Capricorn 01 Zagato is a V8 manual hypercar gunning for the GMA T.33

With German engineering and Italian styling, yet another hypercar is on the way. But this one seems to have more substance than most, because the company responsible for it has proper engineering experience and somewhere to build the thing. Meet the Capricorn 01 Zagato, the latest addition to the ranks of modern day manual-transmission hypercars – a segment that offers more choice these days than that of the simple city car.

If we’re approaching market saturation for ultra-limited hypercars with manual gearboxes, what does the Capricorn 01 do to differentiate itself? Well, it’s got a solid name behind it. You might not have heard of Capricorn Group but it’s known by many for its high-performance engine components as seen in, among other things, race- and road-spec 911 GT3s. It was involved with the Formula 1 projects of both Lotus and Caterham, Porsche’s LMP1 program and Peugeot’s endurance racing efforts. It also had a brief stint in the early 2010s as owner of the Nürburgring.

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The car it’s prepared doesn’t appear to chase raw crazy numbers either. Affixed to its carbonfibre monocoque chassis is a 5.2-litre supercharged V8 of Ford origin, capable of 9000rpm and producing 888bhp+ (subject to final homologation) with 737lb-ft. This is closer to Ferrari’s 296 Speciale in potency than the ballistic F80. 

The engine features a bespoke dry sump lubrication system, rotating assembly, ECU and mapping. The 0-62mph sprint is said to take under 3sec, on the way to a 223mph top speed. 

That punch doesn’t have much to move along, with Capricorn targeting a dry weight of less than 1200kg. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed (yes you read that right) dogleg manual transmission coming from CIMA. Suspension is by double wishbones and pushrods, with Bilstein anti-roll bars, springs and adaptive dampers. These have Comfort, Sport and Track settings. 

There’s a four-wheel lift system for greater usability, while the chassis itself is said to be a full ‘LMP1-type’ carbon structure, with the front and rear subframes also carbonfibre rather than aluminium or steel. Braking is by carbon-ceramic discs pinched by six-piston Brembo calipers at the front, while steering is GMA T.50 style – assisted at low speeds and fully manual once going faster for a ‘purely mechanical connection between the driver, the wheels and the road’.

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Zagato is a name you do know and it’s done what it does best here – styled a distinctive hypercar, albeit one that’s not without similarities to other cars. There’s a Ford GT vibe to the silhouette, to the way the roof curves down into the side panel and into the flanking vents. 

From the front this could be a more subtle model from Zenvo, while at the back we see hints of McLaren 750S. Suspend the disbelief for a moment but isn’t that rear light a little bit Toyota GR Yaris? The body is at least thoroughly resolved in terms of aerodynamics, with ‘intelligently generated downforce without the need for large spoilers’, though exact downforce figures aren’t given. The 21-inch wheels are a custom Capricorn design and there's a carbon option too.

Inside, the Capricorn 01 follows a LaFerrari-esque method for it's ergonomics, affixing the seats to the carbon tub and having all other controls adjust to each driver’s dimensions, with the pedals and steering all movable. The design is minimalistic with an analogue focus and quality materials – connolly leather, milled aluminium, titanium and of course carbonfibre.

The steering wheel is round, with two rotary controls encasing two buttons and indicator buttons on the left and right. The dials are thoroughly physical and a slender central spine houses the shift knob for that five-speed box. Capricorn boasts of the car’s 110-litre front boot with ‘ample luggage space’.

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A run of 19 coupes is planned at €2.95million before tax and set to go into production in the first half of 2026 at Capricorn’s German facility (one of the four it has including in the UK, Italy and France). Capricorn points out that the 18,000 square meter facility the car will be built in is already primed for future projects of 100-200 cars per year, meaning the 01 Zagato isn’t a one’n’done hypercar. Perhaps the clue was in the name.

‘This project is not a one-off; it is the beginning of a new lineage of Capricorn branded high-end cars,’ confirms CEO Robertino Wild. ‘And in addition, we are also open to taking on limited-series contracts for other OEMs and building fully bespoke hypercars for private clients.’

We’ll believe it when we drive it and see cars being delivered but this sounds like a bit more than the flights of Photoshop fancy that most startup hypercars turn out to be. The car's full reveal is taking place at the Zoute Grand Prix in Belgium. Whether buyers of the Pagani Utopia, Koenigsegg CC850 and GMA T.50 will find it a compelling alternative (or more likely addition), remains to be seen.

Specs