One to Buy: ex-Martini & Rossi Racing Team 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ Coda Tronca
After Zagato had successfully re-bodied a small run of Giulietta Sprint Veloces into ‘SVZ’ trim (making them the most competitive under 1300cc GT racers around), Alfa Romeo commissioned the Milanese coachbuilder to create an official run which premiered at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1960.
In total, a little over 200 examples of the resultant Giulietta SZ were completed, the final circa 20% of which were updated with front disc brakes and slippery Kamm-tailed Coda Tronca bodywork that reflected the latest aerodynamic understanding.
Significantly, it was with two SZ Coda Tronca models that Italian drinks company Martini & Rossi took its first steps into motor racing sponsorship and one of those cars, chassis ‘00200’ will be heading to auction at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction scheduled for August 15th and 16th.
Following completion in October 1961, chassis ‘00200’ (along with sister car chassis ‘00201’) was shipped to Alfa Romeo’s US distributor in Newark, New Jersey.
Emblazoned with ‘Martini & Rossi Racing Team’ script, chassis ‘00200’ made its competition debut at the 1962 Daytona 3 Hour World Sportscar Championship race where Paul Richards finished 26th overall and second in class (two positions behind team-mate Charlie Kolb). Richards and Kolb then drove together at the Sebring 12 Hours where they were the last classified finishers in 37th. The car completed its trio of outings at US rounds of the ‘62 World Sportscar Championship with fifth overall and third in class for Richards at the Bridgehampton 400km.
More recently, following acquisition by the consigning owner in 2016, chassis ‘00200’ has been subject to a comprehensive restoration, since which time it has covered around 1000 miles.
Reprinted below is RM Sotheby’s description:
Chassis No. AR 10126 00200
One of 41 “Coda Tronca”-configured cars, and approximately the 200th of 216 total SZ examples built
One of the two earliest competition entries fielded by the Martini & Rossi Racing Team
Finished 2nd in class at the 1962 Daytona Continental 3-Hours, and 3rd in class at the 1962 Bridgehampton 400 KM
Successfully completed the 1962 12 Hours of Sebring, and participated in the 1962 Bahamas Speed Week
Faithfully restored under the current nine-year ownership
Athletically specified and beautifully bodied with lightweight aluminum coachwork by Zagato, the series-built Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale-based Sprint Zagato (SZ) was one of the most potent racing berlinettas of the early 1960s. Only approximately 216 examples were built, of which just the final 41 cars featured a truncated “Coda Tronca” Kamm tail and front disc brakes.
The featured car is one of two SZ examples (along with chassis number 0201) that were shipped to the American marque subsidiary in Newark, New Jersey, for competition use by the nascent Martini & Rossi Racing Team. These two special Alfa Romeos are widely believed to be the very first cars fielded by Martini & Rossi, commencing one of motorsports’ most legendary sponsorships.
Completed in October 1961, chassis number 0200 was finished in Rosso Alfa paint, as confirmed by Alfa Romeo documentation on file.
After arrival to the US, the fenders were adorned with script reading “Martini & Rossi Racing Team,” as the brand’s iconic racing livery had yet to be devised. Driver Paul Richards finished 2nd in class at the Daytona Continental 3-Hours in February 1962, just two places behind teammate Charlie Kolb, who won the 1.3-liter class in the sister car.
The SZ then successfully completed the 12 Hours of Sebring a month later, and the car also finished 3rd in class (5th overall) at the under-2-liter race at the Bridgehampton 400 KM in September. At the end of the year the Alfa Romeo was likely one of the two Sprint Zagatos driven by Kolb and Richards at the Bahamas Speed Week.
Earlier model registers and former owner’s notes on file suggest that the original Facetti-prepared 1300 engine was replaced with a 1600 Veloce-spec motor in preparation for the 1963 Sebring, although it appears the cars never arrived to compete. The Alfa Romeo was then sold to ex-Alfa Romeo US employee Joe Amato, after which the car passed through a short chain of six dedicated American owners before being acquired in 2016 by the consignor.
Properly restored under the consignor’s stewardship, the Sprint Zagato is equipped with a correct AR00120-series engine properly aspirated with two sidedraft twin-choke Weber 40 DCOE/2 carburetors. Also featuring correct retrimmed seats, the handsomely presented SZ has accrued only approximately 1,000 miles since refurbishment, and it would make an excellent companion for vintage racing or display at concours d’elegance events and marque gatherings—stunning in every regard.
