If not for a serious accident, it is unlikely that the SZ would exist, let alone conquer small displacement GT racing in the early 1960s.
After crashing their Giulietta Sprint Veloce in the 1956 Mille Miglia, the Leto Di Priolo brothers asked Zagato to create a new, ultra-light body for their ruined car. The resulting Zagato body weighed 320 pounds less and was so competitive, it drew racing customers away from Alfa Romeo. Alfa eventually commissioned Zagato to create a production version, the even more radical Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ, or Sprint Zagato.
Designed by Ercole Spada, the SZ body was cloaked with hand-formed aluminum panels attached to a web of thin steel rods. Essentially a low production volume race car, each example took over 300 hours to build with no two quite alike. When tuned by specialists such as Virgilio Conrero, its 1290 cc Alfa engine could produce an astonishing 127 hp at 7400 rpm, enough to propel the Alfa SZ to an easy 125 mph.
Unveiled at the 1960 Geneva Motor Show and available for purchase from any Alfa Romeo agent, the SZ was first offered with the Coda Tonda, or round tail, body. Weight was eliminated everywhere: no bumpers, plastic side windows, and a spartan interior. With fast Veloce running gear, the combination proved unbeatable. A version with a Kamm back, the Coda Tronca, was also raced extensively. The SZ dominated every race and hill-climb it entered, winning the International GT Championship for the 1.3liter class in 1962 and 1963. The display car was restored in 2006 and, though it does not have a race history, it is a fine example of a bold Zagato design that heralded the Alfa Romeo TZ.