Denza and Chopard combine to create tailor-made one-off Z9GT for Cannes

It’s that time of year when Hollywood’s A-listers swan down to the South of France for the Cannes Film Festival for two weeks of film premieres, parties, luxury brand events and galas.

The biggest of those galas is amfAR, which is held at the famous Hotel du Cap just down the road in Antibes, and raises funds for AIDS Research. One of the brands that is an official partner of the Cannes Film Festival is Swiss luxury house Chopard, which teamed up with BYD’s premium brand Denza to create a one-off Z9GT to donate to the 32nd amfAR Gala Cannes’ charity auction.

It was also in France where Denza recently decided to launch the Z9GT as its first European model, with an official presentation taking place at the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris. The Chinese brand even brought James Bond actor Daniel Craig on board as it looked to draw attention to its launch in Europe.

This week, however, the glitz and glamour could be found in the car itself, as Chopard put its luxurious stamp on the Z9GT. Subtlety isn’t the name of the game here, with the Denza model’s interior being garnished with amethyst stones, as well as being made useful as cockpit controls. The cabin is a mixture of leathers and wood finishes and incorporates a 20-speaker theatre-grade audio system from French specialist Devialet.

The upholstery has also been given the bespoke tailor-made treatment, getting the Chopard 'C' embroidered into the headrests and incorporated into the ‘light carpet’. The logo can also be seen on the wireless smartphone-charging pad, while the 17.3-inch infotainment system features a bespoke Chopard theme.

The Swiss brand has also created two 18-carat Ethical rose gold timepieces to complement its interior work on the Z9GT.

Credit: Ryan Emberley

In the end, the car was sold for a whopping 700,000 Euros (£604,438) on the night, slightly more than the 115,000 euros the standard model currently demands in Europe. The sale was a portion of the overall $20 million (£14.8 million) raised during Thursday night’s gala, its highest total since the 2016 event.

If it ever gets taken out on the road by its new owner, they can expect more than 1134 bhp from the Z9GT’s three electric motors, enabling it to do a 0-62mph sprint in under three seconds. I get the feeling, however, that this one will be a display model only.

Credit: Getty Images

words: Mike Booth
pictures: Denza