Die Fortsetzung

Auch wenn die Alfa Romeo TZ (siehe hier: Einleitung) ja eigentlich als Tourenwagen angedacht gewesen waren, also als Fahrzeuge, mit denen man unter der Woche zur Arbeit fuhr und am Wochenende auf der Rennstrecke um erste Plätze, so entwickelten sie sich doch in relativ kurzer Zeit zu reinen Renn-Fahrzeugen. Für den Alltag taugten sie unter anderem auch deshalb nicht, weil auch die «Stradale»-Versionen unfassbar laut waren. Die letzten TZ waren mehr so fahrbare Versuchslabore, oder wie es Ercole Spada ausdrückte: «Manchmal haben wir noch auf der Rennstrecke neue Lufteinlässe entwickelt – und gleich eingebaut. Der TZ2 war eine logische Folge, noch leichter, neue Materialien, die Trockensumpfschmierung, da kam alles zusammen».

Und trotzdem reichte es eigentlich 1964 schon nicht mehr, die Konkurrenz war ja auch hellwach. Nun muss der Motorsport ja das Feld sein der beständigen Weiterentwicklung, und alle Beteiligten, Alfa Romeo, Autodelta, Zagato, Conrero, waren sich dessen bewusst, schliefen ja auch nicht. Weniger Gewicht und mehr Leistung sind im Rennsport immer ein probates Mittel – und das war auch der Prozess, der schliesslich zu den TZ «ribassata» führte. Dieses «ribassata», heruntergesetzt, passt als Bezeichnung auch viel besser als TZ2, umfasst sie doch auch jene TZ mit Fiberglas-Aufbauten und verbesserten Motoren, die sich sonst nur schwer einordnen lassen. Und die TZ2 sind sowieso so etwas wie ein Mysterium.

Bevor wir aber tiefer in die Geschichte eindringen, kommt hier wieder die Sammlung der Chassis-Nummern. Mit der auch etwas Ordnung in das Chaos gebracht wird:

Chassis-Nummer 750101 ist der Bertone Canguro. Der dann in einer weiteren Story behandelt wird.

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Chassis-Nummer: 750102
Produktionsdatum: 05.04.65**
Motoren-Nummer: 00105**
Farbe: Weiss
Interieur:
Karosserie: («ribassata», Aluminium)
erster Besitzer: Giorgio Cutris (Mailand)
weitere Besitzer: Grancini; Caputo; Buzzi (1969); Lombardi (1977 – «Oh, yes, I remember the white car, my wife took it to the grocery store»***); Rudy Pas (Niederlande, 1978); Ernst Prisbee (USA); Mark Leonard (USA); Richard Ballantine (1996)***
Bemerkungen:

**Witting da Prato/***www.zagato-cars.com

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Chassis-Nummer: 750103
Produktionsdatum: 07.04.65**
Motoren-Nummer: 00107**
Farbe: Grau Metallic**
Interieur:
Karosserie: («ribassata», Aluminium)
erster Besitzer: Soc. Resine Meridionali (Turin)
weitere Besitzer: Giuseppe Lucchini (1984)***
Bemerkungen:

**Witting da Prato/***www.zagato-cars.com

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Chassis-Nummer: 750104
Produktionsdatum:
Motoren-Nummer:
Farbe:
Interieur:
Karosserie: (nur Chassis)
erster Besitzer:
weitere Besitzer:
Bemerkungen: 05.03.68: zerstört**

