No one does supercars quite like the Italians. Gorgeous styling, big powerful engines, and enough performance to satisfy even the most manic of gearheads, provided they can live with the quirks of both ownership and customer loyalty. While Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati are all happy to relieve gearheads of their hard-earned cash, there is another alternative, Mazzanti who do things a little differently.
Don’t worry if the name isn’t instantly recognizable, Mazzanti hasn’t been going that long and likes to keep its production numbers low. The chances of seeing “new money” buyers whizzing by down at the local golf club are slim to non-existent, so their Evantra is near guaranteed to deliver exclusivity. This brings us nicely to their most extreme supercar yet. The Millecavalli boasts the kind of power figures that make established supercar brands take notice, more than you get with Ferrari’s LaFerrari, the Aventador too, is overshadowed by the newcomer.
It doesn’t stop at incredible numbers either, Mazzanti will customize every aspect of each Millecavalli to customers’ physical and personal taste, a truly bespoke supercar for the more discreet gearhead.
10 Mazz Who?
Move aside Ferrari and Lamborghini, there is a new supercar in town, one you’ve probably heard very little about at all. In 2013, Mazzanti Automobili stole the limelight at the Top Marquees Show with the Evantra, an ultra-low volume supercar designed to take on the best exotica that money could buy.
Founded in 2002 Mazzanti Automobili comes from the less obvious Italian city of Pisa, more famous for its leaning tower than automotive manufacturing, the Evantra project kicked off in 2011.
9 Haven’t We Seen The Evantra Somewhere Before?
Who said games are just for nerds? Racing games are becoming an increasingly popular way for carmakers to advertise and promote their latest supercars. In 2014, Sony Computer Entertainment rolled out Driveclub for their popular PS4 gaming platform wowing gearheads and gamers alike with a few exclusives.
As for Mazzanvanti Automobili, Driveclub sold 2 million copies, free advertising if you like for the upcoming Evantra range in the form of some free downloadable content. Since the Italian brand’s first digital outing, the Evantra has appeared in other racers too, adding the popular Asphalt series to its portfolio.
8 Special, Special Edition – Millecavalli
Four years into production, another special edition joins the ranks of Evantra models up for grabs, still rolling off the assembly line at a pedestrian rate of around five cars per year.
The latest and baddest version not only promises to be the fastest variant today, but also the fastest with a Bugatti worrying level of performance. 60 mph comes up in 2.7-seconds, flat out, Mazzanti claims a top speed “over” 250 mph.
7 Unique Funding
Unique funding plan or cunning marketing ploy? On one hand, inviting investors to “crowd-fund” a new project is a great way to attract customers, what else could be better than owning a small investment stake in an upcoming supercar? Added to which, we’re sure there are some perks to be had along the way.
Originally Mazzanto sought investors to the tune of €300,000 to find the development of the Millecavalli with a minimum of €500, However, demand quickly rocketed, the Italian carmaker more than doubled its original investment goal. Plans to repeat the Crowd Fund Me scheme remain a possibility.
6 Millecavalli R, The Business End
At the business end of every Evantra to date, LS7 Chevrolet sourced aluminum small-block V8 engines sit just inches behind the driver’s head, emitting a deep-chested roar under acceleration.
Eight cylinders, 7.4 liters, and twin turbochargers pump out an incredible 1121 hp, backed up by an equally impressive 892 ft-lb pf twist driving the rear wheels via a race-spec 6-speed sequential transmission.
5 Weight And Balance The Key
Mazzanti takes things pretty seriously when it comes to weight, balance, and handling. Beneath the purposeful carbon fiber body lays a high-tech mesh of box-section steel and molybdenum chrome extends to the integrated roll cage and high-sided cockpit design for greater passenger protection.
A Seperate rear subframe to accommodate the 7.4-liter V8 engine also features exotic build materials, lower overall weight aiding handling, and balance. Even the Millecavallis fuel tank is kept within its axles for better balancing and occupies a space ahead of the cockpit. Despite weighing in at a lightweight 3000 lbs, Mazzanti hasn’t compromised, weight, balance, and aerodynamics tuned to perfection.
4 It’s All In The Materials And Details
Every hypercar manufacturer in pursuit of weight savings without compromising strength turns to carbon fiber, but few use the aviation-grade material in quite the same manner as Mazzanti. Rather than just leaving Millecavalli’s bodywork in bare carbon, Mazzanti has turned the process into artwork, the final finish is textured giving a unique organic appearance akin to animal skin.
Of course in some areas, light-weight performance materials work best in their purest forms, Mazzanti equipping the Millecavalli with carbon-ceramic brakes as standard. Upfront 390mm discs and six-piston calipers with a marginally smaller set-up at the back end taking care of the stopping.
3 Are Those Suicide Doors?
Climbing into the Italian supercar is unique in itself, Mazzanti bestowing their Evantra Millecavalli with what is by far the most unusual door layout of any production car to date. Rearward opening doors akin to suicide doors usually reserved for high-end luxury barges such as Rolls-Royce’s current line-up, Mazzanti adding a slight twist with a slight upwards angle to the whole process.
By placing the things are the rear, Mazzanti has made getting in and out that much easier, normally gearheads would adopt a leg-first approach requiring a less than ideal one foot, then duck under the roofline entry method.
2 Minimalist Wow Factor Cockpit
Jaw-dropping external styling makes way for one of the neatest and simplest supercar cockpits we’ve ever seen. Mazzanti has resisted the urge for a dashboard festooned with unnecessary switchgear randomly placed, just a handful of well-positioned essentials breaking up a gorgeous blend of carbon fiber, suede, and leather. All the usual refinements are there, air-con, GPS, audio, and engine modes controlled by Mazzanti’s Full Touch control interface.
Speaking of essentials, those uninitiated to Mazzanti’s previous offerings might struggle to fire up the engine, a distinct absence of key-barrel or start button missing from the instrument binnacle. Mazzanti hasn’t forgotten, just simply relocated the engine start button to the roof panel.
1 Rare And Expensive
Blink and you’ll probably miss it, and we’re not just referring to the Millecavallis blistering speed. At Mazzanti’s unveiling, the Italian carmaker announced production would be strictly limited to 25 examples, with prices anticipated to be $1.2 million.
Gearheads with a big enough bank balance craving a more bespoke experience can take advantage of Mazzanti’s full customization program, seats, pedals, steering wheel, and even gear-shifters tailored to each owner’s specific needs. Still not enough? How about the five NICOR specials, a custom paint job, smart glass, and seats complemented by NICOR’s Hyper Drone and RE-Live System.
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