A Detailed Look At The Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale

Following a stunning one-off called the TZ3 Corsa, Italian design and engineering house Zagato released a second TZ3 model, the TZ3 Stradale. Despite its track-ready Dodge Viper ACR underpinnings, Zagato calls the new Stradale an "avant-garde design exercise." Zagato unveiled the Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa track car in 2010 to commemorate Alfa Romeo's centennial and to honor the brand's original Giulia TZ sports cars from the 1960s. Martin Kapp, a German collector, commissioned the one-off car, which was based on Alfa Romeo's own 8C Competizione supercar.

The design was so well received that Zagato decided to create additional examples based on the Viper. Zagato described the car at the time as "the first American Alfa in automotive history," combining "unbridled American power" with "Italian grace." The entire project was inspired by the phrase "bellazza necessaria" (Italian for "beautiful necessity"), which certainly applies to the Alfa Romeo Zagato Stradale TZ3.

Historic Concept: The Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale's Overview

Alfa Romeo celebrated its 100th anniversary with the Tubolare Zagato (or TZ for short) – a limited edition supercar that paid homage to some of the company's most famous machines. During Alfa Romeo's golden era, the original Giulia TZ debuted. It possesses all the characteristics of the Italian brand's greatest vehicles: light weight, a punchy twin-cam inline-four engine, stunning looks, and competition success. When Alfa celebrated its centennial in 2010, the company was in the midst of a noticeably less rosy period in its history. To commemorate the occasion, coachbuilder Zagato, understandably, looked back to the TZ's glory days. Its first priority was to develop the TZ3 Corsa.

The Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa received an overwhelmingly positive response upon its debut at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, which took place over ten years ago, and is still fresh in our minds. It wowed both the jury and the public with its distinctive road and deservedly won the concept car trophy. The 1874-Ibs racing prototype was coach-built at the Zagato studios in Milan on the chassis of the 8C Competizione. Martin Kapp, a German collector who also owned an original TZ1 and TZ2, designed it to commemorate Alfa Romeo's centennial.

Surprisingly, the road-going version, limited to only nine cars, took a different approach. Perhaps it was the snake in the Alfa Romeo badge – or, more logically, the impending FCA merger – but the TZ3 Stradale used the Dodge Viper ACR's architecture, 8.4-liter V10 engine, and six-speed manual transmission. Norihiko Harada, Zagato's designer, did an excellent job of hiding the donor car's shape while paying homage to the original Alfa Romeo TZ models, with their double-bubble roofs and 'coda tronca' tails.

The TZ3 Stradale is significantly heavier than the Corsa, weighing in at 3306.9-Ibs, but with a slightly detuned ACR-X engine producing 600-bhp, it'll still be quick enough. Although the shape of the Viper-donated interior remains visible, Zagato dressed it up significantly with copious amounts of leather. Of course, there's an Alfa Romeo badge on the steering wheel.

"We wanted this Alfa Romeo's carbon-fibre body to say essential beauty," Andrea Zagato was quoted as saying. "The TZ3 can be considered history's first 'American' Alfa Romeo due to the Fiat Group-Chrysler-Dodge partnership." Pricing for the TZ3 Stradale is something only nine customers will know for sure. However, the asking price for this one-of-a-kind vehicle was recorded as $699,000 in 2014. RM Sotheby's Elkhart Collection sale features one of nine Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradales. The auction, which was scheduled to take place on May 1, 2020, was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, it later rescheduled for October 23rd and 24th.

The Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale May Not Exactly Be A Viper, But It Also Offers An Incredible Powertrain

Don't think the TZ3 Stradale is all Dodge. The ACR chassis is encased in carbon fiber bodywork with a classic long hood-short deck proportion. (The fact that the Viper shares these proportions undoubtedly helps). The rear has Zagato's signature Kamm tail, which is highlighted by a blacked-out panel with an integrated vertical rear window that complements the guns-lit backlight. The taillights appear to be lifted directly from an Alfa 8C, while the wheels' rotary-phone-dial design is reminiscent of various Alfas.

The b-pillar is concealed behind glass, giving the greenhouse a pillarless appearance, and the front-end treatment is more aggressive than the "track car" TZ3 Corsa, with more chiseled headlights and an Alfa grille with exaggerated chamfering. The Stradale is very appealing, but some details, such as the unfinished-looking, gaping hole of a grille out front, the unadorned fender and hood vents, and the De Lorean–style inset windows, appear to need more work.

Sources: MotorAuthority, CarAndDriver, Classic Cars, Performance Drive, CarThrottle