The Giulietta Sprint Zagato echoes the severe tumblehome roofline of the fabulous Bertone BATs and the slanted tail of the same bodybuilder’s Sprint Speciale. The BATs, however, were strictly styling exercises and the Sprint Speciales were too heavy to be race cars. It was Zagato that finally filled Alfa’s need for an aerodynamic Giulietta coupe that would win races.
Two series of the Sprint Zagato were produced between 1959 and 1961.The first series featured a smooth,
flowing body that ended in a short, curved trunk. It was markedly different from the second series, which was redesigned to feature a longer but more abruptly-ending tail.
Weighing in at slightly more than 1,700 pounds, both iterations of the SZ were excellent performers, given their 1300cc, 100-hp DOHC alloy engine. Sporting all of the best features of the Giulietta, including large, finned drum brakes and lightweight solid rear axle, the aluminum-bodied SZ brought an impressive series of podium finishes to both factory teams and privateers.
A photograph of the SZ described here, wearing Italian plates, was taken in England in the 1960s. Recent traceable history, however, dates back to 1978, when the car was found in storage south of Milan. At that time, it was missing both doors and its rear bodywork was slightly damaged. In that condition, the car was sold at the Imola autojumble to a Swiss dentist who restored and then campaigned it at club rallies and races. In 1994, the dentist sold the car to Italian auto broker Franco Manetti, who imported it to the US in 1999. The car comes with its original racing seats, rollbar, engine and transmission.
{analysis} This car was sold for $49,500 at the RM Monterey Auction on August 19, 2000. The sale price of this car is double the low auction estimate and reflects both the good condition of the car and its essential desirability.
Before the war, the combination of an Alfa Romeo chassis and a Zagato body set the standard for high-performance, lightweight sport cars. After the war, that relationship changed. While Alfa was busy assembling 6C 2500s from pre-war parts, Zagato was busy building Fiat Topolino bodies. The 1900 SSZ Alfa Zagato coupe was a consistent hillclimb winner in the mid-’50s, but it failed to rekindle the strong bond between the two firms that characterized the pre-war relationship.
The potential big break for Zagato came when the Priolo brothers came to them and asked for a lightweight body on a recently wrecked Giulietta Sprint Veloce. The substantially lightened Zagato-bodied Giulietta proved a potent contender for the brothers, and it was not long before customers began to line up for duplicate lightweight Giulietta Zagatos.
Alfa wouldn’t supply the pan and driveline, so Zagato was reduced to buying new Giulietta Sprint Veloces at full price, then cutting the bodies off and fitting their own lightweight creations. In spite of the necessarily exorbitant cost, the Giulietta Zagato coupes continued to sell. Finally, the Zagato brothers made their point to Alfa management, and they were allowed to buy just the pan and running gear from the factory at a considerably reduced cost. The Giulietta Sprint Zagato was the result.
The original version, sometimes referred to as “the football,” had a rounded-off tail that was symmetric with the car’s front bodywork. This was an era of aerodynamic experimentation, however, and the second style of Zagato bodywork on the Giulietta followed the theories of the German aerodynamicist, Kamm: the “coda tronca” (truncated tail). Before Kamm, the laminar flow of air over a body was maintained as long as possible, resulting in an extended tail which tapers to almost a point. Kamm’s theory was that the extended tail simply prolonged aerodynamic drag, and it would be more efficient to end the laminar flow as early and abruptly as possible. The coda tronca design of the Giulietta Sprint Zagato was carried over to the Giulia TZ and TZ2 cars, as well as the later Type 33 racers.
Normal Giulietta Veloces need at least 3,000 rpm for getting underway from a stop. Because of its light weight, the Zagato version requires much less throttle. Though most of the Zagato Giuliettas have had a racing history, they are actually quite capable of every-day transport if the owner is so inclined. Unlike the later IRS Giulia TZ, very little fiddling with suspension settings is required to produce a very competitive car. And, since the driveline is virtually stock 101 Giulietta Veloce, replacement parts are not a real problem. In many ways, the Giulietta Sprint Veloce Zagato is the best of all possible worlds.
This car was bid considerably over the auction estimate, which was too low to begin with. Pricing balances the car’s positive appeal against the fact that it was not completely original, though most of the pieces to make it so came with the car. The lack of pre-1978 history besides a photograph (how do they know it is the same car?) is troubling; one can even today order a replica SZ body from Galbiati’s shop. At nearly $50,000, however, this was a fair enough deal for everyone involved. It’s hard to name another car that combines such performance, practicality, rarity and charm.—Pat Braden{/analysis}