Classic Alfas are typically gorgeous, but here’s one that some may find bucks the trend. That’s because it’s a Zagato-bodied Alfa, and Zagato, though they sometimes designed cars that looked great, seldom did anything conventionally “pretty,” at least in the postwar era. In fact, as time wore on, Zagato designs kept getting weirder every year. A daring strategy, but one that paid off and kept the small coachbuilder in business for decades, right up to the present day.
The designer chiefly responsible for Zagato styling throughout the ‘60s was Ercole Spada. One of his first jobs upon joining the coachbuilder in 1960 was to chop off the Giulietta SZ’s hitherto bulbous rear end, ushering in the era of the Kamm back at Zagato.
The 1961 Giuletta SZ (top left) was the first of a series of coda tronca (cut tail) designs that Zagato adapted to a host of designs for a variety of carmakers. But sticking strictly to the Alfas they bodied in the ‘60s, Zagato also made a run of the race-oriented Giulia TZ (top right, 1963-67), as well as the retro Gran Sport Quattroruote (bottom left, 1965-67). For the prestige 6-cyl. chassis, Spada designed the oddly bug-eyed 2600 SZ (bottom right, 1963-67). All of these were produced in very small quantities – about 100 units for each model.
Zagato’s added value, looks and retro models aside, was their reputation for devising bodies that were lighter and more aerodynamic than other Italian design houses. By the second half of the ‘60s though, chopping off tails was no longer cutting it. Spada’s styling, while keeping the Zagato trademark sportiness and slipperiness, started to become more edgy and wedgy. The Giulia platform was still very much in demand, so by 1967 a new Zagato variant was in the works.
When the Junior Z was unveiled at the 1969 Turin Motor Show (top left), it shocked fewer people than one might expect. The context is important: Spada had been toying with this shape and with far more angular snouts on several one-offs in this period: the Lancia Flavia Super Sport (top right, 1967) and the Rover TCZ (bottom right, 1967) predated the Alfa, the Volvo 2000 GTZ (bottom left, 1969), was shown at the same time. Only the Alfa went to genuine production, though.
The platform used by Zagato was basically that of the Duetto Spider – at 225cm, i.e. 10cm less than the Bertone coupé and 25cm less than the Giulia saloon, it was the shortest Tipo 105 derivative then in production. The rear of the platform had to be modified to accommodate the Kamm tail, making the Junior Z the shortest Alfa of the range.
Zagato and Alfa deliberately picked the smaller 1300cc engine for the Junior Z’s initial run. With all of 88hp (DIN), the slippery two-seater could reach 175kph – above the Bertone-bodied four-seater’s performance, but not outlandishly so. The reason is that, in an effort to keep costs under control, Alfa demanded that Zagato use steel for the majority of the body; only the hood and door skins were aluminium.
Producing the Junior Z was still a very complex affair. Zagato did not have the capacity to do the whole job on their own, given the higher-than-normal sales numbers that Alfa Romeo thought they could get out of the car. A lot of the actual bodywork was outsourced to fellow coachbuilder Maggiora. The cars would then be shipped to Alfa to be fine-tuned mechanically, after which they were sent to Zagato for paintwork and interior fitting, then back to Alfa for a final check-up. The Zagato works were close to Alfa’s Arese factory in Milan, but Maggiore was over in Turin.
Prices were necessarily pretty steep. In the US, these cost $4500 in the early ‘70s – a lot of money for a 1.3 litre car. That may have been part of the plan anyway: in three years, Alfa sold about 1100 units – mostly in Italy – before the model’s life, like the car itself, was cut short in 1972. But that was only so they could switch over to the 1600cc engine. The extra 20hp meant the car, now called Junior Zagato GT 1600 (or 1600 GTZ, for short), could reach over 190kph.
Few changes were done to the interior, as far as I know, aside from added padding and a new steering wheel. It was simplicity itself, aside from the rather novel (for the time) seats with integrated headrests. The cheap-looking trio of switches under the gear lever include one that controls a particular Zagato party trick: the rear hatch is electrically operated to open just a crack to aid with flow-through ventilation. The hatch can be opened all the way, but its usefulness for cargo ingress and egress is rather limited by the size of the opening.
External changes were more evident in the 1600 version, including larger Alfa 2000 berlina taillights, a longer tail overall (by 10cm) to accommodate a larger fuel tank, a slightly revised plexiglass “grille” and a very small amount of additional protection to the front bumper in the form of rubber strips.
Some sources claim that Zagato built all 402 units of the Junior 1600 GTZ within the 1973 calendar year, but that it took Alfa Romeo until mid-1975 to sell them on. Whatever the case may be, the Giulia was getting on a bit by then, though the PF Spider that donated its platform for the Junior GTZ did carry on for a very long time afterwards.
One wonders whether this particular example, which was most probably sold here new, might be the very one that (allegedly) inspired the Honda CRX. There can’t be that many of these in Japan – they were rare when new, after all. Leave it to the Japanese to emulate one of the most offbeat Alfas of the ‘70s. Mind you, the Giugiaro-designed Alfatta GTV (1974-86) did seem to pick up where the GTZ left off, so perhaps the Zagato / Spada influence on Alfa Romeo themselves was more lasting than one could have given the Junior GTZ’s short and very limited production run.
