Do you crave a classic Alfa Romeo, Fiat, or Lancia, but your sensibilities dictate a near allergic reaction to anything both Italian and old due to its near constant, breakdown-induced headaches and back-breaking labor to fix it again? Don't fret, my wannabe classic-owning friends. FCA Heritage has given Tony free rein to fix some of the company's most historically significant classics-and he's selling them when he's done, too, thereby offering you a chance to own a freshly restored piece of Italian motoring history.
FCA Heritage recently launched its new "Reloaded by creators" program, which will bring new life to some of the company's most delectable historical examples. The restoration division will then offer those cars for sale to private collectors who have a taste for Italian metal. During the program's announcement at Salon Retromobile in Paris last week, FCA Heritage displayed the first round of vehicles it would make available for public sale-a quintet of "ultimate classics" and rarified air from FCA's storied brands' collective history. And yes, the first group includes an Alfa Romeo SZ, because of course it does.
For those of you unaware of the Alfa Romeo SZ's existence, it was the product of the chassis and running gear of an Alfa 75 3.0 V6 merged with the severe hard lines from Zagato's computer-aided (and likely drug-addled) design philosophy of the '80s. The result was a fantastic, savage, and painfully Italian coupe that turned everything up to undici. Assembled by hand, just over 1,000 were produced in total. This example was one of the first SZs built, used for testing purposes at Alfa Romeo's Circuito di Balocco proving grounds. Further emphasizing how ridiculous this car was when it debuted in 1989, it cost over $75,000 when new, which equates to just under $150,000 today.
Bolstering this group of cars is a 1981 Spidereuropa Pininfarina (a continuation of the Fiat 124 Spider built by Pininfarina for the European market beginning in 1982), a 1991 Alfa Romeo Spider (which has belonged to FCA and its predecessors since new), a 1973 Lancia Fulvia Coupe Montecarlo, and a 1959 Lancia Appia Coupe. Information on these classics is available now on the FCA Heritage website. All proceeds from the sale will be used to scout for and restore other heritage Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Lancia models, which will then join the company's historic collection.
