FCA’s Heritage division announced that it has completed the restoration of the Alfa Romeo SZan authentic ‘ex-works’ laboratory car coming from the Balocco test circuit that was used by the Biscione brand on the occasion of the model presentation shootings and which stands out for some details compared to all the SZs produced subsequently, including which the steering wheel and the background color of the instrumentation. In addition to its truly exclusive design, this car stood out for its extremely low drag coefficient for the time.
As FCA’s own Heritage division remembers, the SZ was born from an idea of the Zagato atelier, and still today serves as inspiration for the new Alfa Romeo models: the new Tonale, for example, evokes the proud lines of its front lights. It was assembled practically by hand in the factories of the Milanese coachbuilder, and only about 1,000 were produced between the end of 1989 and 1991, all painted in Rosso Alfa 130 with a roof in Dark Gray 633. There was also a drop-top version called RZ, of which only 278 units were produced. As for the restoration, the mechanics were completely overhauled, while the body was stripped and treated. The interiors have also been regenerated while maintaining their originality. The company made no reference to the motora 3.0-liter V6 capable of unleashing 210 hp of overall power and delivering 181 Nm of maximum torque.
Although the idea came from the Zagato atelier, it was Robert Opron of the Fiat Style Center responsible for the initial sketches, with the collaboration of the Milanese body shop, while Antonio Castellana mainly dealt with the interiors and the final finishing of the details. And while the SZ’s mechanics and platform were totally inherited from the Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo IMSA racing prototype, the suspensions they were developed by Giorgio Pianta, engineer, former driver and team manager of the Fiat Group racing teams who perfected them by replacing the traditional vulcanized rubber silentblocks at the front and rear with more efficient PTFE counterparts.
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