One out of 1,036 Alfa Romeo SZ Coupes co-designed with Zagato has cropped up on sale with a clean record and 51,000 km (31,690 miles) under the belt. The current top bid amounts to $45,000 USD.
Alfa Romeo debuted a prototype version of the SZ at the Geneva International Motor Show in 1988. Having received mixed feedback, the company resolved to produce a small batch of these cars. All but one were finished the same: a red body came along with a dark grey roof and beige leather in the cabin. Zagato CEO Andrea Zagato received the only black copy in existence.
The SZ featured an innovative body structure based on a stainless-steel frame and composite paneling, and lacked any driving assistance systems. Even the ABS was deliberately omitted. The suspension could rise by 50 mm (2 inches) whenever some extra clearance was needed, and the chassis was designed with Alfa Romeo racecars in mind. In the early 1990s, media have taken to calling the model ‘Il Monstro’, or ‘The Monster’.
A 3.0-liter V6 designed by famous automotive engineer Giuseppe Busso drove the rear wheels with up to 210 PS (207 hp / 154 kW) in tandem with a five-speed manual gearbox. The interior had seats for two, and the car needed seven seconds to reach 100 km/h (62 mph).
This particular example was imported into the United States from Japan, where around 100 SZ units was sold back in the time. The winning bidder will be getting a full package of maintenance papers and an authenticity certificate. This is not to say that the coupe is 100% authentic: the audio system inside is new. Other than that, it is stock and in great condition despite minor signs of wear and tear.