Capricorn 01 Zagato is 900hp analogue marvel
Carbon tub, 9,000rpm V8, manual 'box and a Zagato body - new 01 appears to tick all the must-have boxes...
The first-ever hypercar to feature a Zagato-designed body would have to be something special. There was no way that a company of Zagato’s calibre, having achieved what it has over the past 106 years, would lend its name and expertise to just anything. Last month, the collaboration with Capricorn Group was announced, the idea of which promised a lot - now we know exactly what 19 lucky customers (and their three million euros each) will get.
This is the Capricorn 01 Zagato; no prizes for the name, perhaps, though there’s plenty to be excited by. This mid-engined hypercar is carbon tubbed and carbon skinned, meaning a dry weight of just 1,200kg, which is pushing the envelope these days. Power comes from a 5.2-litre V8, which is actually the Ford Voodoo unit used in the spicy Mustangs; Capricorn then dry sumps it, adds its own internals (crank, rods, pistons), supercharges it and sorts its own software. The result is more than 900hp alongside 738lb ft (as well as a dizzy 9,000rpm), with power reaching the rear wheels via a five-speed manual. Which feels incredibly old school - what was the last car of this ilk to have fewer than six gears? Nevertheless, 0-62mph in less than three seconds is claimed, as well as a top speed in excess of 220mph. And apparently this car isn’t even about ‘chasing ever-escalating extreme horsepower numbers’ - imagine what might have happened if it was…
Probably of at least equal interest to the collectors lined up for the 19 Capricorn 01 Zagatos (the Italian company having been formed on April 19th, 1919) will be the design. It’s not every day that a legendary design house lends its expertise to a hypercar project for the first time. A project aim was to avoid ‘ostentatious’ spoilers and wings for the 01’s design, instead relying on the underfloor and air intakes for the required downforce. It means a very clean and uncluttered look for a car of such performance potential as the 01; look elsewhere for a shouty head turner. There are gullwing doors, at least, for the required drama. And if with some cues familiar from other mid-engined exotics, boasting just enough flair to be identified as its own thing.
The lack of flamboyant features was a very deliberate move by Zagato. Chief Designer Norihiko Harada: “Above all, though, the design of the Capricorn 01 Zagato had to stand the test of time – the test of decades, not years. I am confident that it can today sit alongside beautiful cars from other eras, a 1930s Bugatti or a 1960s Aston Martin, for example, and look perfectly at home in any collection. And it should still look as good in 40 or 50 years' time: I believe that we have achieved precisely that.”
The technology underneath the skin is anything but classic, meaning it should be totally thrilling to drive in half a century as well. Indeed, the intention was to create a “pure, analogue driver’s hypercar”, according to Capricorn CEO Robertino Field, as opposed to one that’s a thousand horsepower or more and offering “high weight due to the high degree of electronic components required to enable the driver to handle such extreme power levels.” You might reasonably argue that 900hp and 1,200kg might require some degree of assistance, but seemingly not - there’s no mention of traction or stability control for the 01 as yet. What it will have are pushrod Bilstein dampers, Brembo carbon ceramic discs, and electric power steering that actually removes the power help above low speed for a “a direct, purely mechanical connection between the driver, the wheels and the road”, reckons Field.
Moreover, this being yet another multi-million-pound exotic for the one per cent, the spec choices for colours and materials are limitless. While there isn’t much to the interior (gotta keep it lightweight, see), any combination of Connolly leather or Alcantara is possible. The carbon can be left exposed if desired, and Capricorn can match the exterior paint to whatever the customer wishes. None of the 01s made are going to look the same.
Capricorn has done a lot to make ownership and use as simple as possible. The 01 will be homologated for use in markets across the globe, from the UK to Japan, and supplied with a two-year warranty and four-year service plan. Capricorn makes nearly all the parts for the 01, too, so there should be no problem with spares. And, well, Capricorn is building them at its Nurburgring facility with years of experience making parts for Dakar, WRC, F1, WEC and plenty more motorsport besides. Unlike so many ephemeral hypercar makers, these Capricorn Zagato hypercars will happen, and the impression is that they’re going to be done very well indeed.
There will be more to follow as well, for anyone who can’t pay three million plus taxes. The aforementioned production facility is being expanded and will eventually be able to build up to 200 cars a year. “This project is not a one-off”, said Wild, “it is the beginning of a new lineage of Capricorn-branded high-end cars.” So expect plenty more where the 01 has come from, basically. Less extreme and a little less expensive, perhaps, but with the same obsessive attention to detail. And maybe some Zagato influence again if we’re lucky. Bring them on.
I'd drop the supercharger and fit a 6 speed gearbox with shorter ratios that should allow rowing through the gears and reach peak rpm in 2nd and 3rd without massively breaking the speed limit... wait, this is what my F355 already does...
I am however delighted that it doesn't have a rear wing.
I am however delighted that it doesn't have a rear wing.
king up Astons and Alfas too 
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