Žnoprešk Zeta
HISTORY
The first spark of a mid engined sport car on a budget, the XC1, was layed down in 1981 by Matteo Miglia, but ended shortly after cause the lack of funding and the resign from ZM group of the italian engineer.
But after the great success of the Legatus powered by a V6 made by a double inline 3 from the Znopresk Zap and almost 5 years of fighting with the BMMA parent company concerned about the possible sales reduction of the RR Flyingfish coupe, the project XC2 was officially backed and funded.
Anyway, the budget wasn’t enought to create a completely new car. Everything had to be taken from the part pool of ZM group. Only for the body style it was given total liberty. The result was a low and attractive coupe with a two tone scheme: a glossy black for the upper part of the car and the metallic paint for the lower part.
The car was shown at the end of 1990 at the Geneve Car Show and received a very warm welcome. The sale started in the march of the 1991.
TEHNIKA
The whole engine and transmission group of the Zeta was directly taken from the Zenit. The 1.7 liter 3 valve inline 4 block (L4.3-2014L) received a sporty tune and a viscous limited slip differential. Most of the cockpit components were also directly taken from the Zenit CM20 released the year before.
Initally there was a single trim and a very short list of optionals, geared LSD, ABS, driver airbag and the power steering; but in 1995, with the first revamp of the car, the amount of trims increased, giving options of more powerful engine, AWD, more luxurious interiors and even a forced induction version.
