The TZ1 Stradale you see here was made in July 1965 with build number 105: highly appropriate because the underpinnings of this exquisitely-crafted machine are from the 105 series Giulia. Jonathan Segal, the owner, said: “Every serious Collector in the world – when I mean serious, these are guys which win Pebble, these are guys that have $100 million collections – has a TZ1. And they won’t sell them.

The inception of the Giulia TZ1 goes right back to the previous Giulietta. Designed by Bertone’s Franco Scaglione and introduced in 1954, the Giulietta was a huge shift from Alfa Romeo’s pre-war business of building large hand-built luxury models. The Italian maker was known for opulent, beautiful road and race cars: including its stunning grand prix cars; that, of course, spawned the Enzo Ferrari legend. It had won Le Mans four times, and the Mille Miglia – the ultimate test of man and machine – a staggering ten times. 

Despite producing a smaller more-affordable model in the Giulietta post-war, Alfas still possessed the hallmark traits of jaw-dropping elegance and a predisposition to be raced. 

Alfa and Bertone set to work in developing the pretty Giulietta Sprint into its competition runner in sportscars: with its advanced Giuseppe-Busso-design 1290cc twin-cam four-pot engine, five-speed manual, and rear-wheel-drive teamed with weight-saving Perspex sliding windows, aluminum bonnet and doors. The chase to reduce weight saw it come in at around 1,940 pounds; employing the Spider version’s shorter wheelbase, made the perfect platform for Bertone’s Giulietta Sprint Speciale, that would be the ultimate competition Alfa wanted … or so it was planned. 


Once again, styled by Scaglione, the 1959 Sprint Speciale (SS) was overshadowed by a car from within – a car from Alfa’s very own stable. The 1956 Mille Miglia saw Alfa’s Giulietta Sprint Veloce take the top-three places in the 1.3-liter GT class, ahead of a Porsche 356A. Yet, further back, the Leto Di Priolo brothers had sunk their hopes – and their gleaming new Sprint Veloce – into a river.

Legend has it that the Di Priolo brothers baulked at the cost of paying Alfa to return their days-old Giulietta SV from extremely second-hand to somewhere resembling road worthiness. Instead, they gave the Bertone-style crashed Alfa project to … Zagato.

Zagato upped the ante with the creation of a new more-aerodynamic aluminum body on a tubular frame to weigh a significant 300 pounds less than the standard steel-body SV. Known as the Sprint Veloce Zagato (SVZ), customers started knocking on Zagato’s door for their own version of what was now the ultimate Alfa sports car. Then, Alfa Romeo itself came knocking. 

The 1960 Giulietta Sport Zagato (SZ) – essentially, a production version of the SVZ – was born and arrived to rival the SS. Yet there could only be one Top Trumps in the Alfa stable. Bertone’s SS was cast aside – re-positioned as a Grand Tourer – with the SZ being its new ultimate racing machine. Zagato had won Alfa’s favor. Dismayed, Scaglione left Bertone in 1959, with 21-year-old Giorgetto Giugario hired in his place. 

The Giulietta SZ went on to a succession of victories, including the 1.3-liter class of the International Championship for GT Manufacturers in 1962 and 1963; as well as, first in class at the Targa Florio. That year, Alfa took the now-famous Autodelta in house as its dedicated competition department. 


Auto-delta (with hyphen) had been created two years earlier by ex-Ferrari Engineer, Carlo Chiti, and fellow ex-Engineer turned Alfa Romeo Dealer, Lodovico Chizzola. Chiti had worked on Mike Hawthorn’s 1958-championship-winning Ferrari 246 F1, while Chizzola worked alongside Chiti at Ferrari to win the 1961 crown with Phil Hill.

The introduction of the Giulia in 1962, that replaced the Giulietta, was an opportunity for Autodelta (sans hyphen) to capitalize on Alfa’s success and create a more-complete competition car: that package would become the Giulia TZ1.

The first Autodelta, the Giulia TZ1, was first shown as a prototype Corsa at the 1962 Turin show – with the production-Stradale version following in 1964. Like its predecessors, it has used humble underpinnings to host exotic cutting-edge engineering, draped in an elegant rapturous body.