**Witting da Prato

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Chassis-Nummer: 750105

Produktionsdatum: 07.05.65**/29.07.65***
Motoren-Nummer: 00103**
Farbe: Bluette**
Interieur:
Karosserie: («ribassata», Aluminium)
erster Besitzer: Luigi Palmieri (Mailand)
weitere Besitzer: Monzeglio; Vito Spinelli (1972); Fritz Durnberger (Kanada, 1972); Mark Leonard (USA, 1997); Rudy Junco (1997); Steve Tilack (199)
Bemerkungen: angeboten bei Gooding & Co. am 17.01.2009, Schätzpreis 550’000 bis 650’000 Dollar, zugeschlagen für 400’000 Dollar. Beschreibung: «TZ-1 chassis 105 was built in July 1965 as a stradale or “street” model. This meant it was equipped with roll-down windows, leather interior, rear bumpers and a touch more sound-deadening materials than the corsa or “race” version. Nevertheless, it was delivered with the higher-tuned twin-plug engine and is believed to have been competitively run by its first owner, Luigi Palmieri of Milan. Mr. Palmieri sold the TZ in 1984 to a Sig. Monzeglio of Turin, Italy, from whom US citizen Fritz Durnberger, purchased the car in 1997. During his ownership, the Alfa was comprehensively restored to a high level. Mr. Durnberger raced the car extensively in vintage events in the US, including numerous appearances in the Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca. It was bought by the vendor in 2001. The freshly rebuilt twin-plug DOHC 1,600 cc engine performs wonderfully, delivering power through the full rev. range. All mechanical components have been inspected and serviced, including the close-ratio 5-speed gearbox. The TZ-1 is remarkably complete and even includes the original lightweight magnesium bell housing, optional 6″ x 15″ Campagnola magnesium wheels and the alloy twin plug head. This TZ-1 is offered with the original owner’s manual in its pouch, Italian registration documents and a West Coast vintage-racing logbook. With its well-balanced weight distribution, the TZ-1 is one of the most usable sports racing cars ever built, easy to drive with superb handling – flattering to drivers of average skill and rewarding to an expert. A TZ-1 will enable its new owner to gain admission to practically any vintage circuit race, hill climb or rally in the world, and this example could, with little effort, be equally welcome at all of the leading concours events. The TZ-1 is certainly one of the most desirable postwar Alfa Romeos and arguably one of the most coveted sports racing cars of the second half of the 20th century. The opportunity to purchase one of these very special cars with a known history is a rare one indeed and should be carefully considered by discerning enthusiast collectors. Engine No. AR00511H00103».

**Witting da Prato/***www.zagato-cars.com

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Chassis-Nummer: 750106
Produktionsdatum: 15.07.65**
Motoren-Nummer: 208**
Farbe: Rot
Interieur:
Karosserie: TZ2 («ribassata», Fiberglas)
erster Besitzer: Autodelta Udine, Kennzeichen: UD 111832
weitere Besitzer: Jolly Club (1966); Pierlorenzo Piccolotto (Italien, 06.11.66); Richard Pilkington (England, 04.02.71); John Mecom (USA, 1984); Rudy Pas/Marcel Roks (1989); Hideki Yokata (1989); Symobolic Motors (USA, 2007)
Renngeschichte:
26.03.66: 12 Stunden Sebring, Bianchi/Consten, Startnummer 62, Getriebeschaden.
25.04.66: 1000 Kilometer Monza, De Adamich/Zeccoli, Startnummer 46. 1 Rang Klasse.
08.05.66: Targa Florio, Bussinello/Bianchi, Startnummer 130, 10. Gesamtrang.
Bemerkungen:

**Witting da Prato/***www.zagato-cars.com

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Chassis-Nummer: 750107 (750079)
Produktionsdatum: 30.11.64**
Motoren-Nummer: 00109**
Farbe: –
Interieur:
Karosserie: («ribassata», Fiberglas-Aufbau von Balzaretti & Modigliani)
erster Besitzer: Autodelta Udine, Kennzeichen: UD 100953
weitere Besitzer: Raffaele Rosati (21.07.67); Saltti; Livio Guanieri; Giulio Dubbini (Padua, 1984); Angelo Chiapparini (1985); Stephen Griswold (2000, «Angelo Chiapparini sold me the car and all the spares in a package in 2000 so that he could buy the Ferrari F40 that led to his untimely death»); Hugh Taylor (London, Bemerkung von Stephen Griswold: «I sold the car to Hugh Taylor in London who then invited me to to a gentleman’s driver 3 hour race at Spa. I qualified the car third fastest, but Hugh is much slower than me and we finished 8th. It was an real delight to drive such a beautifully prepared car. Angelo was the best – period»***)
Renngeschichte:
27.03.65: 12 Stunden Sebring, Deserti/Zeccoli, Startnummer 57, 27. Gesamtrang, 3. Rang Klasse.
05.05.65: Targa Florio, Zuccoli/Zeccoli, Startnummer 52, ausgefallen.
Bemerkungen:

