cars blog: Alfa Romeo TZ3

This one-off Alfa Romeo TZ3 was purpose-built by Zagato as a gentleman's racer. The rakish kamback profile is based on classic Alfa racers, but performance is totally modern thanks to its weight: just 1,870 lb.That weight is achieved by a tubular carbon fiber frame covered by a hand-formed aluminum body. The mid-front-mounted engine is Alfa's 420 HP, 4.2-liter V8, which may not sound like a huge amount of power but is enough to propel the featherweight supercar - 187 Lbs lighter than a Lotus Exige - to 60 MPH in less than 3.5 seconds and on to a top speed in excess of 187 MPH. Zagato says it built the car, commissioned by wealthy German collector Martin Kapp, to celebrate 100 years of successful racing collaborations with Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and other Italian manufacturers, finding influence for this new car in the classics included in the above gallery.

The Zagato-designed Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa has been unveiled at the Villa D'Este concours, and frankly, it's spectacular. Driven by the Alfa 8C Competizione's V8, the TZ3 is very much in keeping with its 60s-era predecessors, the TZ1 and TZ2, sporting similar detail elements and the same near-breadvan profile. Also like the originals, this is a legit racing car. Unlike its forbears, however, the new machine wears aluminum bodywork stretched over a tube frame and carbon-fiber chassis. Power, as indicated before, is also of thoroughly modern origin. Zagato says the TZ3 was commissioned by German collector Martin Kapp as a special celebration of 100 years of racing from Scuderia Ferrari, Alfa Corse, Autodelta, and Scuderia Zagato. On that "special" bit, we think it's safe to say, "mission accomplished" - with class and panache to spare. Official PR pics are in the gallery below, and a full live gallery is posted at OmniAuto. Be sure to pay them a visit as well.