By Kyle Francis
When choosing a new vehicle that makes you truly feel something inside, you'll do well to find something that achieves this without having some Italian blood flowing through its pipes.
The nation simply understands design, and understands how to channel the passion felt by car lovers into its machines. One of the very best at it is Alfa Romeo, which tends to never build the best cars in its class, but somehow makes them the most desirable if you only use your heart when buying a new vehicle.
If you want a classic Alfa that not only stirs the soul but affords you an ultra-fun drive, then its late 1980s halo car could be the perfect specimen for the job. Just make sure you've taken enough brave pills before you start throwing it about, as you're going to need them.
The SZ Was Developed To Keep Alfa On The Map
| 1989-1992 Alfa Romeo SZ | |
|---|---|
| Engine | 3.0L NA V6 |
| Transmission | 5-Speed Manual |
| Power | 210 hp |
| Torque | 181 lb-ft |
| 0-60 mph | 7.0 seconds |
Alfa Romeo wasn't in the best financial situation in the early 1980s, though it found respite when it was acquired by Italian automotive giant Fiat in 1986. Alfa's new owners wanted to find a way to get it back to profitability, and it reckoned that a proper performance-focused sports car would be a great way of making this a reality. The historic marque hadn't offered such a vehicle since the Montreal coupe went out of production in 1977, so it was well overdue. While the GTV6 looked sporty, it was more of a long-distance GT car than a driver-geared sports car. The brief was to make the car stand out against the competition, and it's difficult to argue the brand failed in this regard.
Alfa's New Halo Car Looked Like Nothing Else
Inspired by the Giulietta Sprint Zagato models of the 1950s and 1960s, the so-called SZ Zagato certainly stood out on the road. The canopy-style roof and rear window-mounted rear spoiler worked with the short silhouette to create something that looked out of this world, while its long hood harked back to its mid-20th century roots. Despite featuring the Zagato signature in its name, the legendary Italian design house didn't pen the design for the SZ.
It was instead thought up by a designer called Robert Opron, who worked for Alfa's own in-house design department. Zagato was involved in the project, but rather than allow its creative juices to flow, it oversaw the design process before producing the finished articles. Just 1,036 cars were ever created between 1989 and 1992, before it was replaced by a convertible version called the RZ.
The SZ's Engine Was The One You Wanted It To Have
When debating 1980s Alfas, one of the key elements to consider is whether it had a prolific Busso V6 engine hiding beneath the hood. The SZ thankfully did, and it was a fruity version at that. The front-mounted naturally aspirated 3.0-liter unit sent 210 hp the way of the rear wheels, with the power being transmitted through a trusty five-speed manual transmission.
It was borrowed from Alfa's 75 sedan, and allowed the car to sprint past the 60 mph mark in a strong seven seconds. Alongside this, a limited-slip differential was brought to the party to boost traction even further. In reality though, the magic of the SZ lay in the rest of its technical foundations.
Alfa's Other Worldly Sports Car Was A Racer Underneath
Stellantis
Rather than start off with a road-based chassis, Alfa made use of the racing-derived underpinnings from its 75-based Group A touring car. It had ditched its racing program with the car mid-way through 1987 anyway, so it treated some of the design to another life beneath the wild body of the SZ. While the chassis was taken from a standard road-going 75, the suspension configuration was lifted directly from the racer, while driver aids were left on the factory shelves.
The suspension, which consisted of an independent front setup and a De Dion-styled arrangement at the back, was tweaked by Alfa's chief test driver Giorgio Pianta to work on the road. The unusual rear De Dion setup was chosen as it afforded greater rear traction than either a live rear axle or independent suspension layout, and was part of the reason it drove like a tarmac rally car. It was even graced with an adjustable ride height system, with the car able to move up and down by two inches depending on the preference of the driver. The steering was also tuned to be both quick and offer excellent feel.
Sources: Alfa Romeo, Hagerty Valuation Tool.
Read the full article on CarBuzz
This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
