Amid the broader hypercar industry, which largely relies on hybrid-electric drivetrains to produce massive power figures and all-wheel drive to tame such prodigious output, a growing movement aims to prioritize a return to old-school driver engagement. Rather than chasing stats on paper, this trend leverages modern materials and production methods to maximize the fun factor for lightweight, analog cars. Case in point, the new 01 Zagato from German materials manufacturer Capricorn, which boasts a carbon-fiber monocoque based on the Porsche 919 Le Mans racecar with a supercharged Ford V8 linked to a five-speed dogleg manual transmission.
Priced at 2.95 million euros ($3.4–3.5 million) before an expectedly extensive personalization process, Capricorn promises production will commence later in 2026. To drum up further anticipation, the firm brought its second running prototype to Beverly Hills for a Cars and Coffee meet at luxury and exotic dealer Marshall Goldman Beverly Hills.
Capricorn hopes this new entrant to the hypercar world can blossom out of a long history as an automotive industry background player providing componentry for racing series, including F1, LMP1, WEC, WRC, and more. The firm’s facilities in Germany, France, and Italy—including a carbon-fiber plant at the Nürburgring—also contributed carbon fiber, aluminum, and titanium to road cars, including the Audi R8, Bugatti Veyron and Chiron, Porsche 918 Spyder, as well as the GT2, GT3, and GT3 RS, and Manthey Racing’s aerodynamics program. That expertise extends to full vehicle manufacturing, but never before on a car that will bear the company’s name. Switching that mentality required starting from scratch, while continuing partnerships with longtime industry leaders.
“Being Germans, we know what we can do and what we cannot do,” Capricorn’s director of sales and relationships, John Sternheimer, told duPont Registry. “We could have designed a car, but having a coachbuilder like Zagato featuring the body on your car, it cannot get better. For the Ford engine, it's a great engine, it's super reliable, it has massive power, and it has a lot of reserves on it. And if you talk to people who own hypercars, what all of them don't like is high maintenance. No matter how much money you have, you don't want to pay $120,000 for every service. That's also a reason for this engine in the car. It’s serviceable like a supercar, not a hypercar, and that's a big difference nowadays.”
In person, the 01 Zagato occupies much less space than expected. Nowhere near the size of a Bugatti Chiron, for example, the low-slung body even made a GT2 RS parked nearby in the showroom look bulky and cluttered. That alone sets Capricorn apart from the expanding footprints and aero profiles of both supercars and hypercars. A closer look at Zagato’s design reveals hints of the modern Ford GT and Lotus Emira, as well as the Lamborghini Miura and de Tomaso Pantera—all true highlights of automotive styling, in a futuristic yet timeless shape.
The interior continues that theme with a simple and sparse melange of carbon, aluminum, and titanium. Simplicity dictated both functionality and ergonomics, as the seats actually bolt directly to the monocoque. Sternheimer stands over six feet tall and claimed that anyone up to two meters (six-foot-six) should fit easily, because the pedals and steering column both move around the driver, rather than vice versa. This concept extends even to the gearshifter, in an industry first, which can scoot 80 millimeters (3.14 inches) fore and aft.
The gated five-speed—with a manual reverse lockout—links to the 5.2-liter Ford V8 borrowed from the Mustang GTD, which Capricorn then worked over with a rotating assembly, air intake, rotating assembly, supercharger, and ECU built in-house. Total output claimed at 888 horsepower with a redline set at 9,000 rpm sounds reasonable versus the GTD’s 815 ponies and 7,650 rpm, especially after slotting the shifter into neutral, depressing the clutch pedal, and cranking the engine over.
In a glass showroom, the Capristo exhaust blared and rumbled, emitting glorious pops and bangs of overrun after just a few nudges into the throttle. Supercharger whining seemingly inches from the driver’s skull, ripping that shifter up and down through the gates, all in a rear-wheel-drive mid-engined coupe that weighs just 2,650 pounds dry—the 01 Zagato sounds hardcore, with Capricorn’s Nürburgring heritage on full display, including an inboard pushrod suspension setup by Bilstein.
And yet, this is more than just a track car. The carbon-fiber frunk can hold up to 120 liters of luggage, nearly equal to a modern Porsche 911, and a four-axle lift reduces fears of scraping all that precious carbon fiber. This running and driving prototype will receive a few revisions before production commences, including redesigned gauges with an integrated reverse camera and brakes that switch from Brembo to AP Racing.
Capricorn plans to build just 19 examples, a figure chosen in honor of the founding of Zagato on April 19, 1919. Only a handful of allocations remain, though this first step from Capricorn will eventually lead to a spider variant limited to a slightly more accessible 91 units. As with so many hypercars, exclusivity enhances the desirability—yet comparison to the competition matters just as much in the overall appeal. Sternheimer believes Capricorn chose to step out from the shadows at the perfect opportunity, still something of a unique proposition even as the analog craze builds.
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“We believe the time was right to not chase horsepower as a lot of competitors do,” he said. “I like to use a quote, ‘The best cars have already been built, with one exception.’ So we’re bringing back what people really enjoy. No hybrid, no electric, a lightweight, fun-to-drive car that sounds amazing, that also will look amazing in 20 years from now.”
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Images: Michael Van Runkle
