Modern car design is divisive, but only the SZ earned a nickname for its distinctive looks
We’re living in a pretty divisive period for car design. Naturally, the first thing that springs to mind is practically everything BMW has put out of late , but the rise of the electric car, freed from the shackles of cooling vents and engine packing, has spawned designs so controversial that they’ve ruined friendships and split families right down the middle. Just look at the Tesla Cybertruck, Ford Capri and Alfa Romeo Junior to name but a few.
But no matter how challenging you may find today’s crop of gawping-grilled performance cars and sci-fi-styled EVs, it’s still got nothing on what the '80s was serving up. It was a decade obsessed with embracing the future and pushing the limits of possibility. This is the era of the space-age Aston Lagonda, the pin-sharp Lotus Esprit Turbo and many iterations of TVR Wedge. And it wasn’t just the Brits getting in on it, either.
Beneath the futuristic skin was a properly well-sorted platform, too. Yes, it was essentially a shortened Alfa 75 , but Giorgio Pianta, who oversaw the development of many championship-winning Lancia rally cars, was put in charge of making it work. He set about by plucking the suspension setup from the box-arched 75 IMSA car and calling on Koni for a set of sportier dampers. It also helped that the entire body was made from lightweight composites for a kerb weight of just 1,256kg.
“If you are going to do controversial, don’t do half measures. Make it so ugly children will scream and hide.” That’s what11 years ago. He’s got a point, because it’s working wonders for many EV makers these days, and it helped Alfa shift 1,036 of them, exceeding its planned run of 1,000 cars. While it’s as radical now as it was all those years ago, the SZ does seem to be ageing well.
Now imagine that, only you’re looking out at this particular SZ parked up on your driveway. Or, preferably, tucked away in your garage . The rich Rosso Alfa paint and delicious tan leather interior look to be in superb condition on this car, while most of the 9,000 miles covered were done so on the salt-free roads of Japan. It’s been in the UK since 2018 and comes complete with its original tailor-fit cover and factory build sheet. All for £79,990.
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