1991 Autech Zagato Stelvio AZ1

Autech was a subsidiary of Nissan and its president was Shinichiro Sakurai, the former general manager of the company's Advanced Vehicle Design Department. It was founded in 1986 and sold cars through Nissan dealers. Within a year, the company forged an agreement with the Italian coachbuilder Zagato to produce a line of luxury sports cars primarily for the Japanese market. Zagato provided the exterior and interior design, while Autech handled the chassis and engine. The vehicle that emerged was called the Autech Zagato Stelvio AZ1 and was based on the Nissan Leopard platform. It made its debut in 1989 and 200 examples (plus three prototypes) were the intended production target. By the time production came to a close, just 104 examples had been built - mostly due to high production costs.

The Stelvio AZ1 was powered by a VG30DET 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 which was factory rated at 280 horsepower, however, it is believed that the actual figure was well over 300 horsepower. The engine was backed by a four-speed automatic gearbox and disc brakes were at all four corners.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2019