Alfa Romeo SZ/RZ - closed and open monsters from Zagato

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Alfa Romeo SZ/RZ - closed and open monsters from Zagato

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Created on August 20, 2015

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

2

Tim Scott - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

15

Cymon Taylor - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

11

Bruno von Rotz

6

Balz Schreier

2

Alfa Romeo / Werk

2

Oldtimer Galerie Toffen

1

RM Auction Tom Wood

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Archiv

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Alfa Romeo ES30 SZ (1990) - truncated wedge shape - the car was called "Il mostro"

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Alfa Romeo ES30 SZ (1990) - a design that takes some getting used to

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Alfa Romeo ES30 SZ (1990) - the body is mainly made of plastic

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Alfa Romeo ES30 SZ (1990) - the shape created a ground effect under the bodywork

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Alfa Romeo ES30 RZ (1990) - Carbon and leather in the cockpit

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Alfa Romeo ES30 RZ (1990) - Veglia instruments, but large series switches

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Alfa Romeo ES30 RZ (1990) - sports seats trimmed in leather

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Alfa Romeo ES30 RZ (1990) - no rear seats, but there is space for luggage

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Alfa Romeo ES30 RZ (1990) - the classic V6-cylinder engine with 12 valves

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Alfa Romeo ES30 RZ (1990) - "S.Z." stands for Sprint Zagato and is reminiscent of earlier times

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Alfa Romeo ES30 RZ (1990) - Zagato was only responsible for the construction, the design came from Fiat

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - of course the open version was also built by Zagato

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - the approximately 1000 coupés were followed by 278 convertibles

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - the roadster had to do without the rear spoiler

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - the six headlights remained, as did the production quality, which was not always satisfactory

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - overall, the open ES30 looks even less harmonious than the coupé

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - almost all elements of the bodywork were adapted for the convertible

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - the view from the closed convertible was not beyond all doubt

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - the cockpit now had white dials

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - the luggage compartment behind the seats was omitted in the open version

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - the body could be lifted at the front and rear, each copy was numbered

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - the melodious Alfa Romeo V6 with a displacement of three liters

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - the roadster also remained with 12 valves and around 210 hp

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - Design was more important than light output

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - "R.Z" stands for Roadster Zagato

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - even the beautiful aluminum wheels were retained

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Alfa Romeo ES30 SZ (1989) - Coupé with plastic bodywork

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Alfa Romeo ES30 SZ (1989) - View into the cockpit

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Alfa Romeo ES30 SZ (1989) - Transparency drawing

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Alfa Romeo ES30 SZ (1989) - Body structure

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Alfa Romeo ES30 SZ (1989) - Drive mechanics and chassis

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Alfa Romeo ES30 SZ (1989) - Damper control

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Alfa Romeo ES30 SZ (1989) - Front suspension

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Alfa Romeo ES30 SZ (1989) - Rear axle with transaxle

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - the Zagato version as a Spider

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - Cockpit of the Spider

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Alfa Romeo SZ (1990) - offered as lot 206 at the RM Auction London on October 26, 2011

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Alfa Romeo ES 30 Sprint Zagato SZ (1990) - at the Zurich Classic Car Award 2015

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Alfa Romeo ES 30 RZ - angular design - Fantastic Plastic 2015

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Alfa Romeo ES 30 Sprint Zagato SZ (1990) - at the Zurich Classic Car Award 2015

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Alfa Romeo ES-30 RZ - Bonnet - Fantastic Plastic 2015

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Alfa Romeo SZ Sport Zagato (1989) - Lignières Historique 2015

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Alfa Romeo ES-30 RZ Zagato - rare wedge from Italy - Fantastic Plastic 2015

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Alfa Romeo Zagato RZ (1993) at the Arosa ClassicCar 2014

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Alfa Romeo RZ (1993) - offered at the auction of the Oldtimer Gallery on the occasion of the Dolder Classics on June 7, 2014

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Gody Naef in an Alfa Romeo Zagato RZ (1993) at the Arosa ClassicCar 2013 - Alpine Performance category

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Alfa Romeo SZ (1989) - Participant in the Lignières Historique 2013

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Alfa Romeo SZ 3.0 Zagato (1991) - Lenzerheide Motor Classics 2011

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Summary

From 1989 to 1993, Alfa Romeo built the SZ (Sprint Zagato) and RZ (Roadster Zagato) models together with Zagato. A total of around 1400 examples were produced, and more and more collectors began to take an interest in them. In addition to the shape, to which the car owed its nickname "Il Mostro", the plastic body and the advanced aerodynamics for the time were special features. This report describes the Coupé and Cabriolet versions and shows them in many pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Design by Fiat
Efficiency before aesthetics
Racing basis
Finesse in production
Fully equipped and expensive
Active driving
Subsequently, the Cabriolet
On the way to becoming a collector's item
Further information

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Even internally at Alfa Romeo, the ES30 SZ model was called "Il Mostro" (i.e. Monster) and the sporty car owed this exclusively to its design. The "Experimental Sportscar" with a displacement of three liters (i.e. ES30) actually looked very unusual, but its character was actually a tame vehicle that was easy to get along with. The Fiat Group, which had owned Alfa Romeo since 1986, did not commission Zagato, which had previously been responsible for beauties such as the Aston Martin DB 4 GT Zagato or the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato, to design the new coupé, but rather its own design center. Robert Opron and Antonio Castellana took on the task there. They designed an uncompromising coupé with a high recognition value.

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