1991 Alfa Romeo SZ

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION

Everywhere you look on this outstanding Alfa Romeo SZ, there are signs of the painstaking care that has been lavished on it by its current owner, and it must be one of the best surviving examples of this charismatic Italian sports car.

The Certificate of Authenticity from Alfa Classiche shows that it was built in May 1991 and given the build number 597. It was first registered in Japan in May 1994, and in October 1995 it passed to its second owner, who would keep it for the next 22 years.

In 2018, the SZ was imported into the UK by a specialist and sold to its new owner, who has kept it ever since. In August that year, it was inspected by Alfa Aid and the work subsequently carried out included the fitment of a stainless-steel exhaust system, reconditioned steering rack, and modified cambelt pulleys and tensioner, as well as a new belt.

The owner is a well-known suspension specialist and had the dampers re-valved, which has provided more suspension travel and more compliance, transforming the way in which the car drives, while retaining the original damper bodies and the standard hydraulic ride-height adjustment.

The driving position has also been improved thanks to a spacer in the steering system that increases the distance between the steering wheel and the pedals. The modification looks original and has made the driving position much more comfortable.

Due to the methacrylic resin body panels being stored outside during the factory build process, and taking in moisture as a result, SZ paintwork can often suffer from microblistering. To properly eliminate it on this car, the paint was stripped off all panels, which were then placed into a dehumidified room in order to fully dry out. A two-part resin sealer was applied and cured, before the panels were resprayed in their original colour. 

The aluminium roof section was also painted after removing two small pieces of corrosion, and the end result is a superb paint finish throughout.

Other external work has included having the headlight units reconditioned and sealed, to avoid water ingress and fogging. Incredibly rare new door seals were fitted, and a set of new glass seals – now impossible to find – was commissioned from someone in Sweden who had remade the necessary tooling. Wheel spacers have also been fitted so that the three-piece alloys – which still display the etchings showing the name and size of the wheel – better fill the arches.

An incredibly rare set of brand-new rear lights was fitted, the black electric aerial is still working and, unlike many SZs, this car even has the correct size and colour of panel rivets. 

Such fastidious attention to detail is apparent throughout this beautifully presented Alfa Romeo SZ, which is now being offered for sale with its rare tailored cover, complete with even rarer carry bag. It also still has its leather-bound handbook and both keys, and its extensive history file includes a period press pack and books.

MODEL HISTORY  

Conceived by Alfa Romeo chairman Vittorio Ghidella, the SZ was intended to be a spectacular and dramatic statement of Alfa Romeo’s sporting ethos. 

A design proposal from a team led by Mario Maioli was chosen in the summer of 1987, and the decision was taken to produce a limited run of cars that would be assembled by Zagato – the Milanese coachbuilder with which Alfa Romeo had a long history. 

The Modar thermosetting methacrylic resin and glassfibre body panels were made by a company called Carplast, and were both strong and light. They were mounted to a steel chassis, while beneath the skin were proven Alfa Romeo components such as the 3-litre V6 engine that was shared with the 164 and 75 – albeit now producing 210bhp rather than 192bhp – and a five-speed transaxle.

Suspension was via wishbones at the front, with a De Dion axle and Watt linkage at the rear. Coilover dampers were used, and the suspension featured ‘uniball’ joints rather than rubber bushes. 

The SZ was first shown at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show and Alfa Romeo announced that only 1000 would be built, with 100 being earmarked for the UK despite the fact that all would be left-hand drive. The car’s dramatic shape divided opinion but inspired buyers, and demand was high – and road-testers soon discovered that there was substance to go with the muscular styling.

Official performance figures gave the SZ a top speed of just over 150mph and a 0-60mph time of 6.9 seconds, and when Russell Bulgin drove one for Car magazine in June 1990, he called the driving experience ‘very special’. After saying that the prevailing market meant that the SZ would attract speculators and enthusiasts alike, he concluded that ‘all it takes is a couple of miles of decent B-road and they will know, without a doubt, that Alfa Romeo is reborn once more as a sports car force.’