Ferrari has turned one customer’s idea into something nobody else can order. The new CZ26 is a one-off supercar commissioned by an unnamed American client and created through the company’s closely guarded Special Projects programme. Although its mechanical foundation comes from the plug-in-hybrid SF90 Stradale, almost everything visible has been rethought, from its dramatically horizontal bodywork to its aerodynamics, materials and cabin detailing.
Unveiled during Monterey Car Week in August 2026, the CZ26 is less about chasing a new horsepower record than giving one buyer a Ferrari that simply cannot appear in another driveway. It retains the ferocious performance associated with the SF90 platform while presenting a completely different personality, showing how far Maranello will go when a particularly privileged customer asks for something genuinely unique.
One American Customer Gets the Only CZ26
Ferrari developed the CZ26 specifically for a client in the United States through its Special Projects division, the part of the company responsible for unique cars rather than normal production models. Ferrari has not identified the customer publicly, and there is no indication that another CZ26 will be built. That makes the car fundamentally different from a limited-edition Ferrari produced in dozens or hundreds of examples. The entire point is that this particular design belongs to a single commission.
Creating that exclusivity is not a quick exercise. Ferrari says a Special Projects commission generally takes about two years, with the customer closely involved during design and verification. Once the basic proportions and forms have been established, Ferrari develops detailed drawings and a full-scale styling buck before manufacturing begins. For the buyer, that means the experience is closer to commissioning a bespoke piece of industrial design than choosing options from a conventional configurator.
The SF90 Stradale Remains Underneath
The CZ26 may look unfamiliar, but Ferrari did not start with a blank sheet of paper underneath the body. Its technical foundation is the SF90 Stradale, the plug-in-hybrid supercar that marked a major step in Ferrari’s electrification strategy. The CZ26 therefore combines a twin-turbocharged V8 with three electric motors and all-wheel drive, allowing Ferrari to concentrate much of the Special Projects effort on design, airflow, cooling and personalization rather than engineering an entirely new powertrain.
Total system output remains approximately 1,000 metric horsepower, or about 986 conventional horsepower. That is significant because the CZ26 was not created as an upgraded tuning package for the SF90. Ferrari has not announced a horsepower increase or a new engine specification. Instead, the extraordinary part is how extensively the familiar architecture has been transformed visually. A person familiar with an ordinary SF90 could see the CZ26 parked nearby and need a second look before realizing just how closely related the two cars actually are.
Performance Is Still Deep in Hypercar Territory
Changing the appearance has not turned the CZ26 into a gentle grand tourer. Ferrari lists a 0-to-100-km/h time of 2.5 seconds and a 0-to-200-km/h sprint of 6.7 seconds. Its stated maximum speed is 328 km/h, equivalent to roughly 204 mph. Those numbers put the one-off firmly in the territory where acceleration can become difficult to comprehend outside a racing circuit, even though outright performance was not the primary purpose of the project.
The electrified drivetrain also retains a 7.9-kWh battery and an electric-only driving capability of approximately 25 kilometres. In practical terms, nobody is likely to commission a one-off Ferrari of this kind primarily to commute silently on battery power. Yet that short electric range illustrates how unusual the underlying engineering remains: the same machine capable of exceeding 200 mph can move without firing its V8. An eight-speed dual-clutch transmission handles the power, maintaining the basic driveline concept developed for the SF90.
Ferrari Gave It a Completely Different Shape
One of the clearest differences between the CZ26 and its donor car is the silhouette. Ferrari describes the new body in terms of a “two-box” configuration, with a clearly defined passenger compartment framed by pronounced wheel arches. Strong horizontal lines run across the vehicle, giving it a broader and visually flatter presence than the more flowing SF90 Stradale. Ferrari says the objective was to create an immediately recognizable identity built around strength, precision and clean forms.
The company has also cited Italian industrial design of the 1970s as an influence. That does not mean the CZ26 is styled as a retro Ferrari. There are no obvious attempts to reproduce an older model’s nose, lights or tail. Instead, the influence appears in the separation between functional pieces and the cleaner body surfaces around them. Red-highlighted openings, dark aerodynamic structures and sharply defined geometric areas look almost like individual mechanical components attached to a sculpted silver shell, creating a technical aesthetic without relying on nostalgia.
The Front End Hides More Than Its Headlights
The CZ26’s face is one of the most dramatic departures from the SF90. Ferrari replaced the donor car’s distinctive headlight treatment with extremely thin lighting elements integrated into a wide horizontal grille. The result gives the front a darker, almost visor-like appearance. That grille is not merely decorative. It also incorporates brake-cooling openings and hardware associated with the vehicle’s electronic assistance systems, allowing technical components to become part of the styling rather than appearing as obvious add-ons.
Elsewhere, vertical details break up the horizontal theme, while openings in the bonnet are picked out in contrasting red. The front edge has a relatively upright appearance compared with many traditionally rounded Ferrari noses. It is an interesting example of the freedom offered by a one-off commission: the designers can move much further from the appearance of the donor model without worrying about establishing a family face for thousands of production cars. Only one customer ultimately has to live with the result.
Aerodynamics Had to Be Re-Engineered Too
Giving the SF90 dramatically different bodywork created a challenge that extends far beyond styling. Air that once flowed around and through the original body now encounters an entirely different shape, meaning Ferrari’s engineers had to revisit cooling and aerodynamic management. The CZ26 uses a redesigned front cooling arrangement with changes to the central radiator package and dedicated bypass ducts. Ferrari says those revisions improve cooling efficiency while also contributing additional aerodynamic load at the front axle.
