Am I mad? Alfa Romeo RZ / SZ
Discussion
Anyone tell me anymore about these two?
Love the blocky 70s look (see profile) and would love one to sit along side the Grales, not fussed about it being the roadster if the coupe is a better drive but would prfer the roadster if not much difference between the two.
Am I mad to even consider either? are they loathed by the classic car world?
I am currently going on looks, youthful desire & having owned its base model, the 75 V6, which was not a bad car by any means.
Can someone put me straight? could be a complete lemon for all I know, dont mind half a lemon just not a complete one
Love the blocky 70s look (see profile) and would love one to sit along side the Grales, not fussed about it being the roadster if the coupe is a better drive but would prfer the roadster if not much difference between the two.
Am I mad to even consider either? are they loathed by the classic car world?
I am currently going on looks, youthful desire & having owned its base model, the 75 V6, which was not a bad car by any means.
Can someone put me straight? could be a complete lemon for all I know, dont mind half a lemon just not a complete one
Definitely not a lemon, and the SZ is in my fantasy garage too. V6 engine tweaked to 207 bhp, so still not quick - 0-60mph in about 7 secs. Car weighs 1280kg despite its plastic body. 75 floorpan, as you know, with 75 running gear. Most of the kit was from the racing version of the 5 - engine, rear transaxle. It had gucci hydraulic rear suspension, and adjustable front suspension being very very low. Handling was raved about in the press at the time, but they were too expensive, too rare (1035 SZ built, 241 RZ) and too slow to really take off. Oh, and they only came in LHD.
I really really really want one. They're going for about £20k....
I really really really want one. They're going for about £20k....
Part of the reason they didn't sell initially was badge snobbery - with £50k in their pocket (and in 1990, £50k was plenty of money), who would walk past a Porsche garage to get to an Alfa? Another reason was that the car was launched into the teeth of the recession, a feat that Alfa has repeated with the 8C, and in particular the 8C Spider...
I wouldn't get too hung up about the 0-60 times, the SZ/RZ are all about handling.
Equally, people make (IMO) too big a deal about it being based on the 75. It's a modified floorpan, suspension from the 75 race car, a different version of the engine, different weight distribution, etc., etc., to the extent that they're almost more different than they are alike to drive.
The SZ is obviously the stiffer car than the RZ, but the RZ is no blancmange. They're all variable, but the RZs are generally better made than SZs - a lot was learnt during the SZ production run.
Different people will prefer one over the other for different reasons - for me, the SZ isn't better enough at ten-tenths to compensate for the sound and sensation with the roof down when you're not going flat-out.
I've had my RZ (one of 284) for just over 11 years now - I traded my integrale against it, and I've never regretted it for a moment. 
I wouldn't get too hung up about the 0-60 times, the SZ/RZ are all about handling.
Equally, people make (IMO) too big a deal about it being based on the 75. It's a modified floorpan, suspension from the 75 race car, a different version of the engine, different weight distribution, etc., etc., to the extent that they're almost more different than they are alike to drive.
The SZ is obviously the stiffer car than the RZ, but the RZ is no blancmange. They're all variable, but the RZs are generally better made than SZs - a lot was learnt during the SZ production run.
Different people will prefer one over the other for different reasons - for me, the SZ isn't better enough at ten-tenths to compensate for the sound and sensation with the roof down when you're not going flat-out.
I've had my RZ (one of 284
) for just over 11 years now - I traded my integrale against it, and I've never regretted it for a moment. Pvapour said:
thx guys, will do some digging now, should look good sat next to the Grale 
The only other thing I'd say is that you need to go in with your eyes open - it's not a "modern" driving experience, which is fair enough given that they're ~20 years old. Although if you're used to your integrale, then I guess you probably know what to expect of a car from that era. Initially, in a straight line, you'll feel underwhelmed - or at least I did. But as I said before, the SZ/RZ are all about corners rather than straights. It took me a bit of time before I fully appreciated that.
I've had mine chipped (not a massive headline bhp increase but fills it out a bit more in the midrange), I've got a stainless steel de-cat exhaust, and upgraded brakes - all done by Jano. The brakes were probably the single biggest improvement, although I still think they could be a bit better.
Buy carefully - like an integrale, there seems to be a bit of a divide developing between cheap(ish) ones and good ones. And like an integrale, sorting a cheap one will almost always cost more than getting a good one in the first place.
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