**Witting da Prato/***www.zagato-cars.com

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Chassis-Nummer: 750108
Produktionsdatum: 23.02.65**
Motoren-Nummer: 00108**
Farbe: Rot
Interieur:
Karosserie: («ribassata», Fiberglas)
erster Besitzer: Autodelta Udine, Kennzeichen: UD 105 338
weitere Besitzer: Ildefonso Torriani (1965); Dario Bormioli (1967); Aldo Bersano (1968); Silvestre Semilia (1970): present whereabouts unknown*
Renngeschichte:
27.03.65: 12 Stunden Sebring, Rolland/Bianchi, Startnummer 58, 16. Gesamtrang, 1. Rang Klasse.
05.05.65: Targa Florio, Bianchi/Rolland, Startnummer 70, 7. Gesamtrang.
1965: Mont Ventoux, Jean Rolland, 9. Gesamtrang, 1. Rang Klasse.
05.05.68: Targa Florio, Aldo Bersano/Sergio Morando, Startnummer 124, 42. Gesamtrang.
Bemerkungen:

*Minerbi/**Witting da Prato/***www.zagato-cars.com

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Chassis-Nummer: 750109
Produktionsdatum: 23.02.65**/30.03.65***
Motoren-Nummer: 00111**
Farbe: Rot
Interieur:
Karosserie: («ribassata», Fiberglas-Aufbau von Balzaretti & Modigliani)
erster Besitzer: Autodelta Udine, Kennzeichen UD 105339
weitere Besitzer:
Renngeschichte:
27.03.65: 12 Stunden von Sebring, Businello/de Adamich, Startnummer 56, 24. Gesamtrang, 2. Rang Klasse.
22.05.65: 1000 Kilometer Nürburgring, Rolland/de Adamich/Zeccoli, Startnummer 81, schwerer Unfall von Rolland im Training.
Bemerkungen: das Fahrzeug wurde wahrscheinlich nach dem Unfall auf dem Nürburgring zerstört***.

**Witting da Prato/***www.zagato-cars.com

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Chassis-Nummer: 750110
Produktionsdatum: 15.07.65**
Motoren-Nummer: ?
Farbe: Rot
Interieur:
Karosserie: TZ2 («ribassata»)
erster Besitzer: Autodelta Udine
weitere Besitzer: Giuseppe Lucchini (2008)***
Renngeschichte (vielleicht…):
19./20.06.65: 24 Stunden Le Mans, Businello/Rolland, Startnummer 41, Motorschaden.
11.06.65: Trento-Bondone, Bussinello, ausgefallen.
1965: Rallye Trofeo Jolly Hotels, de Adamich/lini, Startnummer 148, 1. Gesamtrang.
08.05.66: Targa Florio, Alessandro Federico/«Shangri-La», Startnummer 124, ausgefallen.
Bemerkungen: Fusi schreibt: TZ, gebaut 1966.

**Witting da Prato/***www.zagato-cars.com

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Chassis-Nummer: 750111
Produktionsdatum: 11.02.66**
Motoren-Nummer: ?
Farbe: Alfa-Rot
Interieur:
Karosserie: TZ2 («ribassata»)
erster Besitzer: Autodelta Settimo Milanese
weitere Besitzer: Cecchi; Sciavon; Spinetti (1984)***
Bemerkungen: Fusi schreibt: TZ, gebaut 1966.