That improvement then required work elsewhere to keep the car balanced. The underbody and vortex-generator arrangement were redesigned, while air-curtain features around the outer portions of the front bumper help control airflow near the wheels. At the opposite end, Ferrari developed a different rear spoiler and diffuser. The engine cover was also modified to improve heat extraction. It is a reminder that reshaping a 200-mph supercar is not comparable to fitting a cosmetic body kit; seemingly small design decisions can affect cooling, stability and aerodynamic balance throughout the vehicle.
Argento Veloce and Red Details Define the Exterior
Ferrari created an exclusive silver finish called Argento Veloce for the CZ26. The company describes the paint as having an almost liquid visual effect, helping emphasize the surfaces as light moves across the body. Against that silver backdrop, Ferrari uses Rosso Lampante red on carefully selected functional areas. The contrast makes vents, aerodynamic elements and other technical details stand out rather than allowing them to disappear into the body colour.
Carbon fibre plays a similar role. Instead of using the material solely in its familiar black woven form, Ferrari employs pigmented carbon elements to reinforce the visual architecture around areas such as the wheel arches and aerodynamic components. Even the wheels received special treatment. Their gloss-black finish is combined with a shot-peened surface, a process involving the controlled impact of tiny particles against a material. At the rear, naturally finished titanium exhaust outlets provide another deliberately mechanical detail, giving the CZ26 the appearance of a machine whose construction is meant to be noticed rather than hidden.
The Cabin Has Materials No Regular SF90 Gets
The personalization continues inside, where Ferrari combines black technical upholstery with the red accents used on the exterior. The seat inserts were made using additive-manufacturing techniques, better known outside specialist engineering circles as 3D printing. Ferrari also created unique CZ26 branding for the cabin, making it difficult for anyone sitting inside to mistake the car for a heavily optioned SF90 Stradale.
Carbon fibre receives an unusual interpretation as well. Some glossy carbon pieces incorporate metallic filaments into the weave, while other surfaces use a more subdued satin finish. Body-coloured elements on the dashboard and doors tie the interior visually to the exterior. None of these individual details adds hundreds of horsepower or dramatically changes acceleration, but that is precisely the point. At this level of customization, luxury increasingly means access to things that cannot simply be selected from an options list. The American customer is receiving materials and detailing created specifically around this particular project.
The CZ26 Is Wider Than Its Low Height Suggests
Ferrari lists the CZ26 at approximately 4.76 metres long, just over two metres wide and only about 1.19 metres tall, with a wheelbase of roughly 2.65 metres. Those proportions help explain why photographs give it such an aggressive stance. A vehicle wider than two metres but sitting not much more than a metre above the ground naturally appears planted, even before the designers emphasize that shape with horizontal lighting, broad wheel arches and a large rear diffuser.
The weight distribution is approximately 45 percent at the front and 55 percent at the rear. The car rides on 20-inch wheels, with 255/35 tyres at the front and much wider 315/30 rubber at the rear. Carbon-ceramic brakes provide the stopping hardware expected of a car with this performance. Ferrari quotes a braking distance from 100 km/h of less than roughly 29.5 metres. For all of its artistic detailing, the CZ26 therefore remains engineered around the physical demands of a very fast road car.
Monterey Was a Natural Place to Reveal It
Ferrari presented the CZ26 in Monterey, California, during the 2026 edition of Monterey Car Week, with the company also highlighting its Pebble Beach debut. The setting was particularly appropriate for a car built around rarity and individualized craftsmanship. Monterey Car Week has become a major gathering point for historic Ferraris, collector cars, new supercars and manufacturers seeking the attention of some of the world’s most committed automotive enthusiasts.
For the anonymous American client, the location also gave the CZ26 a public introduction before it effectively disappears into private ownership. That creates a curious moment common to one-off cars. Thousands of enthusiasts may study photographs and argue over the styling, but almost none will ever see another example because another example does not exist. Unlike a new production Ferrari, there will be no dealer demonstrators, used-car listings or second colour combination appearing later. The debut is therefore both a product reveal and potentially one of the few occasions on which the public will encounter the car.
Special Projects Has Been Doing This Since 2008
The CZ26 belongs to a Ferrari tradition that stretches back nearly two decades. The modern Special Projects story began with the SP1, commissioned in 2008 and based on the F430. Ferrari has since produced a succession of cars for individual customers, sometimes using existing mechanical platforms while giving the vehicle an entirely new identity. Other projects have included the SP12 EC, SP38, SP48 Unica, SP-8, SC40 and the more recent HC25.
The programme occupies an unusual space even within Ferrari’s already exclusive business. Buying a normal Ferrari provides access to a relatively small production pool. Purchasing a limited-series model can narrow that group dramatically. A true Special Projects car takes the idea to its logical extreme: one client, one specification and one finished vehicle. The CZ26 shows that the tradition is continuing into Ferrari’s electrified era, where the starting point can be a plug-in hybrid just as earlier commissions were built around naturally aspirated or conventional turbocharged models.
Ferrari Is Keeping the Price Secret
One number Ferrari has deliberately left out is the CZ26’s price. Neither the manufacturer nor the major outlets covering its debut have reported what the American buyer paid. That makes attempts to attach a multimillion-dollar value to the car speculative. One-off projects involve design, engineering, manufacturing, testing and unique components that cannot be amortized over thousands of vehicles, but Ferrari does not publicly provide a standard price list for creating something like the CZ26.
The identity of the customer is similarly undisclosed. That secrecy adds to the unusual character of the project. Ferrari has built a machine specifically around one person’s preferences, spent roughly two years taking it from concept to reality and then presented the finished result to the world without revealing who ultimately commissioned it or what the privilege cost. What is known is arguably more interesting: beneath the familiar SF90 hardware sits an exercise in extreme personalization, proving that even a 1,000-cv Ferrari can become merely the raw material for something rarer.
