1962-Alfa Romeo-Giulietta SZ II Coda Tronca by Zagato

Description

1962 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ II “Coda Tronca” by Zagato
s/n AR10126*00207 Engine no. “AR0012001011” (installed), AR00120*00634 (included)
Red with Black Interior

The Sprint Zagato is the ultimate sporting development of Alfa Romeo’s legendary Giulietta. Featuring lightweight bodywork by Zagato and specially tuned engines, the cars were very successful and surprisingly fast, topping 120mph on under 1.3 liters. Lighter than any other variant of the Giulietta, the SZ also had more power thanks to its high compression engine, tighter tolerances, more aggressive cams, and careful tuning, The cars were quite expensive owing to the 300 hours necessary to build the bodies by Zagato, this after receiving the chassis from Alfa Romeo. A few more than 200 examples were built, of which the last 44 were long tail “Coda Tronca” such as this example. To fully exploit the car’s potential, lighter and more aerodynamic bodywork was deemed necessary. These cars featured bodies with lower roofs and long tails with Kamm treatment, very much in the style of the 1600 TZ which immediately followed their production. Other technological advancements from earlier cars included front disc brakes and three shoe big finned rear drums, standard 5-speed transmission, and typically a higher final drive ratio to keep up with the higher speeds allowed by the more streamlined body shape. Giulia-type instruments were also commonly fitted to the SZ IIs, as were bi-metal wheels; steal inner with aluminum outer rings. The SZ’s inherent stability and instantaneous response to steering input made it a driver’s car par excellence. On the racetrack it proved virtually unbeatable, and the Sprint Zagato remains a major force to be reckoned with in historic motorsport, being eligible for a wide variety of prestigious events.

The car offered here, chassis number ‘207’, was completed on 11 August 1962 and sold on 22 November that same year in Vercelli, Italy. While little is known of its subsequent history until September 1993, it is understood by experts to have been owned in the United States for some time by Peter Sachs, and later was imported into Japan from an owner in Switzerland. The immediately preceding owner, a Mr. H. Suzuki, acquired the car on 23 May 2007 and sold it to the current owner in 2014, who is a US-based Italian car enthusiast with a collection of competition-oriented collectable cars.

While in Fantasy Junction’s care, Zagato body numbers stampings of “634” have been located with fits properly into the Zagato sequence, confirming authenticity. s/n ‘207’ is currently fitted with a non-original Alfa Romeo 1750 engine (re-stamped to read: “AR0012001011”), but accompanying the car is a 1,300cc Type 750 Veloce engine (AR00120*00634) which is understood to be the original.

Today, the car has a nice driver cosmetic presentation, clearly having been restored at some point in the past. The body is in good order, with straight panels and brightwork. The paintwork is done to good driver standards, but is not in keeping with today’s show level presentations. The window glass, lenses, and emblems are all in good order. The windshield appears to have been replaced during the car’s tenure in Japan. A smart set of headlight covers is installed, and the car sits on its rare bi-metal wheels. The interior also displays nice driver cosmetics, and features a rare Nardi wood rimmed steering wheel, correct under dash mounted windscreen washer bag, original switchgear, and correct Zagato seats. The engine bay, trunk, and underside are in serviceable, structurally sound condition, suitable for rally even use, but perhaps a level below concours standards.

In addition to the 750 Series Veloce engine (long block, unrestored), the car comes with paperwork including Japanese export and shipping documents; US import documents; email correspondence concerning its purchase; and the 2014 purchase receipt.