**Witting da Prato/***www.zagato-cars.com

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Chassis-Nummer: 750112 (750072)
Produktionsdatum: 15.07.65**
Motoren-Nummer: Autodelta N. 103
Farbe: Orange
Interieur:
Karosserie: TZ2 («ribassata», soll komplett aus Aluminium bestanden haben und die Ur-Form für die Fiberglas-TZ2 gewesen sein.)
erster Besitzer: Autodelta Udine, Kennzeichen UD 111834
weitere Besitzer: (taucht 1966 in Australien auf, abenteuerliche Geschichten)
Renngeschichte:
25.04.65: 1000 Kilometer Monza, Bussinello/de Adamich, Startnummer 25, 7. Gesamtrang, 1. Rang Klasse
05.05.65: Targa Florio, Bussinello/Todaro, Startnummer 64, Unfall
23.05.65: 1000 Kilometer Nürburgring, Bussinello/Zuccoli, Startnummer 82, 30. Gesamtrang.
19./20.06.65: 24 Stunden Le Mans, Zeccoli/Rosinski, Unfall (in der 1. Runde), rote Lackierung.
Bemerkungen: Fusi schreibt: TZ, gebaut 1966. Zerstört***.

**Witting da Prato/***www.zagato-cars.com

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Chassis-Nummer: 750113
Produktionsdatum: 24.02.66**
Motoren-Nummer: ?
Farbe: Rot
Interieur:
Karosserie: TZ2 («ribassata», Fiberglas)
erster Besitzer: Autodelta Settimo Milanese, Kennzeichen: UD 121002
weitere Besitzer: Vito Witting da Prato
Renngeschichte:
Mai 1966: Targa Florio, Pinto/Todaro, Startnummer 126, 4. Gesamtrang.
Bemerkungen: Fusi schreibt: TZ, gebaut 1967.

**Witting da Prato

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Chassis-Nummer 750114 ist die Pininfarina Giulia Sport. Die dann in einer weiteren Story behandelt wird.

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Chassis-Nummer: 750115
Produktionsdatum: 04.03.66**
Motoren-Nummer:
Farbe:
Interieur:
Karosserie: TZ2 («ribassata», Fiberglas)
erster Besitzer:
weitere Besitzer: steht im Centro Storico (siehe Titelbild/Bilder oben, ©Romeo Gross).
Bemerkungen:

