FERRARI CZ26: A ONE-OFF VISION OF THE MODERN BERLINETTA

Ferrari has unveiled the CZ26, a one-off created through its Special Projects programme for a US client. Developed by the Ferrari Design Studio under the direction of Flavio Manzoni, the car takes the technical foundations of the SF90 Stradale and gives them an entirely individual visual identity.

Presented in Monterey on 13 August 2026, the CZ26 is conceived as a contemporary interpretation of the high-performance berlinetta. Rather than introducing a new production model, Ferrari has used the project to explore how a familiar performance architecture can be transformed through proportion, surface treatment, materials and aerodynamic development.

The result is a car defined by horizontal lines, a low two-box silhouette and an unusually cohesive relationship between its aerodynamic elements and bodywork. Ferrari describes the design as an exploration of strength, precision and formal purity, with the car’s technical components deliberately integrated into its overall visual language.

At the centre of the design is what Ferrari describes as a pure central mass, resembling a capsule, surrounded by pronounced forms at the four wheel arches. The effect gives the CZ26 a broad, grounded stance while maintaining a visual sense of continuity from front to rear. Its body appears to develop from a single structural gesture, beginning at the front fascia and extending towards a cleanly truncated rear.

The front end is particularly distinctive. A full-width functional grille incorporates lighting units, brake-air intakes, sensors and other technical elements. The lighting itself uses exceptionally slim modules designed to create a concealed appearance, while a vertical leading edge gives the nose a more assertive profile.

At the rear, the truncated tail is framed by cantilevered light clusters and a pronounced horizontal diffuser. Rather than treating the diffuser as an isolated aerodynamic component, Ferrari has incorporated it into the broader visual architecture, reinforcing the car’s width and stability. Carbon-fibre elements extend visually around the wheel arches, connecting the technical construction of the car with its sculptural surfaces.

The side profile follows the same principle. Cooling intakes, aerodynamic channels and carbon-fibre components emerge directly from the main body surfaces rather than appearing as separate additions. Ferrari says the approach draws on principles associated with significant examples of Italian industrial design from the 1970s, although the CZ26 interprets those ideas through contemporary materials and aerodynamic requirements.

The roof and pillars are finished in black, visually separating the cabin from the body and creating the impression of a cockpit contained within the main structure. Inside, that technical character continues through a combination of black technical fabric, satin-finish carbon fibre and bespoke details in Rosso Lampante.

The seats feature specially developed inserts produced through additive manufacturing, while the CZ26 logo is embroidered within the cabin. A more unusual material detail is the use of gloss carbon fibre woven with metallic filaments, creating contrast against the matte technical fabric and satin carbon surfaces.

The exterior colour scheme is equally deliberate. The body is finished in Argento Veloce, an exclusive silver shade with a liquid-like appearance that emphasises the car’s sharply defined surfaces. Rosso Lampante accents provide contrast around selected technical details, while pigmented carbon fibre adds another layer of visual depth.

The wheels were designed specifically for the CZ26 and combine gloss black paint with a shot-peened surface treatment. Natural-finish titanium exhaust tailpipes complete the exterior, allowing the mechanical character of the car to remain visible rather than being concealed beneath decorative finishes.

Although the CZ26 is visually individual, its engineering remains closely connected to the SF90 Stradale. Ferrari has retained the latter’s technical specifications and performance-focused architecture, including its 3.99-litre twin-turbocharged V8 and plug-in hybrid system. The combustion engine develops 797 cv, while the electric motors provide a further 162 kW. The battery has a capacity of 7.9 kWh and permits an electric range of up to 25 kilometres.

The figures place the CZ26 firmly within Ferrari’s high-performance sphere. Its maximum speed is 328 km/h, while 0–100 km/h takes a claimed 2.5 seconds and 0–200 km/h 6.7 seconds. Power is transmitted through an eight-speed dual-clutch F1 gearbox, with the car equipped with Ferrari’s suite of electronic dynamic systems, including eSSC, E4WD, SCM, FDE 2.0, EPS and ABS Evo.

The aerodynamic work, meanwhile, extends considerably beyond the visual treatment. Ferrari redesigned the cooling system and airflow management at the front, repositioning the central radiator pack and adding dedicated bypass ducts. These changes are intended to improve cooling efficiency while increasing the downforce acting on the front axle.

The underbody and vortex-generator system have also been redesigned. At the front corners, an air-curtain system manages the airflow generated by the front wheels, with the aim of reducing aerodynamic drag. At the rear, a large upper spoiler works with a dedicated diffuser to increase downforce while maintaining aerodynamic efficiency. The engine cover incorporates additional vents to assist thermal management within the engine compartment.

This attention to airflow is characteristic of Ferrari’s approach to the SF90 family, which introduced a combination of extreme performance, hybrid propulsion and sophisticated aerodynamic control when the SF90 Stradale debuted. The model was also Ferrari’s first series-production car to use a plug-in hybrid architecture, linking its road-car technology directly with the company’s wider programme of motorsport-derived development.

Ferrari itself traces its modern automotive history to 1947, when Enzo Ferrari’s first car bearing the Ferrari name, the 125 S, emerged from the factory in Maranello. The company’s origins are inseparable from competition: Enzo Ferrari established Scuderia Ferrari in Modena in 1929 before moving his operations to Maranello, where the manufacturer remains based. The first 125 S victory came at the Rome Grand Prix in May 1947, establishing the sporting foundation that continues to influence Ferrari’s road cars today.

That connection between individual clients and Ferrari’s design and engineering expertise is particularly evident in the Special Projects programme. Ferrari’s One-Offs are created around a client’s individual concept and developed with designers from the Ferrari Styling Centre. The process includes the definition of proportions and forms, detailed design work and the creation of a styling buck before construction begins, with projects typically taking around two years.

The programme also distinguishes the CZ26 from Ferrari’s conventional retail offering. Ferrari’s official dealer network currently lists authorised locations across numerous markets; in the UAE, the official network includes Dubai, through Al Tayer Motors L.L.C., and Abu Dhabi, through Premier Motors L.L.C. The CZ26 itself, however, belongs to Ferrari’s One-Off category, where vehicles are created directly for individual clients rather than offered through the standard dealer sales structure. Ferrari’s recent corporate reporting confirms that one-offs and track cars are sold directly to end clients.

The significance of the CZ26 therefore lies less in its rarity alone than in the freedom afforded by its purpose. It takes an established Ferrari performance platform and subjects it to a much more personal design exercise, allowing proportion, materials, colour and aerodynamic form to be reconsidered as parts of one coherent object.

At Monterey, the result is a Ferrari that sits between production-car engineering and commissioned design. Its technical foundation remains recognisably rooted in the SF90 Stradale, while its bodywork and cabin demonstrate how far that foundation can be taken when the brief is defined by individuality rather than series production. In the CZ26, Ferrari’s Special Projects philosophy becomes particularly clear: sometimes the most revealing way to explore the future of a marque is not to produce another model, but to give a single car the freedom to become something entirely its own.

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