ICONIC ITALIAN COACHBUILDING FIRM ZAGATO RETURNS WITH BREATHTAKING CARBON FIBRE-BODIED ALFA ROMEO GIULIA - BUT THERE'S IN ONLY ONE.
Alfa Romeo has some cars in their lineup that can only be described as beautiful, such is the automaker’s amazing use of curves and angles in the design process. Here in SA the brand has always been thought of as being unreliable when it comes to the mechanics, and even celebrity car reviewers the world over have echoed this, but the cars they create can never be criticised for their looks. The models that are at the top of the ladder when it comes to performance can be found in posters on workshop, man cave and bedroom walls, and this has been the case for generations. There’s a chap in Germany that seems to have a fanatical love for the brand, and when you combine that level of enthusiasm with a bank account that looks like an international telephone number, amazing things happen. The Alfa Romeo Guilia is already one of those cars that has it all, the Italian looks, the powerplant and brilliant performance and it makes the best base for a bespoke, coachbuilt creation.
Enter Zagato, an Italian coachbuilder with a long history of creating special edition Alfa Romeo cars, the most recognisable being the aptly named Zagato SZ that was based on the Alfa Romeo 75, well mechanically anyway. Quick fact, there is a super-rare one of one Zagato SZ in South Africa in right hand-drive guise, and I’ve not only has the pleasure of seeing it, but I’ve been in it while it was driven in anger. Back to what you see here. The car was commissioned by a collector, but it was also built to celebrate the 100-year partnership between Alfa Romeo and Zagato and that means it’s even more special than simply a bespoke build for a collector. The new body design is on a shortened version of the Giorgio platform of the Guilia, and styling cues were taken from a variety of Alfa Romeos, and what you see if the result. The bodywork is in carbon fibre, and the interior looks like the street version of the car with enough changes to make it unique. The original Guilia interior is already a nice place to be with carbon fibre trim scattered around. Under the redesigned hood is the twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 engine in GTAm spec rated at just over 400 kW with and 600 Nm, and it’s mated to a 6-speed manual transmission sending power to the rear wheels. The end result is pure Italian porn, and while it's currently a one of one, we think it ay be good enough and so well-received that there may be more on the cards in the future. Hoprfully.
Take a look at the YouTube video showing off the best in Italian coachbuilding as it shows the amazing one of one reworked Alfa Romeo Guilia commissioned for a client that has way too much disposable income. If you can understand Italian you'll love this video, if not you can follow along by clicking that little CC button to activate the subtitles, just like we did: Alfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato, a Quadrifoglio coupé with 532 hp | Motor1 Italia
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Cars Guilia SWB Alfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato Bespoke Coachbuilding Coachbuilder SXdrv Limited Edition One of One Zagato Alfa Alfa Romeo