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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThe Alfa Romeo with a Dodge Viper connection is the Zagato TZ3 Stradale—not the Alfa Romeo SZ or RZ. The TZ3 Stradale’s carbon-fibre body sits over a Dodge Viper ACR rolling chassis, while the SZ and RZ are Alfa Romeo 75-based cars powered by an Alfa Romeo 3.0-litre V6. They are easy to confuse because all are associated with Zagato, but they are distinct models.
Which Alfa Romeo was based on a Dodge Viper?
It was the Alfa Romeo Zagato TZ3 Stradale, identified as a 2010 model by Zagato. The coachbuilder says its carbon-fibre bodywork covers the rolling chassis of a Dodge Viper ACR, and that the car was built in a limited series of nine. Zagato’s TZ3 Stradale page describes this as the first time the company based a car on American mechanics.
The phrase “V10 Dodge Viper” is shorthand for the Viper’s engine heritage, not a precise description of the Alfa’s documented specification. The supplied source for the TZ3 Stradale establishes the Viper ACR rolling chassis but does not state the engine specification for the Alfa itself. Lane Motor Museum identifies the 1994 Dodge Viper RT/10’s engine as an 8.0-litre V10; that is useful Viper context, not evidence that the SZ or RZ used one. Lane Motor Museum’s 1994 Viper entry also notes that Lamborghini, then a Chrysler subsidiary, cast a prototype aluminum V10 block based on the truck drivetrain for Viper development.
Was the Alfa Romeo SZ or RZ a V10 Viper?
No. The Alfa Romeo SZ and its open-top counterpart, the RZ, were ES30 project cars developed with Zagato and based mechanically on the Alfa Romeo 75. Alfa Romeo’s 2019 account describes the SZ as powered by a tuned three-litre V6; it identifies SZ as “Sprint Zagato” and RZ as “Roadster Zagato.” The RZ arrived in 1992 with a fabric roof in place of the SZ’s aluminium roof. Stellantis’ Alfa Romeo history release gives the cars’ lineage and production details.
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Alfa Romeo SZ specifications
Stellantis lists the SZ’s 2,959 cm³ V6 at 210 PS and 245 Nm, with a top speed of 245 km/h and a 0–100 km/h time of 7.5 seconds. Its listed transmission and drivetrain are a five-speed transaxle, rear-wheel drive and a limited-slip differential. A separate Stellantis Heritage brochure for a 1989 SZ lists a 2,959 cm³, 60-degree, 12-valve V6 producing 207 hp at 6,200 rpm. The figures differ slightly because they refer to different source descriptions; they should not be blended into a single specification. Stellantis Heritage’s SZ brochure provides the second figure.
Production numbers are not the same
Stellantis reports that 1,036 SZs were delivered between 1989 and 1993. It lists 287 RZs as documented, but says the final RZ total is uncertain because Zagato continued production after Alfa Romeo’s official sales stop. Those figures are separate from the TZ3 Stradale’s nine-car limited series.
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How the three Zagato-associated cars differ
| Model | Platform or mechanical basis | Engine information in the cited sources | Body style | Production | Year information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfa Romeo SZ (ES30) | Based mechanically on the Alfa Romeo 75 | Alfa Romeo 2,959 cm³ V6; Stellantis lists 210 PS, while a 1989 Stellantis Heritage brochure lists 207 hp | Fixed-roof coupé | 1,036 delivered, 1989–1993 (Stellantis, 2019) | Production years 1989–1993 (Stellantis, 2019) |
| Alfa Romeo RZ (ES30) | Based mechanically on the Alfa Romeo 75 | Alfa Romeo three-litre V6 family (Stellantis, 2019) | Roadster with fabric roof | 287 documented; final total uncertain (Stellantis, 2019) | Arrived in 1992 (Stellantis, 2019) |
| Alfa Romeo Zagato TZ3 Stradale | Dodge Viper ACR rolling chassis under carbon-fibre bodywork | Engine specification for the TZ3 Stradale is not stated on Zagato’s cited page | Carbon-fibre-bodied coupé | Limited series of nine (Zagato) | Identified as a 2010 model (Zagato) |
Why the Viper connection gets attached to the wrong Alfa
The SZ/RZ and TZ3 Stradale share a prominent association with Zagato, but that does not make them versions of the same car. The SZ and RZ belong to the Alfa Romeo 75-derived ES30 project of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The TZ3 Stradale is a separate, later Zagato creation whose Viper ACR chassis is the source of the American connection. The decisive distinction is the underlying platform: Alfa Romeo 75 for the SZ/RZ, Viper ACR for the TZ3 Stradale.
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