Ferrari had been working on this mysterious car for two years: here is the one-of-a-kind 1,000 HP CZ26, commissioned by a wealthy client

A little over a year ago, his name meant absolutely nothing to us. Today, the mystery has finally been solved. Ferrari has just unveiled the CZ26, a one-of-a-kind creation built for an American client. And behind this new body lies a well-known powertrain: that of the Ferrari SF90 Stradale.

The story is all the more interesting because We had come across the name CZ26 as early as June 2025, when Ferrari had registered two new model names: SC40 and CZ26. At the time, we had actually speculated that the latter might refer to a one-off car built by the Special Projects department. That was indeed the case.

Two years to turn an idea into a Ferrari

It all began with a request from an American customer who wanted to own a truly one-of-a-kind Ferrari. The project would keep the program busy for two years Ferrari Special Projects and the Ferrari Design Studio, led by Flavio Manzoni. The owner’s vision is first translated into sketches to define the car’s proportions. Ferrari then moves on to digital development, followed by detailed drawings, and finally a full-scale clay model. After the final adjustments, the production of the final car begins. The CZ26 is therefore not simply an SF90 equipped with a few specific components. Its bodywork has been completely redesigned to give it its own identity.

An unrecognizable SF90 Stradale

Ferrari explains that it drew inspiration from 1970s Italian industrial design, featuring relatively clean lines and technical elements directly integrated into the design. The silhouette is centered around a sort of central capsule positioned between four particularly muscular wheel arches.

At the front, a large horizontal grille houses extremely slim headlights. At the rear, Ferrari has opted for a truncated tail section, cantilevered taillights, and an imposing horizontal diffuser. Raw titanium exhaust tips round out the look. The Argento Veloce paint finish is accented with Rosso Lampante details, while the black roof and pillars visually set the cabin apart from the rest of the body. Even the wheels were specially designed for this project.

The interior continues this customization with black technical fabric, satin-finish carbon fiber, 3D-printed elements, and a few touches of Rosso Lampante. An embroidered CZ26 logo serves as a reminder that its owner is unlikely to come across another car exactly like it.

Under this bodywork lies an SF90

The transformation is visually spectacular, but the technical foundation remains that of the Ferrari SF90 Stradale. It therefore features the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 paired with three electric motors, delivering a combined output of 1,000 ch, as well as the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Ferrari, however, had to rework several components related to this powertrain, notably the front cooling system, airflow management, the underbody, and the rear engine hood.

The CZ26 finally made its public debut in Monterey during Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It was a particularly fitting venue for this modern Ferrari, built in keeping with a tradition nearly as old as Maranello itself: that of creating a one-of-a-kind body for a single client.

And any possibility of coincidence has now been definitively ruled out regarding the two mysterious names registered in 2025. The SC40, unveiled last October on a Ferrari 296 platform and inspired by the F40, had solved the first half of the puzzle. With the CZ26, Ferrari has just solved the second half. But will these two one-of-a-kind Ferrari models go down in the brand’s history? That’s less certain.

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