reality, the Milanese coachbuilder only made a small contribution to its striking lines. The SZ was never intended to be a state of the art machine brimming with sophisticated electronics, instead Alfa wanted a synthesis of traditional technologies. They succeeded and produced an exhilarating rear wheel drive machine that thrilled and impressed in equal measure. It comprised a unitary steel shell construction with bonded plastic body panels, extreme torsional rigidity being the result. This was then packed with a variety of mechanical components enhanced by Alfa Corse. Many of these were derived from the 75 and Alfa rightly applied the lessons they'd learnt with the Turbo Evoluzione (as used to great effect in the World Touring Car Championship). Independent suspension and transverse wishbones at the front were combined with a rigid de Dion-style rear axle incorporating converging rods and a Watts linkage. There were hydraulic telescopic dampers, anti-roll bars and uniball joints all round. Because ground clearance was restricted, Alfa equipped each car with cockpit-adjustable ride height - a button on the centre console raising or lowering the suspension by 50mm.

Ventilated disc brakes were found at each corner along with 16-inch light-alloy rims and Pirelli P-Zero's. For the engine, Alfa settled on a 3-litre 60° V6 ultimately derived from the flagship 75. Mounted front longitudinally, these single overhead camshaft Tipo 61501 units featured two valves per cylinder with light alloy blocks and heads. Displacement was 2959cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 93mm x 72.6mm respectively, compression being set at 10.0:1. Great care was taken in the assembly stages, particular attention being paid to the timing, camshafts, compression and geometry of the new intake and exhaust manifolds. Other new features included a supplementary heat exchanger for cooling the engine oil and a new wider diameter air filter. Bosch supplied the multipoint fuel injection system (ML4.1 Motronic) and all SZ's were fitted with three-way Lambda catalytic converters. All this equated to a very respectable 210bhp at 6200rpm, the engine being coupled to a single dry plate clutch and traditional five-speed manual transmission.

car "Il Mostro" for obvious reasons. Body panels were manufactured by Carplast in Italy and Stratime in France, they were formed from Modar thermosetting metacrylic resin reinforced with glassfibre and bonded to the chassis. Only one colour scheme was officially offered, Rosso Alfa 130 with a Grigio Scuro 633 roof. There were just a couple of exceptions, Andrea Zagato's rebuilt Trophy car being painted completely black whilst a handful of yellow cars are also believed to have left the factory. Inside, the heavily bolstered Zagato-designed seats were always officially trimmed in beige leather to match the roof lining and pillars, the door trim and the two cubby holes positioned behind the seats. In contrast, black leather was used used for the two-tone doors, the dash and centre console. Although a 68-litre fuel tank was mounted behind the seats, a useful amount of luggage space remained, this area being covered in same light brown carpet as the rest of the floor and featuring a pair of traditional leather retaining straps (in beige).

A black leather-rimmed three-spoke steering wheel was created specifically for the SZ by Zagato and Momo, this fronting an elegant instrument binnacle with imitation carbon facia. The central console featured a numbered plaque and bank of four switches, one of which was for raising and lowering the ride-height. Air-conditioning was standard along with electric windows and electric mirrors. Despite a set of fitted luggage being displayed at early salon outings, only one set was reputedly made and there were no other optional upgrades offered. Weighing in at 1260kg, SZ's could sprint from 0-60 in 6.4 seconds and reach 156mph flat out. This was only part of the story though. Despite its modest output, “Il Mostro's” handling was legendary and it quickly became a favourite with automotive journalists. Introduced in the spring of 1989, the first 11 customer cars were delivered later that year. Production continued until 1991 and eventually reached 1036 units despite Alfa originally promising a limited run of 1000. During this time, a few minor developments were phased in, the most important being a reinforced clutch in 1991.