From the clear plastic grille to the pop-out rear hatch, the GTZ is replete with odd but very cunning surprises. Yet it is also a coherent design as a whole and, given that it is based on one of the best Italian platforms of the period, it is said to be an extremely fun car to drive. It could be said that the Junior GTZ is an acquired taste. But then, with the possible exception of maternal milk, Mozart and masturbation, isn’t everything?
fabulous. Thanks, T87
Just perfect, like a GTV from Heaven.
I’m green with envy that you just found this sitting curbside. And I don’t care what Roger says, that shade of green can’t be bettered by red paint instead on this particular car. It’s perfect.
Of course leave it to the Italians to simply forget to incorporate a rear body vent somewhere and instead install an electrical switch to pop the hatch in order to avoid air-frying the occupants. I think I’m going to leave the tailgate slightly ajar on the Subaru today in tribute.
Are you revealing a personal bias, T87, when you say that “some” may not find this Alfa gorgeous? Because it most certainly is – and that’s a fact, not an opinion. Seriously, I’m not crazy about the color, though I’m not a huge fan of red even on Alfa’s, but the shape is pretty perfect. It’s a car I’m very familiar with from books and magazines but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. You mention US pricing … was it sold here?
Well, if there was a US price, I imagine some of them were sold there, yes. Probably 1970-72 or 73 at most, because there were none with 5mph bumpers, which might have been grafted to the rear, but never the front.
Actually, now that I think about it, the plexiglass grille might also have been an issue…
This Alfa Junior is impressively beautiful , it can make thousands more heartbeats than a contemporary BMW , yet I don’t care the bad rust’s fame of most Italian tiny automobiles . An Alfa is an Alfa and you love it the way it is ! More stunning , in Italy was very usual to see the current Alfa Alfetta GTV 2,5 littres in 6 V cylinders . But this downsized Alfa Junior is almost exotica . Would love to own one for me . No masks here : lot of envy ! That’s such a visual pleasure it neither happened me when saw zigzagging any BMW Z 1 or somewhat like this . Definitely the Alfa Junior is a work of Art , a Caravaggio’s paint framed in four wheels
Great find! 🙂
Two typos: it was MaggiorA in Turin which did the most bodywork, and the retro-replica was called Gran Sport QuattrorUOte, since it was ispired by a contest on the most famous and long-lived italian car magazine, Quattroruote (= four wheels).
Fixed those — thank you!
I can still remember the morning I was on my way to the Monterey Historic Races and was passed by a red Junior Z driven by a beautiful woman. Wow! Some things you never forget. A beautiful car driven by a beautiful woman.
I’m not going to argue the colour – that green looks good and better than the black example a posted in a Car Show report a couple of years ago. These being sold new in Japan is a bit of surprise.
Nice history T87 – thanks and well spotted.
Lovely, including the color. Thank you, T87.
What a find! I remember reading about these back in the day, and was fascinated by that clear plastic grille/headlight cover. And I love the colour, a particularly beautiful shade of green.
I have heard of the Junior Z but have never seen one and only have a fuzzy memory of a grainy period photograph as evidence of its existence. In that context, this is quite a find, especially in Japan. I especially like the story about this very car possibly (or maybe even likely) being the inspiration for the original CRX.
I like this green, though I might be tempted by another color other than Alfa Red. To find something this rare, in apparently fine condition, casually parked at the curb in an intensely urban setting, waiting for a sharp-eyed auto buff to pass by, just boggles the mind. Thanks, Tatra, for catching this and sharing it on CC!
A wonderful find. I too had only seen small black and white photos before. I do love the name “Junior” . It show a great deal of self confidence label a car this way.
Those 3 toggle switches are just like to ones in my 1969 Berlina, all unlabeled of course. One of them was for the fan in the heater, and I don’t remember what the others were for. I do remember that the fan was not switched through the ignition, and once I killed the battery by not switching it off. After that I developed a habit of wiping my hand upwards across the switches to make sure everything was off. The sliding controls for the heater, to the left of the gear shift also look the same as in my Berlina.
Having the hatch open for ventilation is vaguely reminiscent of the Abarth versions of small Fiats where the propped open the engine cover to help cooling.
You aren’t wrong when you say Zagato got more weird as time moved on, and there’s quite a few offenders. Strange to think, because the 1960-odd DB4 Zagato is so stunning they’re making more of them right now, yet by 1971 – this. Hmm. It has the grand begining of some large and plushy sedan, and yet ends almost immediately like a Manx cat. It’s like an orchestra starting the Barber of Seville overture, and then going to the pub. And SAAB Sonnet-like door handles don’t help (other than in allowing access, where they are almost certainly indispensable).
A pity, as Spada later made some very nice designs. But I don’t think Zagato has ever since about the time of this halfling. For the avoidance of doubt, do feel free to look at the Bristol Zagato convertible of the late ’70’s. I won’t.
Nice article. I happen to own a 1970 Junior Zagato. They are supposedly the best handling on the 105 series with the exception of the GTA.
The three toggle switches are the interior fan, windshield wipers, and dash lights. The hatch switch is in the upper right corner of that panel. Just out of view in the picture.
I don’t believe they were ever sold in the USA. The plexiglass cover over the lights would never have passed the safety regulations.
They are wonderful to drive and are more comfortable than you would think. At 120 km/hr with the windows down and the hatch lifted open, there is nearly no turbulence in the interior. A true testament to Zagato’s aerodynamic philosophy.