**Witting da Prato

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Chassis-Nummer: 750116

Produktionsdatum: 24.02.66**
Motoren-Nummer: ?
Farbe: Rot
Interieur:
Karosserie: TZ2 («ribassata», Fiberglas)
erster Besitzer: Autodelta Settimo Milanese, Kennzeichen UD 121003
weitere Besitzer: Racing Team VDS (Belgien); Fernand Maria (Frankreich, 1984); Said Marouf (USA, 2006)
Renngeschichte:
28.05.67: 1000 Kilometer Nürburgring, Trosch/Pilette, Startnummer 82
25.06.67: 12 Stunden von Reims, Pilette/Trosch, Startnummer 58, 11. Gesamtrang, 1. Rang Klasse.
Bemerkungen: kam bei Bonham’s am 19.08.2005 zur Versteigerung. Beschreibung: «As British driver Willie Green jinked this exquisite, jewel-like ‘Baby GTO’ through the famed Goodwood chicane and accelerated hard towards the finish line and the chequered flag, this delightful and historic Alfa Romeo TZ2 was poised to score yet another win in its long and excellent history. This achievement – in September 2003 – was one of the car’s biggest ever in Historic and Vintage racing terms, since it howled to the line before the enormous International crowd packed into the grandstands at the UK’s Goodwood Revival Meeting – the world’s biggest and best-attended Vintage race event bar none. The factory team Alfa Romeo TZ2 – regarded by many as simply ‘The Baby GTO’ – is of course simply the most charismatic small-capacity Gran Turismo competition car design of all time. It was conceived, designed and manufactured by the Autodelta subsidiary of Alfa Romeo in Italy, this quasi-works specialist competition unit having been created by ex-Ferrari chief engineer Ing. Carlo Chiti and his friend and associate Ludovico Chizzola in 1963. Its pre-war counterpart had been nothing less than Commendatore Enzo Ferrari’s celebrated Scuderia Ferrari. From 1965, Alfa Romeo’s commitment to factory racing changed up a gear, and Autodelta had become an integrated division of the Milan-based giant, moving from its modest original facility in the provincial town of Udine to occupy extensive workshops nearer to the Alfa Romeo production plant, at Settimo Milanese. Only a handful of these works TZ2s were ever built, and this example – chassis ‘116’ – is the very last of the specified-engine cars to have been completed in 1966 for the famous Milanese factory’s quasi-works Autodelta team. Dominant within its category, this raucous, gorgeous, TZ2 was then sold ex-works for 1967 to the Belgian Count Rudy van der Straten’s private Racing Team VDS. Count van der Straten would of course become an extremely familiar figure in American racing as he subsequently ran not only both CanAm and Formula A/5000 racing cars but also Indycars in his famous dark maroon racing colours with white and pale-blue striping. A number of leading racing drivers campaigned his cars for him, and amongst them one of the longest-serving and most successful was the Belgian scion of a three-generation racing pedigree – Teddy Pilette. Not only had Teddy’s father André competed in a range of works team and privately-entered Grand Prix and sports-racing cars through the 1950s and early ’60s, but grandfather Theodore Pilette had been a prominent racing driver in the Heroic Age of pre-World War 1 Grand Prix racing. Theodore Pilette had also been a highly influential figure in the early Grand Prix racing history of Mercedes cars. Today such pedigree is suitably reflected by that of this Alfa Romeo TZ2… Count Rudy van der Straten’s family is perhaps best known for being major shareholders in its world famous beer, Stella Artois, but the Count himself also had an extensive coffee plantation in the Belgian Congo while also being an absolutely arch motor racing enthusiast who fostered the careers of many young and aspiring racing drivers. When this Alfa Romeo TZ2 was current in the mid-1960s the Count favoured the combination of Alfa Romeo cars and ‘home grown’ Belgian drivers – having already entered an Alfa GTA saloon car for garagiste/driver Serge Trosch – and for the 1967 season he hired young professional former Abarth driver Teddy Pilette to co-drive the newly-acquired ‘116’ with him. Comparing the TZ2 to his preceding Abarth-Simca, Teddy Pilette recalls: “The Abarth was very quick and easy to drive but it was rear-engined so it was not so nice to drive. In contrast the Alfa was a fun car that you could drive with the tail hung out everywhere! The driving combination of Teddy Pilette/Serge Trosch then piloted this glorious Alfa TZ2 to class victories in both the Nürburgring 1,000Kms in Germany and the Reims 12-Hour classic in northern France, while Teddy Pilette also drove it solo to secure a fine 4th place overall back at the Nürburgring in the 1967 500Kms endurance classic for small-capacity Gran Turismo cars. Count van der Straten liked to race his cars absolutely as often as possible, and Pilette also used ‘116’ to win the French aerodrome race at Dax near Armagnac, and at Nogaro. Pilette and Trosch both enjoyed the agility, speed, and power of the expertly crafted TZ2 into whose Zagato-clothed ultra-lightweight structure was built the combined experience of all the Alfa Romeo experimental department’s decades of experience in creating ultra-competitive competition cars, combined with all that Carlo