Up For Sale: Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale, One of Nine Built

 

                    

By Zach Doell          

 

 

 

Many great things can claim to be both Italian and American, take for instance Mario Andretti or the deep-dish pizza.

 

 There is also this – the Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale, quite possibly the greatest instance of Italian-American cooperation we’ve ever seen. And there’s one up for sale in Newport Beach.

 

Built in 2010 by Italian coachbuilder Zagato, the TZ3 was a celebration of 100 years of Alfa Romeo, rekindling the namesakes bestowed to Zagato’s previous Alfa sports cars: the 1963 TZ1 and 1965 TZ2.

 But unlike the Alfas of old, this one didn’t feature any Italian mechanicals at all, rather, the beating heart and Detroit-built skeleton of the Dodge Viper ACR-X.

That meant the TZ3 Stradale employed 640-horsepower and 585 lb-ft of torque from the Viper’s 8.4-liter V10 engine. In the TZ3, the front engine/rear-drive layout remained exactly the same, as did its 98.9-inch wheelbase and Viper six-speed manual transmission.

Obviously, what did change was the Viper’s body, which Zagato swapped out for a bespoke design composed entirely of carbon fiber.

 The TZ3 still retains the Viper’s shoulder line and side exhaust but adds the iconic Kammback rear end, double bubble roof, and circular taillights. This particular example wears metallic brown paint matched elegantly with a chestnut-colored leather interior.

If this seems like your cup of tea – and it should – you can find this 2010 Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale listed at Ferrari of Newport Beach, number seven of only nine built. And with only 317 miles on the clock, you get the idea that people don’t treat these as lightheartedly as Vipers. Lock this one away in your private collection for a cool $699,900.