show circuit in 1989 wearing the Cizeta-Moroder name, but the two men ended their business relationship before the first production cars were sold in 1991 with a starting price of approximately $650,000, or more than twice what a Lamborghini Diablo went for in the day.

Giorgio Moroder has owned the car since it was built.

Giorgio Moroder has owned the car since it was built.
(Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Moroder kept the prototype, however, and the 81-year-old is now offering it for sale at the upcoming RM Sotheby’s auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., on January 27.

The white car features a red leather interior and just 322 miles on the odometer, but as a prototype doesn’t have a VIN for registration.

It is unique, however, as it is the only example that wears the Cizeta-Moroder name. Production models were simply called the Cizeta 16T, with the first built in Modena, Italy, before the company moved to Los Angeles.

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Only nine more were built, according to RM Sotheby’s, but the exact number remains unclear. While the initial production run more or less ended in 1995, Zampolli continued to offer the car as a special order up until his death in 2021, with the last going to a Japanese client in 2003, according to Hagerty. He told Autoweek in 2009 that a total of 12 had been built over the years.

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