Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale, Originally Sold For $1 Million, Sells For $675K

One of only nine Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradales ever built has just been sold for a bargain $675,000. And if you’re wondering how the asking price (plus change) of a Lamborghini Revuelto can possibly be considered ‘cheap’ in this context, bear in mind that this Zagato Alfa Romeo, built on the base of a Dodge Viper no less, originally went on sale for $1 million.

Finished in Dark Blue Metallic with a tan interior, this particular model – number five of the nine built – has spent most of the last 15 years “in an esteemed Arizona-based collection.” It’s also not the only limited edition Zagato currently on Young Motors’ books, as a 2003 Aston Martin DB AR1 is also up for sale.

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Why This Alfa Romeo Was Built On Top Of A Dodge Viper

Originally penned to celebrate Alfa Romeo’s 100th anniversary, and inspired by the Italian brand’s legendary Giulia ‘Tubolare Zagato’ from the mid 1960s, the TZ3 Stradale originally started life as the more compact TZ3 Corsa concept, which debuted at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2010 (do you know how many BMW design studies have been revealed on the shores of Lake Como, by the way…?). Interest, obviously, was high, but to put the TZ3 into limited production, the cash-strapped Alfa Romeo had to look to Chrysler, who built the now-revised TZ3 Stradale on top of a Dodge Viper.

We’ve taken a detailed look at the cabin and Zagato-sculpted bodywork of chassis number five before, and suffice to say, since the TZ3 was now using the Viper’s tubular steel frame, overall weight almost doubled to 3,200 pounds from the Corsa’s 1,870 pounds. All of this requires additional grunt, and Alfa’s 4.2-liter V8 was ultimately ditched in favor of the Viper’s enormous 8.4-liter naturally-aspired V10, sans the Viper badge. Power was also upped from 420-horsepower to 600-horsepower.

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That essentially meant this special edition ‘Alfa Romeo’ didn’t actually feature any physical input from Turin save the badge on the nose. Not that anybody cared: with the American underpinnings hidden well beneath this gorgeous Italian-sculpted bodywork (complete with Kamm tail), all nine examples were almost immediately sold out.

One Of Only 99 Aston Martin Zagatos Also For Sale

If, however, you prefer your bespoke Italian-built sports cars with a dash of British sophistication, this Aston Martin DB AR1 Zagato, currently on sale with Young Motors in the US, may be more up your strada. One of only 99 coachbuilt examples, the Zagato-sculpted DB AR1 made its debut at the 2003 Los Angeles Auto Show, and was commissioned by then-Aston Martin owner Ford to create a “more alluring” alternative to the DB7 flagship, a la the DB4 Zagato of the mid 1960s. Power certainly wasn’t an issue, as the 435-horsepower, pumped from Aston’s ‘GT’-spec 6.0-liter V12 to the rear wheels via a DB7 GT six-speed manual gearbox, was only marginally less than that produced by the Vanquish. A bespoke active sports exhaust ensured a fittingly rorty soundtrack too.

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Though coupe models were only available for European and Asian markets, a roadster version was produced exclusively for North American (hence the ‘AR1’ name). This particular model, finished in wonderfully understated ‘Blue’ with tan leather interior, has “just under 4,800 miles on the clock.” Also, although the price is only “upon request,” a similar model was recently sold at auction for ‘just’ $296,500. Another bargain!

Source: Young Motors, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin