New Ferrari CZ26 is a surprise one-off hypercar based on the SF90 Stradale

If you’re a one of Ferrari’s very special customers, you’ll be ushered to the front of the waiting list for a new model, or maybe even allowed to purchase a coveted limited edition. But if you're a real favourite you can create your own one-off Ferrari – like the new CZ26.

Developed through Ferrari’s Special Projects programme, this is a one-off supercar designed for a client in the US, and it’s just been unveiled at Monterey Car Week. While underneath it utilises the platform and performance of the plug-in hybrid SF90 Stadale, on the surface it wears a completely new body, sculpted by the Ferrari Design Studio under the direction of chief design officer, Flavio Manzoni.

Ferrari says its aim with the CZ26 was to create a car with an “immediately recognisable character, capable of embodying strength, precision and formal purity through a rigorous design with a strong sense of identity”. The overall proportions are defined by its SF90 underpinnings, but from the front there’s a completely new full-width grille which incorporates new headlights. While Ferrari doesn’t reference the Luce in the CZ26’s design, there’s more than a hint of the EV’s darkened front fascia on the new one-off. 

Ferrari also says it has managed to improve airflow management and front downforce by completely redesigning the central radiator pack and by introducing dedicated bypass ducts. The underbody of the CZ26 is revised over the SF90, too, with the car’s vortex generator better optimising the overall aerodynamic balance. The engine cover’s new thermal management vents also ensure “effective heat dissipation under all operating conditions”.

The rear of the CZ26 replaces the SF90’s four squared-off brake lights for some slender LED units, in keeping with Ferrari’s current line-up, although the central titanium twin exhaust tips are carried over. The diffuser has a more horizontal layout to it “to visually widen the car’s stance” according to Ferrari. 

Down the side of the CZ26 we can see the air intakes have acquired an additional interior duct, the wheelarches have been completely reshaped and, as a result, the Scuderia shield has been relocated to the door. The wheels are also bespoke to the CZ26, combining a gloss black finish with metal surfacing. 

The exterior’s mix of black, red (or Rosso Lampante) and the main silver body colour is mirrored inside. The carbon bucket seats feature CZ26 branding with red Ferrari logos on the headrests, while the full black fabric upholstery with red 3D-printed inserts is bespoke, too. The client also gets their own CZ26 emblem on the dash and between the seats. 

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Powering the CZ26 is the same plug-in hybrid powertrain found in the SF90 Stradale. That means a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 with 770bhp combined with three electric motors – one for each front wheel and another sandwiched between the engine and an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Total power stands at 987bhp, although the SF90’s 211mph top speed drops to 203mph while the 0-62mph time remains 2.5 seconds.

If you’re wondering why the CZ26 isn’t based on the SF90’s replacement, the 849 Testarossa, the process to create a one-off Ferrari takes around two years, while the new Testarossa was only revealed less than a year ago.

The CZ26 is, of course, not the first one-off Ferrari to come from the Special Projects division. The programme started with the F430-based SP1 in 2008 and since then we’ve seen the 458 Italia-based SP12 EC (named after its client Eric Clapton) and earlier this year the HC25, constructed from an F8 Spider.  

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