30 Years of Alfa Romeo RZ
If you, as a car manufacturer, had a sports car in your range that the press and observers only referred to as a “monster” because of its design, would you produce an open-top roadster of it? Probably not. Alfa Romeo and Zagato did it anyway, even though even their own employees were skeptical. The Italians produced only 1,036 of the SZ presented at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show until 1992. The sports car, designed by French designer Robert Opron, was available exclusively in red. In fact, Alfa Romeo and Zagato, where the SZ had been hand-built, showed the courage to present the open-top RZ at the Paris Motor Show in October 1992. This immediately went into small-series production. Unlike the SZ, it was available not only in red, but also in yellow, black and, rarely, in silver for the Japanese market.
No trunk available
Compared to the SZ, the windshield of the RZ was placed a bit flatter into the airstream. In addition, the long, sloping rear window of the coupé was eliminated as was the attached rear spoiler. Instead, the RZ features two suggested humps behind the seats, reminiscent of the legendary double-bubble roof from Zagato. Underneath them is the compartment for the soft top. Anyone expecting a decent trunk in view of the angular body will be disappointed by the small flap between the taillights. It only reveals the space saver spare wheel, which is included as standard. Suitcases or travel bags don’t fit in here. The general everyday utility of the RZ is correspondingly limited. Ultimately, it was a pure sports car for up to two people, which can preferably be taken out on sunny days on country roads.
120 kilograms heavier than the SZ
For this, the RZ, like the SZ before it, offers the best genes. The floor assembly came unchanged from the Alfa Romeo 75, giving a wheelbase of 2.51 meters. However, the overall length was around 27 centimeters shorter. There was no choice of engine. A three-liter V6 with 154 kW/210 hp worked under the large hood. The five-speed transmission and limited-slip differential were mounted on the rear axle in a transaxle design. The data sheet specified 152 mph as the topspeed. Robert Opron, who had previously designed the SM and CX at Citroën, had been working at Fiat Centro Stile since the 1980s. With the SZ and RZ, he designed a special sports car that attracted particular attention with its lights at the front and rear. All body parts are made of glass-fiber-reinforced “Modar”, a special methacrylic resin, and sit on a steel skeleton. Compared with the SZ, the curb weight of the RZ increased by around 120 kilograms due to additional stiffeners.
278 copies
By choosing the body color, the customer automatically committed to an interior color as well. Yellow and red cars received black leather, silver and black cars came with burgundy seat covers. Originally, Alfa Romeo planned a run of 350 units. However, due to the relatively high price of 140,000 DM (incl. 14% VAT), only a few customers were found. In total, only 278 vehicles rolled off the production line by the end of 1993, three of them in silver. Zagato built and sold the final 37 examples on its own. One yellow vehicle, number 137, is currently (January 2022) for sale in good condition through the classic car dealer Issimi. With less than 48,000 kilometers of mileage, the car is said to cost 99,900 €. You can take a look at this vehicle in our picture gallery.
Images: Issimi
