2. Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale
You may think it is strange to feature an Alfa Romeo on this list since Alfa is a well-known factory that doesn’t produce supercars. However, there is one Alfa Romeo model that is obscure and rare, so it is fitting for this article. That is the Alfa Romeo TZ 3 Stradale they produced in 2011 in just nine cars.
The TZ name has been present in Alfa’s history since the 1960’s when it produced several sports and racing cars named the TZ 1 and TZ 2. The T stands for Turbulare and the Z stands for Zagato, the famous designer house. To connect with its glorious racing past, Alfa Romeo presented a limited production model in 2011, called the TZ 3 with a Zagato body. The automobile public was surprised when Alfa introduced their new model because they didn’t have the chassis or the engine for such a model.
When Alfa revealed the specifications, the secret came to light. The Alfa Romeo TZ 3 was a previous generation Dodge Viper ACR-X in a track version. Alfa placed the Viper into a Zagato body, leaving the important mechanical components and massive 8.2-litre engine intact. Even the interior was the same, except they switched the badges from Dodge to Alfa Romeo. The TZ 3 had a supercar beating performance with 600 HP, a 3.4 second 0 to 60 mph time and a 200 mph top speed.
Despite the fancy new Italian suit, great V10 engine, perfect driving dynamics and legendary name, Alfa managed to sell only nine of them. Ironically, none of them were allowed in the U.S., even though the mechanics came straight from a U.S.-made car.