Alfa Romeo 155 TI Z

Alfa Romeo 155 TI Z was Zagato’s reinterpretation of the Alfa Romeo 155. It recast the production saloon as a high-performance derivative rather than a separate Alfa Romeo model line. Ercole Spada designed the body at Zagato, while race engineer Giuseppe Bizzarrini collaborated on the engineering. The project retained the 155 as its mechanical basis but gave it a sharply angular, low-profile exterior treatment.

The body used hard-edged lines, a low-slung profile and a pronounced stance. These elements separated the car from the standard Alfa Romeo 155 and gave the proposal a more specialised appearance. Spada set the styling direction at Zagato’s Milan design house, shaping the TI Z around crisp surfaces and an aggressive form. Bizzarrini brought his race-engineering background to the development of the proposed performance version, joining the design work with an engineering collaboration.

The car was initially put forward for series production. Alfa Romeo did not approve a full-scale manufacturing programme, so the design did not become a regular derivative within the 155 range. The proposal remained a limited project. Its distinct body treatment preserved the connection with the production Alfa Romeo 155 while presenting that basis in a substantially different form. The sharply angular styling, low profile and performance-led brief distinguished it from the standard saloon.

Luca Zagato subsequently pursued the project with backing from Japanese businessmen attracted by the design. Their support funded a very limited production run after the larger-scale programme had been declined. Production remained restricted rather than expanding into mass manufacture. The later initiative brought the TI Z into existence in small numbers, with Spada’s body design, Bizzarrini’s engineering collaboration and Luca Zagato’s effort defining the project’s development.

Zagato provided the setting for the design work and the body-design direction. The proposed derivative remained tied to the 155 throughout its development, but its exterior was treated as a distinct Zagato design. Japanese backing supported the restricted production effort, which followed Alfa Romeo’s decision not to proceed with full-scale manufacture.