Meet the world’s first “American” Alfa Romeo

To the cynic, the unveiling of a new concept car is akin to the purchase of a lottery ticket. Yes, there’s a chance something big could come out of it, but water turns into wine about as frequently. Right? Not quite.

Almost exactly a year ago, we brought you news of Alfa Romeo’s award-winning concept car, the TZ3 Corsa. Now, say hello to its limited-edition, production counterpart: the Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale. Only 10 will be available and if you think tough times may hinder sales, think again — one has already been snapped up by a US collector.

While the Corsa — inspired by classic Sixties Alfas the TZ1 and TZ2 — was a pure racer, its progeny is designed to be driven in Ray-Bans rather than a crash helmet. However, that’s not to suggest that it’s in any way sluggish. Far from it. Like the Corsa, the Stradale was created by renowned Italian design house Zagato, which has lent its expertise to the likes of Ferrari, Maserati and Aston Martin.

Zagato doesn’t really know how to do slow, which explains why it has based the Stradale on the 8.4-litre V10 engine and chassis of Chrysler’s Dodge Viper ACR.

No performance figures have been released for the Stradale yet, but the Viper’s speed peaked at 184mph. It’s this connection that has prompted Zagato to label the car the “first American Alfa Romeo”.

Prices are on application to Zagato but, as legendary banker and art collector JP Morgan is often assumed to have said (about how much it cost to run his yacht, in case you’re interested), if you have to ask, you should probably re-mortgage your house. Or something to that effect.