1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ

Alfa Romeos enjoyed tremendous success in the 1920s and early 1930s in distance, circuit and hillclimb events across Europe. However, as World War II approached, German super teams from Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union attempted to overshadow the cars from Portello. Post-war, Alfa Romeo picked up its winning ways with privateers running pre-war 8C 2900s. Through the 1950s, private owners kept the marque alive in competition, most notably those who ran Zagato-bodied variants of the Giulietta and 1900 models. One of the most successful series was the Sprint Veloce Zagato (SVZ) cars, which began to appear in 1956. Their achievements attracted the attention of Alfa Romeo, which then commissioned Zagato to create the Sprint Zagato (SZ), as a cataloged model in 1960. The SZ was succeeded in 1963 by an even more specialized car, the stunningly beautiful Tubolare Zagato (TZ). It was named for the new tube-framed chassis it was built around, providing weight savings and rigidity over the SZ. The TZ was built in the shops of Autodelta, the Alfa Romeo factory’s official race team, and immediately became a winner, capturing class honors at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Targa Florio, the Nürburgring 1000 Km, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1964, as well as winning the Tour de Corse and Coupe des Alpes outright. There were 112 examples of the TZ built, adding rarity to its many redeeming qualities.