Ready for what will hopefully be the most lore-established entry of the lineup?
Read on:
You’ve already read this story (I mean it, I’ve written it several times): Born in 1982 in an act of mutiny, the eponymous Matteo Miglia founded his company after a year-long argument with the Žnoprešk Automobil executives over funding for a sporty “Win on Sunday Buy on Monday” rally car project. Žnoprešk already had a long and illustrious history based on accessible cars on a (tight) budget. What Matteo was asking was a bridge too far: WRC was beyond the scope of anything Žnoprešk had figured at the time.
Not to be deterred, Matteo broke away, cobbling together a V6 out of two Žnoprešk i3s, cramming it into the engine bay of a sleek wedge that would become the first Legatus. Initially slated for Group 4 competition, thanks to the delays from arguing with the bean counters, the Legatus would only be released just in time for Group 4 to become Group B, where it initially enjoyed success. In subsequent years it became clear that all the defiance in the world could not replace the sheer amount of money far beyond Matteo Miglia’s reach, but the initial splash was enough for the Legatus to proliferate across smaller codes and become a street hero, especially in the classic turbocharged turquoise blue Rallysport form with its 214hp in 785kg giving it rocket performance and razor sharp dynamics. By the time of Group B’s demise, the Legatus, in both its Rallysport and more accessible Stradale trim, had spread across the mountain passes of Europe and spilled into the streets of South-East Asia where tuner culture was well and truly heating up.
An original Legatus Rallysport in the wild. As in, I think the driver is well and truly lost.
Žnoprešk Automobil could not ignore this success. They wanted in. And so it was that the Žnoprešk Zeta was born in the early 90s: as a partial attempt to grow market share, partial offer of an olive branch to Matteo Miglia. Matteo, having subsequently blown all the money and then some from the original Legatus on the bonkers “everything space age” supercar project, the 1987 Merlo, could not refuse. But this time, whereas Žnoprešk persisted with the cheaper route of using their older in-house engine technology, Matteo brought back the advanced ideas of Japan with him, and, in true character with his never ending fascination with the digital zeitgeist, he brought in the Avant-Garde stylists Studio Biagio.
The Legatus Gen.II is the result: shared chassis with the perky, fun Zeta, but the raspy exhaust note of its own 1.8L inline 4 with ITBs, and a whole lot of space age overload. Purely digital dials and unique triangular light motifs made it a unique entry on the market. Even though the “Vivace” and the “Trofeo” trims had very similar power and weight specs to the “Stradale” and “Rallysport” trims of the original Legatus, the Gen.II was a massive advancement in driving pleasure and performance. It was the NB to the 1st Gen’s NA: the Gen.II was hailed as the most dynamic light sport car on the market.
The long play cinematic advertisement, as previously featured
The Vivace was the “touring” trim, insofar as one could tour on a budget that was more than for a Žnoprešk, but a fraction of that of a GT or super car. It came with the bolstered seats and the cassette deck, and even had ABS as standard. But true to the original philosophy, as the first Gen popularity was sparked by motorsport success, this generation was engineered specifically so it could partake, with not excessive modification, in the sports car classes on the other side of the continent. Thus, surprisingly yet not really surprisingly, the Gen.II Legatus found its greatest accolades in the GT500 class of the JGTC and subsequently, Super GT.
An unliveried GT500 prototype. After race development, the native i4 developed bang on the 500hp limit for the class
It is worth noting that Matteo Miglia insisted on keeping the first and second generation of Legatus hardtop monocoque: it was far easier to maintain body rigidity without excessive weight. An open top Legatus would not appear until the Aperta Speciale of the Gen.III in the noughties, but the trim expansion that shortly preceded the Legatus’ hiatus is another story for another time.
As for the 90s, the uneasy Žnoprešk-MM alliance proved to be as fateful as it was fruitful. The Zeta would have sold strongly by itself but the reputation was further bolstered by MM’s racing and sporting credentials. Žnoprešk had conquered the market again with its savvy investments. Meanwhile, MM was still struggling to clear the debts it accrued from its hubris, but, seeing the favour it had done Žnoprešk, it would seem that Žnoprešk saw use in keeping MM around…
Nowadays, Matteo Miglia may be pushing 70 but he still goes strong as does his company. The 4th gen of Legatus went on sale in 2017, a return to form but with even more potency. As for the predecessors, where Gen. I Legatuses are now unicorns, the Gen. II are legends among us, that can be glimpsed burbling along on the roads on a Saturday afternoon with 200k miles on their clock. They still turn heads nearly 30 years on, and those who know will nod and smile knowing that the unique joy they brought was unparalleled then and never replicated since. And the collectors worth their salt know this too: for a showroom grade example, one buyer forked out 755 grand.
If you know where to look, though, and were prepared to dispense the love this fiesty icon deserves, you could get one for much less.
If I am mistaken about any of the historical aspects of the relationship between Žnoprešk and MM please correct me @NormanVauxhall