Lamborghini rejected this design for its Diablo: an engineer saved it by fitting a V16 engine, and it’s now for sale for $1.8 million

It looks like a Lamborghini Diablo which is said to have crossed over into another dimension. This isn’t entirely a coincidence: the Cizeta-Moroder V16T incorporates some of the ideas Marcello Gandini had envisioned for the future Diablo before Chrysler revised its design. All powered by an incredible 6.0-liter V16 engine. The original prototype is now up for sale, with an estimated value of up to $1.8 million.

We've already told you The Unlikely Story of the Cizeta-Moroder V16T, this Italian supercar born from the collaboration between former Lamborghini engineer Claudio Zampolli and Giorgio Moroder, a legend of electronic music. More than a year later, it’s back in the spotlight for an excellent reason: the very first car, chassis 001, will be offered at auction by RM Sotheby’s in Monterey on August 15, 2026. And not just any car. It is the original prototype unveiled in 1988 and the only car officially bearing the name Cizeta-Moroder.

The Diablo That Chrysler Didn't Want?

Its history is closely tied to that of the Lamborghini Diablo. Marcello Gandini, who had already designed the Miura and Countach, had drawn up the plans for the Countach’s successor. But Lamborghini had since come under the control of Chrysler, which requested that the design be toned down before it went on the market. Gandini would later reuse some of those ideas on the Cizeta.

The result is this spectacular silhouette, with its exaggerated proportions and, above all, its four retractable headlights. It’s a sort of alternative cousin to the Diablo, designed without the same constraints. Under the bodywork, Zampolli didn’t want to settle for anything less than the best, either.

A 6-liter V16 engine

Why settle for a V12 when you can fit sixteen cylinders behind the occupants? The Cizeta is powered by a transversely mounted, naturally aspirated 6.0-liter V16 paired with a five-speed manual transmission. With its 64 valves and eight camshafts, it produces 540 ch at 8,000 rpm. This sheer excess explains why the Cizeta remains one of the most extravagant Italian supercars of its era. Production remained minuscule: RM Sotheby’s reports nine production cars, plus this prototype, for a total of ten units.

Giorgio Moroder's personal car

The 001 chassis has an even more unique history. Unveiled in Los Angeles on December 5, 1988, during an event hosted by Jay Leno, it even had its own theme song, composed for the occasion by Giorgio Moroder and titled A Car Is Born. Its pearlescent white bodywork conceals a unique red interior, while many details differ from the Cizetas produced later.

Moroder kept the car until 2022. After undergoing a mechanical restoration by Canepa in 2018, it was then featured at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2024. It is now returning to Monterey with an estimate of between $1.4 million and $1.8 million, or approximately 1.2 to 1.55 million euros. That’s a hefty price tag, but this isn’t just any Cizeta V16T—it’s the one that started it all.