1960 Alfa Romeo Sprint Zagato Coupe

In 1956, Elio Zagato acquired a damaged Alfa Romeo Sprint Veloce and rebuilt it with a larger, more aerodynamic body, creating a racing Giulietta to rival larger-engiend GT cars. Alfa Romeo later contracted Zagato to build a small run of 200 factory-sanctioned racing cars, and the lightweight Giulietta Sprint Zagato (or SZ) dominated the 1300 GT class in endurance vents, circuit races and hill climbs.

This Giulietta SZ was sold to Gianni Bulgari of Rome, who raced it with Fabrizio Violati's Scuderia Campidoglio Motori team in the 1961 Targa Florio and the four-hour Pescara Grand Prix and won his class at the Coppa Gallenga. Bulgari sold the SZ to Scuderia Settecolli for the 1963 Targa Florio, where it was driven by Mario Costantini and Corrado Ferlaino. In 1964, the car was sold to Lorenzo Garcia of New York who is believed to have used it as a daily driver before retiring it.

In 1956, a wrecked Alfa Romeo Sprint Veloce was brought to Elio Zagato for new coachwork. The car was given a lighter, more aerodynamic coachwork, creating a Giulietta that had the potential to rival GT cars of far greater displacement. Owners of other Sprint Veloce models took notice of the re-bodied Giulietta, as did Alfa Romeo, who contracted Carrozzeria Zagato to build a limited run of factory-sanctioned racing cars.

The Giulietta Sprint Zagato, or SZ, had a short-wheelbase platform of the spider and fitted with finned aluminum drum brakes, a full-synchromesh five-speed gearbox, and the Tipo AR120 engine. The Zagato coachwork was lightweight, aerodynamic, and minimal. They had Plexiglass windows and virtually no ornamentation. Inside, there were two tube-frame seats, vinyl upholstery, and a three-gauge instrument binnacle.

This Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ were sold through Alfa Romeo and were distinguished by their special type number (AR10126). They began arriving into customer care in late 1960. They quickly became a dominant contender in the 1300 GT class in endurance events, circuit races, and hill climbs.

Around 200 examples of the original SZ were built, along with 30 examples of the updated SZ 'Coda Tronca' which had a long-nose, Kamm-tail coachwork.

This particular Giulietta SZ example was completed on September 23rd of 1960 and finished in metallic grey with red upholstery. It was sold to its first owner, Gianni Bulgari of Rome, on January 7th of 1961. Mr. Bulgari immediately began racing the car under the Scuderia Campidoglio banner. Throughout the 1961 and 1962 season, Sig. Bulgari's SZ was a regular participant at many important events, including the Targa Florio, the Tour de France Automobile, the 4 Hours of Pescara, and GT races at Monza. Bulgari even captured a class win at the Coppa Gallenga.

After the 1962 season, Bulgari sold the SZ. Scuderia Settecolli entered the SZ in the 1963 edition of the Targa Florio, where it was entrusted to Mario Costantini and Corrado Ferlaino. In its last race, the Alfa Romeo wore race no. 26 and was distinguished by its new dark red livery and Plexiglas headlamp covers supplied by Zagato.

Ownership changed on August 11th of 1963 from Gilberto Castagnini of Rome to Antonio Bonanno, an Italian citizen living on West 43rd Street in Manhattan. The car was exported to the United States circa 1964, and was sold to Lorenzo Garcia, a resident of Laurelton, New York. It is believed the car was used as a daily driver until 1968 or 1969, when it was retired from the road. From there, it disappeared from the public eye until being discovered in the fall of 2014. It is currently in unrestored condition and its appearance has changed little since racing at the Targa Florio in May 1963.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2015