1965 Alfa Romeo TZ-1

Alain de Cadenet explained to me a few years back that he bought his first Ferrari GTO because he couldn’t afford the TZ-1 he really wanted

by Thor Thorson

lfa Romeo replaced the Giulietta in 1962 with the Giulia range of cars, powered by 1,570 cc engines. In 1963, the company introduced a radical aluminum-bodied Zagato coupe incorporating the Kamm tail coda tronca design from the earlier SZ-2 and a low grille with covered headlights.

This was mounted on a tubular steel chassis made from small diameter tubing that bore no resemblance whatsoever to the Giulia product. In fact, the engine, gearbox, and a few other minor components were virtually the only Giulia parts used for the new car, which quickly became known as the TZ-1, for Tubolare Zagato. The rear suspension was innovative and fully independent, with differential-mounted disc brakes and trailing half axles, and many other parts were manufactured exclusively for the car with light alloy Electron components to save weight.

While most of the components were made at the main factory in Portello, the build of the car was entrusted to head...