A tubular spaceframe – the “T” standing for “Tubolare” – was draped in stunning hand-beaten aluminum bodywork – the “Z” standing for “Zagato”, of course. The spaceframe enabled a more-aerodynamic design, with achingly-beautiful lines which were penned by Zagato’s Ercole Spada – only 25- years old, at the time. 

For the TZ1, Spada employed a Kamm tail – “Coda Tronca” – a cut-off rear named after German Aerodynamicist, Wunibald Kamm. Spada had experimented with the concept on later examples of the SZ, that he designed; as well as, the DB4 GT Zagato he had worked on.

The concept uses a dramatically “cut-off” tail whereby air flowing over the tail separates from the rear of the car – as if teardrop bodywork was in place. Intended to bring high-speed stability, it also delivers weight savings and reduced overall length for superior handing overall. It enables the TZ1 reach 134 miles per hour – and behave properly at such speed. 

That capability was the result of building upon the elements of Alfa’s 1950s race winners – and experience with Ferrari – into Autodelta’s brilliant TZ1. 

The 105 Giulia chassis donned independent front and rear suspension – in place of the previous solid rear axle – and, while four-wheel disc brakes did not arrive on road-going Giulias until well into the production in 1963, the TZ1 used them from the start. 

Where the SZ used a 1,290cc engine and weighted 1,650 pounds, the TZ1 used a 1,570cc all-alloy twin-cam four-cylinder and weighed only 1,320 pounds in Corsa form. Even in Stradale spec, the TZ1 was a lithe 1,450 pounds. That also means more sound deadening (since removed in Segal’s car shown here); as well as, leather upholstery in the tiny cabin, with heavier roll-down windows. The Stradale was rated at 112 horsepower with its forged-crank and twin-Weber carburettors, too; the engine mounted at an angle for improved airflow, yet chassis 105 was fitted with the Corsa’s twin-spark head, rated to a more potent 160 horsepower.

Jonathan Segal, who bought chassis 105 from famous Collector Bruce Meyer in July, 2020, said: “It’s unbelievable to drive. It’s hard to explain. I have a 1973 RS Porsche, the Maserati with 175 horsepower out of two liters – and this car, the TZ1, is the best car I’ve ever had. It sounds like a Formula One car from that era. It’s so agile, the acceleration is great, the five-speed and clutch easy, and there’s no suspension travel – it drives like a go kart. Anyone could drive this car: With the TZ1, it’s just, ‘get in and have a great time’.” 

A formidable handling, swift accelerating racer, point-to-point the TZ1 was near unstoppable. On its competition debut at the 1963 FISA Monza Cup, the TZ1 crushed its rivals: taking out the top-four places in dominant fashion. Drool-worthy to look at –dominant on track – it truly earned the nickname as “The baby GTO”. 

Jonathan said: “I guess they call it the baby GTO because it’s stunning looking and weighs only about 1,400 pounds – so, at every level, it ticks every box. It’s beautiful; it’s a Zagato, so it’s important, and it’s an Alfa which is also important.” 


Autodelta pushed Alfa Romeo to greater heights in sports cars and Formula One with some of the most romantic desirable sports and race cars in history. Defining the Alfa Romeo brand for decades to come, it was the pinnacle of not only Italian, but arguably human, automotive creativity, art, and wonder. The Giulia TZ1 was its first homologation special: the original Autodelta. Yet it all started with a Giulietta Sprint Veloce spearing into a river.


As far as ideas go, it is not often that crashing an Alfa Romeo into a river turns out to create something truly great. Yet that is exactly what happened in 1956: Two brothers submerged their Mille Miglia steed, sparking a chain of events which led to Zagato building some of the most-successful beautiful Alfas ever – at Bertone’s expense. 

The legendary Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ1 – simply TZ at its 1962 Turin show debut as a prototype – is a masterclass in advanced design and engineering. Dubbed “The Baby GTO” because its Italian genetics produced an achingly-beautiful coupe which was dominant on-track. Only 112 were made between 1962 and 1965, before the TZ2 arrived, whereby the original TZ became known as the TZ1. 



1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ

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