Reconstructing an Alfa Romeo RZ Roadster Vilner Style [w/Video]

Some five years ago, I remember we posted an article asking you, our readers, what was your favorite ugly car, and I quote myself:

“There’s ugly and there’s ugly; a Pontiac Aztec or a BMW 7-Series E65 are just plain hideous, whichever way you see it, while a 1990’s Alfa Romeo SZ or its roadster sibling, the RZ, are ugly in an alluring kind of way that’s hard to be explained in words. The best description I have ever heard about the Zagato-penned ‘beast’ is from a 1990 issue of Car Magazine that stated, ‘Ugly as a sin and just as tempting’.”

I might be five years older, but I stand firm in my belief that the angry looking hunchback (in the case of the SZ) from Milano is a strangely attractive Italian beast, and one that I would just love to have in my garage someday.

The reason why I am reminiscing about the SZ (Sprint Zagato) is an email we received from Vilner on a new project that they are putting the final touches on; a rare Alfa Romeo RZ roadster, which was stripped down to its Alfa Romeo 75 underpinnings to restore it to its former glory.

The Bulgarian design and tuning studio isn’t ready to release more details yet, but they did offer us a boatload of pictures of the restoring process and a video, both of which can be found after the break.

By John Halas

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VIDEO