Targa Florio
They were wonderful cars, those early Giuliettas. And they got even better when Zagato – Ercole Spada, no less! – was allowed to work his magic on them. They not only became more beautiful and aerodynamic, but also lighter. It goes without saying that an SZ like this was the weapon of choice for privateers in the early 1960s if they didn’t have the money for a Ferrari or a Maserati. Although it had no chance of winning the big prizes with the 1.3-litre Alfa, it racked up class victories by the yard, and the SZ didn’t need to fear even the more powerful Porsches. But the fight was hard (after all, 213 of these SZs were built, most of them were used in races), so a few extra horsepower here and there could be helpful. The man who benefited most from this was the legendary Virgilio Conrero, who also lent a hand at the factory – he is said to have installed a special engine in this Giulietta (see below). This promptly enabled the first owner, Vito Coco, to take 17th place overall and win his class at the 1962 Targa Florio.
VIN: AR1012600008
Auction: Bring A Trailer, Januar 2025, with these informations: «This 1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta was completed on June 18, 1960, as one of approximately 213 Sprint Zagato coupes built during a three-year production span. Chassis 00008 was initially sold to Italian privateer Vito Coco and was purportedly later delivered to Virgilio Conrero to receive modifications and preparations for endurance racing. Reported to have been fitted with a replacement 1,290cc sourced from Alfa Romeo’s experimental department, the car was campaigned in a number of events across Southern Italy, including at the 1962 Targa Florio, where it secured a class victory and a seventh-place overall finish. Following several changes of hands, the car was relocated to France in the 1970s, where it was purchased by the current owner in 1996. Subsequent refurbishment work was carried out and involved repainting the aluminum bodywork in its factory red, overhauling the engine, and fitting the five-speed manual transmission with a longer first gear and a shorter fifth gear. The replacement 1,290cc inline-four is believed to have been installed under original ownership and incorporates an aluminum block with cast-iron cylinder liners as well as an aluminum cylinder head with dual overhead camshafts and hemispherical combustion chambers. It was overhauled in the 1990s at Franco Angelini’s workshop in Rome, Italy, and induction is through twin Weber 40 DCO 3 sidedraft carburetors with a magnesium air box. The engine is said to have been initially supplied by Alfa Romeo’s Servizio Esperienze Speciali department as a replacement for the factory unit, and engine stamping is AR00120*ESP.»
More about these Giulietta SZs, including their history and collection, can be found here.
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