The Formula Zagato 93, a strange prancing horse, was an F1-influenced Testarossa.
The Formula Zagato 93 was far from your average Ferrari. It received mixed reviews at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show due to its sharp body designed by Ercole Spada who was then the Zagato’s lead designer. The concept was to transform Ferrari’s Formula 1 car, which had been built in 1991, into a road-going model that is based on the Testarossa 512 TR/Testarossa.
After the debut of the car at the auto show, the original two-tone livery featuring a huge prancing horse on its sides was dropped. The famous Italian coachbuilder decided to give the F.Z. The 93 received a more attractive all-red appearance and a new name, “ES1”, (after the designer). To show off carbon fiber, both bumpers as well as the side skirts (and a portion) of the rear deck were left unpainted.
As one would expect from a Zagato-pinned project, the Ferrari unique received a “double balloon” roof. This was most recently seen on the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato. F.Z. The F.Z. 93/ES1 has a front bumper that extends onto both sides, to partially double the wheel arches.
The controversial body contained a 512 TR engine, which was a re-engineered Testarossa that was launched in 1992. The V12 4.9-liter engine, which produced 428 horsepower (315 Kilowatts) was mounted in the middle. It also delivered 362 pound-feet (491 Newton meters) of torque to rear axle via a 5-speed manual gearbox. Although performance figures weren’t released, they must have been similar to the 512 TR’s. The 512 TR was able to go from 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 4.8 seconds while the top speed is 195 mph (313 km/h).
Although it was futuristic looking, it will not be remembered as one of the most beautiful Ferraris ever made. However, the F1-inspired nose was used in many supercars later on and one could argue that the Enzo took some cues.
In case you are wondering about the fate of the car, it was sold on Mobile.de in 2010 for EUR1 million. It had only 435 miles (470 kilometers) on its odometer at the time. The F.Z. The F.Z. 93/ES1 is located at Zagato’s showroom, Milan, Italy.