Zagato Unveils TZ3 Stradale

MILAN, Italy — Some of Zagato's most noteworthy and successful collaborations over the years have been with Alfa Romeo. On Thursday the Italian design firm formally unveiled the TZ3 Stradale — the culmination of a two-year project to celebrate Alfa Romeo's 2010 centennial.

The Stradale is a companion to the TZ3 Corsa, which debuted last year and drew inspiration from the original 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ (for Tubolare Zagato). Whereas the TZ3 Corsa was a one-off track car, though, the TZ3 Stradale is built for the street. In fact, Zagato says it will make nine copies in the fall, with the first car already delivered to American collector Eric King and the next two earmarked for customers in Japan and Europe.

The TZ3 Corsa was based on the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, but the TZ3 Stradale veers sharply from that formula — borrowing driveline and mechanicals from the Dodge Viper ACR, including its massive 8.4-liter V10. (Dodge is now technically an affiliate of Alfa Romeo within the Fiat Group, and it's said that the Viper successor will look more than a little like the 8C.) The TZ3 Stradale features a lightweight carbon-fiber unit-body structure.

The most striking design feature on both TZ3 models is the chopped-off Kamm tail, which was inspired by the original TZ, but was also seen on such period cars as the Ferrari 250 GTO and the Shelby Cobra Daytona. Zagato was one of the early pioneers in adapting the Kamm tail look on its Coda Tronca ("truncated tail") Alfas in the early 1960s.

Inside Line says: In terms of sheer voluptuousness, the TZ3 Stradale is right up there with the E-Type Jag. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent