Rare Alfa Giulietta SZ Freed from Basement Prison
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As far as classic car bar finds go, there seems to new one almost every week. However, the discovery of this really rare 1962 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato in Italy, is unlike the rest. For this Alfa, one of 271 ever built, was found not in a barn, but in a basement!
According to an Alfa Romeo Giulia and 105-series fan page on Facebook, this green Giulietta Sprint Zagato was left undisturbed in a Turin basement for 35 years. The Alfa was owned by a Turin mechanic and kept in an underground basement. One day the car lift to the basement decided to break down and the mechanic, who intended the fix the lift, just never got around to it.
After the owner passed away, it emerged he never left a will. So, the Alfa stayed in this basement for those 35 before being rediscovered in November of last year. After being hoisted over the fence, the Zagato bodied coupe was free at last, and still in remarkable condition.
The Giulietta Sprint Zagato came into being as the result of a crashed factory Alfa race car was re-bodied in aluminum by Zagato in 1956. The Sprint Veloce Zagato edition of the car was more slippery and lighter thanks to greater aerodynamics and less weight. None of the 16 examples built by Zagato were ever alike and were soon cutting their teeth in local sports car events.
In 1959, Alfa made the decision to put the Giulietta Sprint Veloce Zagato into full scale production, after several clients took a liking to the car they had seen on track. So, at the 1960 Geneva Motor Show, the Sprint Zagato version of the road going Giulietta debut to high praise.
A peppy 1.3-litre twin cam four pot with 115 may not sound like much but when you consider the SZ weighed in at 771kg, the wee Zagato could perform, and perform well. In fact, Alfa Romeo won the 1.3-litre class in International GT Sports Car Racing in 1962 and 1963. After 1962, Alfa and Zagato finally put a lid on production, witht he final production tally coming in at 217. Incredibly rare in any sense of the word.
If you think you could bag yourself the basement SZ, you would be too late. According to the Alfa Romeo fan Facebook page has already been sold for €567,000 at a government auction, which when compared to current exchange rates between the Euro and Kiwi Dollar, means a hefty $950,231 NZ.
So if you want to make a good investment, buy a car, and keep it locked away in your basement or underground bunker for nearly forty years and don’t tell anyone!
PHOTO CREDIT: Alfa Romeo Giulia and 105-series