Alfa Romeo – TZ1 (1964)

The uncompromising coupé planned by Alfa Romeo at the beginning of the swinging sixties was styled to be svelte, lightweight and wild. The lines ending in a striking bobtail rear were penned by Ercole Spada, at the time the young head of design at Zagato, the coachwork specialist located close to the Alfa Romeo plant that had recently opened in Arese. The tubular spaceframe chassis and the thin aluminium skin reduced the weight to around 650 kilograms. This was complemented by the high-revving 1.6 litre four-cylinder inline engine from Giulia, tuned to generate 112 hp.

The TZ1 was piloted to some impressive race finishes as a competition car at Le Mans, Sebring, on the Nürburgring and at the Targa Florio. This particular example is number 16 of slightly over 100 cars built, and the coupé started its successful racing career in Southern California in 1964 – fast women like Nadeene Brengle and Phyllis Gaylard were the first to get behind the wheel. The history of this unique TZ1 is documented without a break up to the present day, including a passionately detailed and sensitive restoration over the years 2015 to 2019.