1970 • Alfa Romeo Junior Zagato 1300 CONTACT US

Description

History

The saga of the Giulia coupés introduced in 1962 was a great success for Alfa Romeo, thanks to its many assets: its lightness, with a weight of less than a ton, its 1300 cc engine developing 90 bhp working well throughout its range, and the beauty of its design by Bertone. However, the brand decided to redesign the coupé and in 1970 launched a lesser known version: the Junior Zagato, based on the shortened platform of the Giulia Junior. Aesthetically, it had nothing to do with the original version. The dark look, the truncated front and the slim profile are the work of Ercole Spada, designer of the Zagato firm, an avant-garde Italian coachbuilder renowned for bringing to life lightened cars with bold shapes. The model is powered by an in-line four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 1300 cc, topped by a double overhead camshaft cylinder head and coupled to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The transmission is to the rear wheels. 1108 examples were assembled with this engine before a 1600 cc version was installed in 1972.
The car offered is registered in France in the name of the seller since December 2019. It has been restored and undergone mechanical, body and interior work as detailed below. The odometer shows 900 km (reset to zero after restoration) uncertified but reliable. The current owner has only driven 300 km and has little opportunity to use the car. The car is accompanied by an FFVE passport and a copy of the keys.

Exterior

The discreet Z on the side is a reminder of the special provenance of the bodywork, made of steel except for the bonnet and doors made of aluminium. It was repainted in 2017 and sports an eye-catching "Blu Francia" exterior colour, which is not its original colour. According to the seller, there are no signs of corrosion in the areas at risk, such as the wings, sills and wheel arches, the front crossbars, the rear panel and the tailgate. The 14-inch Mod Top aluminium alloy wheels are non-original and are fitted with almost new Ecowing 165SR14 tyres with a remaining tread of 95%. The vehicle has an identical spare wheel.

Interior

Although the interior is not the original, the black leatherette (Skai) bucket seats and Nardi steering wheel changed in 2017 add a sporty feel. The door panels, roof lining and carpets were changed in May 2020. The instruments on the dashboard are in working order. All switches have their original function and the electrical system works.

Mechanical

In 2017, the coupe was extensively restored mechanically and in terms of the suspension, with the engine changed and the gearbox dismantled and reassembled, and the front and rear axles overhauled. The engine is not 'matching numbers' but is to the original specification. A sports exhaust system has been fitted. All the invoices and mechanical operations carried out are documented in the photo album below. In May 2020, a mechanical overhaul worth 1800 euros, also documented by the invoices shown below, was carried out following the technical inspection which revealed a play in the steering.