Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Sport (Pininfarina) (1965)

Alfa Romeo didn’t produce a purpose-built racing car for almost a decade, until the Alfa Romeo TZ was shown at the Turin Motor Show in June 1962. Actually introduced the car company Autodelta, which was engaged in the preparation, modification and adaptation of road cars for racing. The company was officially independent of Alfa Romeo, but received significant factory support.

The abbreviation TZ is short for Tubulare Zagato and refers to a tubular frame and lightweight aluminum body designed and built in Zagato using components from the standard Giulia 1600. In two versions, the model was produced in a limited series from 1963 to 1965. A total of 102 copies were produced. There is nothing surprising in the fact that almost all cars were dressed in Zagato bodies. But two cars were also made with bodies from competing studios – Bertone and Pininfarina.

Both companies used the exceptionally low silhouette of the original model as the main design inspiration for their show cars. Bertone was the first with the Canguro (Italian for kangaroo), introduced in 1964 at the Paris Motor Show. The design was drawn by Giorgietto Giugaro and retained the basic proportions of the original Alfa Romeo TZ.

Pininfarina introduced its Giulia Tubolare a few months later at the 1965 Turin Motor Show. Known as the Giulia 1600 Sport, the car was very different in design from its predecessors. The look of the prototype was designed by company designer Aldo Brovarone, which certainly reached its artistic peak in the mid-1960s.

Brovarone put even more emphasis on the minimum body height with long overhangs and front fenders. Another distinctive design feature is the crest on the hood, which continues the Alfa Romeo logo. Noticeably, the design was a front-engined variant of the Ferrari Dino concept shown the same year.

Whereas the Canguro was virtually destroyed during testing at Monza and only rebuilt in 2005, the Giulia 1600 Sport, on the other hand, is in surprisingly good condition. Today, both cars belong to the same Japanese collector.

For the first time, in almost ten years, a unique Giulia 1600 Sport prototype was exhibited in 2010 at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. In the courtyard of an exclusive hotel, the breathtaking machine is once again reunited with its creator. Aldo Brovarone was there when the current owner received the “Best Preserved Car” award.