One to Buy: ex-Karl-Rune Eriksson 1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ
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To contest the high profile and fiercely competitive 1300cc Group 3 Grand Touring class, Alfa Romeo came up with the Giulietta-based Tipo 101.26 Sprint Zagato.
Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1960, the SZ wore an aerodynamically profiled body fashioned by Zagato of Milan from ultra light aluminium. Weighing in at 840kg and fitted with twin cam four cylinder engines tuned to produced a whisker under 100bhp, these diminutive competition cars went on to achieve considerable success in racing, rallying, hillclimbs and even ice racing.
Of the slightly more than 200 SZs built between late 1959 and early 1962, one of the earliest to have hit the market in recent times is the beautifully restored chassis 00015 which is currently being offered by Rory Henderson in London.
Manufactured on July 22nd 1960, chassis 00015 is understood to have been delivered new through Conrero of Turin to privateer racer, Karl-Rune Eriksson of Eskilstuna, Sweden. 00015’s debut outing followed on August 7th at the Karlskoga Kanonloppet where Eriksson beat a field of other Alfa Romeos, Abarths and Austin-Healeys to win the race for 1.3-litre GT cars. This achievement was celebrated in contemporary BP advertising, which listed Eriksson and his Alfa Romeo alongside victories by the likes of Stirling Moss.
On September 11th, Eriksson bagged another victory (this time at Skarpnack). He went on to finish second in the Swedish GT championship for 1.3-litre Group 3 cars. The following season (1961) saw chassis 00015 campaigned extensively in circuit and ice races. Further victories and consistently strong performances meant Eriksson finished second in that year’s Swedish Ice Championship and fourth in the domestic GT series.
According to Rory Henderson: “Following Eriksson’s ownership, the car passed to Rolf Soderstrom in 1962, Bertil Alm in 1966 and Carl Linden in 1970 before being acquired by Olof Sahlberg in August 1972. Sahlberg would retain the SZ for nearly 28 years. By this time the Alfa bore the evidence of the demanding life of a competition car. Sahlberg dismantled 00015 for restoration in 1974, but the project was never completed. Instead, the shell and a remarkable quantity of its components remained stored in Sweden for more than a quarter of a century.”
“The current owner discovered the dismantled SZ in 2000. Its bare shell remained supported on four original Borrani steel wheels, surrounded by boxes containing the correctly numbered engine, gearbox, Veloce cylinder heads, carburettors, manifolds, brake components, glass and Perspex, together with numerous additional Alfa Romeo competition parts. He acquired the car and collected it from Täby on 20 May 2000, transporting it and its components back to the United Kingdom and ending almost 40 uninterrupted years in Sweden.
What followed was both an extensive restoration and a detailed investigation into the SZ’s history. The current owner researched Swedish vehicle records, contacted former owners and traced Karl-Rune Eriksson himself, enabling the car’s competition career and ownership history to be fully documented.”
