The Ferrari CZ26 begins with one of Maranello's most advanced road cars, yet the finished car gives few immediate clues about what lies underneath. Beneath its completely redesigned body is the technical foundation of the SF90 Stradale, including its 1000 cv plug in hybrid powertrain, but Ferrari has used that foundation to explore a very different interpretation of the modern high performance berlinetta.
Revealed in Monterey on 13 August 2026, the Ferrari CZ26 is a new One Off created through Ferrari's Special Projects programme for a US client. Designed by the Ferrari Design Studio under the direction of Flavio Manzoni, it combines the engineering of the SF90 Stradale with a new visual identity influenced partly by Italian industrial design from the 1970s.
SF90 foundations
Ferrari has retained the technical specifications of the SF90 Stradale, meaning the CZ26 combines a twin turbocharged V8 with three electric motors for a total output of 1000 cv. Rather than increasing performance, the project concentrates on changing the character of the car through its bodywork, aerodynamics, materials and interior.
The transformation is considerable because the CZ26 shares little of the SF90 Stradale's familiar appearance. Ferrari has instead created a strongly horizontal design built around a central body that resembles a capsule, supported visually by muscular forms around the four wheel arches.
Black finishes across the roof and pillars separate the cabin from the main body, making the cockpit appear to sit within the silver structure beneath it. This treatment also reduces the visual weight of the upper section and places greater emphasis on the CZ26's low and wide proportions.
Industrial influence
One of the most interesting aspects of the Ferrari CZ26 is its connection with Italian industrial design from the 1970s. Ferrari has not identified particular objects as direct references, but instead appears to have adopted broader principles from the period, including simple geometry, clearly expressed functions and carefully controlled surfaces.
These ideas are particularly visible at the front, where a full width grille incorporates the ultra slim lighting units, brake cooling openings, sensors and other technical components within a single horizontal area. A vertical leading edge gives the nose an unusually abrupt profile, while the rear follows a similar approach through its truncated shape, cantilevered lights and wide horizontal diffuser.
The result is not a retro interpretation of a 1970s Ferrari, but a modern car influenced by some of the design thinking associated with that period. Functional components are allowed to become visible parts of the design rather than being hidden behind more decorative forms.
Aerodynamic changes
Although the CZ26 retains the SF90 Stradale's technical specifications, Ferrari could not simply place a new body over the existing structure because changing the exterior also changes how air travels around and underneath the car.
The central radiator arrangement was reoriented and dedicated bypass ducts were introduced to improve cooling and increase aerodynamic load over the front axle. Ferrari also redesigned the underbody and vortex generators, while air curtains at the front help control the disturbed airflow created by the rotating wheels.
At the rear, a new upper spoiler and dedicated diffuser generate additional downforce while maintaining aerodynamic efficiency. The engine cover also receives dedicated ventilation to manage heat within the engine compartment, demonstrating how closely the CZ26's exterior design is connected with its engineering requirements.
Argento Veloce
Ferrari developed the exclusive Argento Veloce finish specifically for the CZ26, using a liquid like silver appearance to emphasise the surfaces and precise lines of the body. Rosso Lampante details provide contrast around selected elements, while pigmented carbon fibre, bespoke wheels and natural finish titanium exhaust outlets continue the technical character.
The wheels were also created specifically for the CZ26, combining gloss black paint with a shot peened surface treatment. This process uses microscopic particles to treat the surface and create its particular finish, adding another detail that separates the One Off from the SF90 Stradale beneath it.
Technical Interior
The exterior philosophy continues inside, where black technical fabric is combined with satin carbon fibre and a special gloss carbon fibre containing metallic filaments. Rather than changing direction once inside the car, Ferrari has used materials that continue the functional character established by the exterior.
The seats feature unique inserts produced through additive manufacturing, a process in which components are constructed layer by layer from digital information. Rosso Lampante details connect the cabin with the exterior colour scheme, while an embroidered CZ26 logo provides a discreet reference to the car's individual identity.
Special Projects
The CZ26 was created through Ferrari's Special Projects programme, which allows selected clients to work with Ferrari's designers on an individual One Off based on an existing Ferrari platform. The process involves developing the proportions, detailed design and physical styling model before production begins, with Ferrari stating that a Special Projects commission takes around two years on average.
The Ferrari CZ26 demonstrates how far that process can move from the appearance of the original car without changing its fundamental technical identity. The SF90 Stradale remains underneath, but its familiar design has given way to a more geometric interpretation shaped by aerodynamics, functional details and ideas drawn from Italian industrial design.
Rather than using greater power to distinguish the CZ26 from its starting point, Ferrari has concentrated on changing how the existing engineering is expressed. That makes the CZ26 an interesting example of what the Special Projects programme can achieve when an established Ferrari platform becomes the basis for a completely individual design.
Is this the best Ferrari Special Project in recent years?
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