Zagato->ke3827 has a long history of coachbuilding that roots all the way back to the late 1910s when Ugo Zagato set up shop in Milan. It wasn’t until 1922 when Zagato built its first body for a Fiat->ke30 501. Over the years, the coachbuilder has done coachbuilding for Alfa Romeo->ke1386, Lancia->ke45, Maserati->ke51, Jaguar->ke39, Aston Martin and there’s even a 1967 Shelby->ke81 in the long list of models that have been touched by one of the world’s best. In the Early 2000’s the brand was tapped once again, this time by famous car collector, Yoshiyuki Hayashi, who wanted the coachbuilder to create a body for his Ferrari 575M->ke388 in the style of the famous Ferrari 250GTZ Berlinetta. The end result was the Ferrari 575->ke495 GTZ, a model that was produced in just six examples and presented to the world at Villa D’Este Concours D’Elegance, 50 years after the 250GTZ it was modeled after.

Like the 250GTZ, the 575 GTZ featured an all-aluminum body, a two-tone paintwork and 1950’s styling the represents the sports cars of the era. Of course, for Zagato is was the chance to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 250 GTZ and display even more Italian engineering and style to a world that is increasingly plagued by mass-produced cars with little character or heritage. Needless to say, the 575 GTZ is pretty damn special, so let’s take a look at this rare model and talk a little about it.

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2007 Ferrari 575 GTZ by Zagato

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2007 Ferrari 575 GTZ by Zagato
  • Horsepower: 0@0

Exterior Design

As a modern interpretation of the 250 GTZ from 1956, the 575 GTZ features a few similarities from the iconic 250 GTZ. Take the oval-shaped grille with horizontal and vertical louvers, or the circular air inlets on each corner of the front fascia. The latter isn't exactly from the 250 GTZ, but they represent the small driving lights that were positioned just below the large round headlights. Furthermore, the hood also features a large, almost rectangular vent like that of the original 250 GTZ. The front fenders are elevated over the hood, and feature recessed headlight units with glass lens cover.

Moving over to the sides, there is a small vent ahead of the front wheel arch, and another behind it that is mirrored, but larger. A “Z” emblem placed below the rearmost vent indicates Zagato’s part in building the body. Moving toward the rear, there are massive but smooth haunches that make up the rear wheel arches. There is a small quarter window located above the waistline with the rearmost point swooping upward toward the sky.

To the rear, we see an almost fastback-like design with a small rear windscreen that comes to a sharp point at the upper corners and features a unique wave across the bottom edge. The windscreen itself is almost shaped like a letter “B” that is laid down horizontally. A small boot lid features the prancing horse logo, and there are recessed taillights that almost mirror the headlights. Down below the fascia is mostly smooth with a couple of minor body lines on each corner. There are dual exhaust pipes integrated into each corner of the rear fascia.

All told the exterior design is really the perfect mix between the standard 575 and the 250 GTZ. It featured just enough classic design cues combined with the modern design cues of the 575 to create a truly inspirational model.

Interior

Inside, the 575 GTZ is the definition of elegance, luxury, and comfort all wrapped into one gorgeous package. The entire interior is upholstered in light tan leather with the center tunnel, rear wall, and front side panels all stitched in a diamond layout. There are three circular HVAC vents sitting atop the center stack, and another on each dash corner. Below the center-mounted vents, there is a set of HVAC knobs as well as a number of buttons to control various functions. A radio is mounted into the center console, just ahead of a small lever. The seats are of a simple design with vertical stitching on the center inserts and decent bolsters on the sides to keep passengers in place. All told, the cabin of the 575 GTZ is elegant, but it’s also simplistic without the need for any fancy gizmos or heavy technology like more cars from the mid-2000s have.

Drivetrain

Powering this beast of a car is a 5.7-liter, 65-degree, V-12 built out of aluminum with a bore and stroke of 89 mm by 77 mm. Compression of each cylinder is 11.0-t0-1, leading to an output of 89.58 horsepower per liter. For those who don’t want to do the math, that accumulates to 514.6 horsepower and 433.5 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual that is controlled by paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. Supporting the body is a double wishbone suspension setup in the front and rear, with coil springs, gas-charged dampers, and anti-roll bars. Braking duties are handled by cross drilled and vented rotors, four-piston calipers, and an ABS system.

Conclusion

Needless to say, with only six examples ever produced, the 575 GTZ is an extremely rare car that is found in the garages of only the finest car collectors in the world. Zagato went above and beyond, as it always does, to build one of the most elegant Ferrari’s we had seen at the time. Just recently, a fine example, Chassis No. 127928 to be exact, went under auction at an RM Sothebys event in Monaco. Unfortunately, the end results aren’t available, but the car was expected to go for between €880,000 and €1,050,000. At current exchange rates, that computes to between $988,152 and $1,179,045. The value of each remaining model will only go up from here on out, so don’t expect to get your hands on one without breaking the bank, divorcing the wife, and selling the kids.