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THE ITALIAN COACHBUILDER SITE

Alfa Romeo SZ

1989Coachwork by Zagato

THE VEHICLE AT A GLANCE

Model dossier

Production period
1989
Body style
Coupé
Engine
V6
Type
Limited

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE CAR

Coachbuilding, design & conversions

PRICE & SALES RECORD

Vehicle value

Original price
Not documented
Latest recorded sale
Not documented

01 / THE STORY

History & context

The Alfa Romeo SZ (Sprint Zagato) or ES-30 (Experimental Sportscar 3.0 litre) is a high-performance limited-production sports car built between 1989 and 1991 by a partnership between Centro Stile Zagato, Centro Stile Alfa Romeo and Centro Stile Fiat. It was unveiled as the ES-30 at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show as a prototype by Zagato, although the car was mainly built by them not designed mechanically. The Alfa Romeo SZ was planned as an attempt to revive Alfa Romeo’s sporting heritage after its acquisition by Fiat in 1986 and was developed to recall the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato from the late 1950s and early 1960s. A common misconception about the SZ is the car being designed by Zagato, but the car was designed in-house. Robert Opron of the Fiat design studio was responsible for the initial sketches while Antonio Castellana was largely responsible for the final styling details and interior. Only the ‘Z’ logo of Zagato was kept on the design with the signature Zagato double bubble roof being absent. The Alfa Romeo SZ possessed unusual hexa headlights positioned in a trio on each side a styling used more subtly on later Alfa Romeo models in the 2000s. The unusual design of the car can be attributed to the use of early CAD/CAM, or computer-aided design and manufacturing by Alfa Romeo. Mechanically and engine-wise, the car was based on the Alfa Romeo 75, with production being carried out by Zagato at Terrazzano di Rho near the Alfa Romeo factory in Arese. The thermoplastic injection moulded composite body panels were produced by Italian company Carplast and French company Stratime Cappelo Systems. The suspension was taken from the Alfa 75 group A/IMSA car, and modified by Giorgio Pianta, engineer and team manager of the Lancia and Fiat rally works team. A hydraulic damper system was made by Koni. The Alfa Romeo SZ was originally equipped with Pirelli P Zero tyres (front 205/55 ZR 16, rear 225/50 ZR 16) and is able to sustain over 1.1 G in cornering, some drivers have measured a cornering force of 1.4 G, which remains an excellent performance figure. The car came without any driver’s aids to provide a challenging experience to the drivers.

02 / TECHNICAL IDENTITY

Specifications & construction

Production & construction

Production type
Limited

Engine & performance

Engine configuration
V6

Dimensions & accommodation

Length
4,059 mm
Width
1,730 mm
Height
1,311 mm

Design & manufacture

Manufacturer · Documented
Alfa Romeo
Coachbuilder / Body Builder · Documented
Zagato
Designer · Candidate
Robert Opron

06 / EVENTS & AWARDS

Events & awards

Geneva General · legacy_preserved
Date
1989
Chassis
General

Preserved CI 1.0 relation. Evidence field: _yoast_wpseo_primary_events. No award inferred.

10° Concorso d'Eleganza Città di Mantova General · legacy_preserved
Date
2026
Chassis
General

Preserved CI 1.0 relation. Evidence field: list_of_awards_0_events. No award inferred.

Mantova General · From the historical archive
Date
2026
Chassis
General

08 / FROM THE ARCHIVE

Archive

References held in the vehicle dossier. Their inclusion does not establish that every historical claim has been independently verified.

ReferenceSource type
Zagato Atelier — Alfa Romeo S.Z. Stradale (1989) www.zagato.it Coachbuilder first party archive

10 / CONNECTED HISTORY

Timeline

Chronological history3 dated records
  1. Unassigned chassis · Event

    Geneva

  2. Unassigned chassis · Event

    Mantova

THE CONVERSATION

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