If You Thought The 4C Was Radical, Get A Load Of The Alfa SZ

The current Alfa Romeo range is a bit of an oddity. You have the MiTo and Giulietta, which are both very ordinary hatchbacks, and the 4C - a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive sports car with a carbonfibre chassis. This isn't the first time Alfa has made a properly nuts car alongside some ordinary ones, however. Back in the late 80s and early 90s, the Milanese manufacturer had this: the extreme SZ.

The 'Sprint Zagato' had fairly humble underpinnings - it was based on the rear-wheel drive Alfa 75 saloon, sharing the same rear-wheel drive chassis and 3.0-litre V6. On the exterior, though, it was absolutely crazy. That slab front with a trio of lights each side is ridiculously aggressive, while the chunky, high-waisted rear end is borderline awkward. No wonder it became nicknamed 'Il Monstro.'

It has the capability to back up those monstrous looks, too. Giorgio Pianta, the engineer and team manager of the Lancia and Fiat works rally teams, set up the SZ's Koni suspension. As a result of his wizardry, this thing could pull lateral cornering forces of over 1G. The 3.0-litre V6 makes 207bhp, giving the SZ a relatively modest 0-60mph time of 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 153mph, but what an engine it is. The sonorous 'Busso' Alfa V6 is one of the all-time greats, and justifiably so.

Just the fact that Alfa had the balls to make this is commendable, especially at a time when the company wasn't exactly in the best financial health. 1036 SZs were built, making them an incredibly rare sight on today's roads. There's also an even rarer, and possible weirder looking roadster version dubbed the RZ (above), of which only 278 were made. When these cars were new, Alfa expected you to part with a fairly substantial £40,000 for one. Despite the dividing looks, values have remained strong: these days you'll need at least £20k to bag an SZ.