There are few cars which are so unique that they're considered a design classic as soon as they appear, but the Alfa Romeo SZ certainly is one of them. It was a product, a remarkable synthesis of two renowned Italian companies looking for a new lease of life. There was Alfa Romeo, submerged in the Fiat-concern in the 1980s, with a tarnished image of building rusting cars which lacked quality searching for a renewed link with their exiting sportscar past. And there was Zagato, the Milan-based design studio and coach builder, which was making a gradual transition from developing and manufacturing (exotic) production car bodywork to industrial design and prototyping. Both companies found each other in a common need to reestablish their images in the late 1980s which lead to the remarkable Alfa Romeo SZ berlinetta and ultimately the RZ roadster.
It wasn't fashionable nor conservative, it took no cues from any other model and it wasn't easy on the eyes. You either loved it or hated it and at best it was avant-garde. It set a standard which was never followed, it was named and revered as "The Monster"; it brought life to the scene of wind tunnel and consumer groups dictated anonymous car design. In other words: it stirred emotions. And that's what makes a car more than an object, and that's why it should be featured here on RitzSite.

I hope you'll enjoy the tour around this original sports car, a modern-day classic...

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