Chiti himself had brought to Autodelta from his Sports, GT and Formula 1 World Championship-winning years holding the technical helm at Ferrari, Maranello. The late, great Henry Manney of ‘Road & Track’ magazine described how, during the mid-1960s, these fantastically rapid works TZ2s were habitually driven by the Continental European “hairy-armed brigade”, and these cars were the most raucously noisy, spectacular and crowd pleasing of all the smaller-capacity Gran Turismo generation. In Alfa Romeo’s original team of Tubolare Zagato – ‘TZ’ – racing Coupes, the TZ1 équipe’s racing manager had been none other than stylist/coachbuilder Elio Zagato – himself an enthusiastic and capable former racing driver – and through 1964 engine development on those first spaceframe-chassised TZ GT cars was master-minded by tuning wizard Virgilio Conrero. Alfa Romeo’s own in-house engineers under yet another former Ferrari Direttore Tecnico, Ing. Giuseppe Busso, were continually improving power and output and torque of their 78mm bore x 82mm stroke, 1570cc, 4-cylinder TZ1 engine, and by 1965 they were claiming 100bhp per litre – 160bhp from just 1600cc. The original tubular-framed Zagato-bodied TZ programme had been unveiled at the Turin Salon in October 1962. Two years later Turin saw the radically revised, lowered TZ2 launched. Its chassis manufacture was sub-contracted to Ambrosini and mechanical assembly to Autodelta, while Carrozzeria Zagato produced the fully-equipped bodies. The definitive Alfa Romeo TZ2 was then finally launched at the Geneva Salon in Switzerland in March 1965, by which time its strictly limited production had been moved to Autodelta’s new premises adjacent to the Alfa Romeo works. Chief designer Busso had wanted to improve upon the TZ1 by building lower upon a broadly similar lightweight chassis. The steering column was lowered, a dry-sump engine saved height, and new 13-inch Campagnolo cast road wheels replaced the TZ1’s 15-inch. Zagato devised a lowered bodyshell to match – of enduringly graceful yet aggressively handsome proportions – with more steeply raked screens front and rear, more steeply reclining seats, lowered dashboard, and shorter gearchange lever, mounted high on the tall centre tunnel. While the prototype show car was alloy-bodied, the hand-made production batch of only ten cars wore moulded glassfibre panelling. The magnificent ten-off TZ2s were very much true road-racing cars, whereas the preceding TZ1s had been more race-developed production models. The TZ2s’ 1.6-litre engine featured larger valves, more radical camshafts and twin-plug ignition. Compression ratio was quoted as being 9.7:1, and peak power as 165-170bhp at a (decidedly beefy) soprano 7,000-7,500rpm. A 47 per cent limited-slip differential was standard. The ten TZ2s weighed barely 620-630kg – 1,364-1,384lbs – indicating a power-to-weight ratio of some 275bhp per ton, or just 8.1lbs per horsepower. Maximum speed on a standard 9.41 rear axle was listed as 220km/h – almost 140mph – with red-line speeds through the five all-synchromesh gears of 69km/h (43mph) in 1st – 105 (65mph) in 2nd – 155 (96mph) in 3rd – 180 (112mph) in 4th and 212-220km/h (allowing for tyre growth) in top. During 1966 the works-entered Alfa Romeo TZ2s dominated their class with victory in the Sebring 12-Hours (drivers ‘Geki’ Russo/Gus Andrey), the Monza 1,000Kms (Andrea de Adamich/Teodoro Zeccoli), the Targa Florio (Enrico Pinto/Nino Todaro), the Nurburgring 1,000Kms (Lucien Bianchi/Herbert Schultze), the Mugello 500Kms (Romano Martini/Alessandro Federico), and the Coppa Citta di Enna in Sicily (Martini again). These cars excelled driven by both professionals and enthusiastically competent amateurs – another parallel with the great classic after which they have been justifiably nicknamed – the Ferrari 250GTO itself. But where some 36 Ferrari GTOs were produced, in stark contrast only the ten true Autodelta TZ2s are understood to have been completed. And in modern Historic and Vintage racing such a well-prepared example as this is a virtually guaranteed show-stopper and/or race winner wherever a new owner might choose to campaign it. So here we offer the most rakish of Italianate good looks – the very best that the combination of Alfa Romeo, Carrozzeria Zagato and Autodelta could offer in Gran Turismo Berlinetta terms 1966-67 – while within the motor racing context, lithe, lissome ‘116’ offered here is the most svelte, rarefied, important and sought-after of all Italy’s 1.6-litre Gran Turismo masterpieces. This Alfa Romeo TZ2 has historic stature and commanding presence which far outweighs its physical size. Start up its crisp, raucous engine and it bawls uninhibitedly “Hey look at me, I’m an Italian racing classic!” – as the world’s largest Historic and Vintage racing audiences at such venues as Laguna Seca and Goodwood would surely attest. A comprehensive documentation file accompanies this car, including Autodelta build and test sheets relating to this chassis ‘116’. This is a very rare opportunity to acquire the best of Tubolare Zagato Due. And from August 19 here at Quail Lodge, it can be yours…».

**Witting da Prato

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Chassis-Nummer: 750117
Produktionsdatum: 18.10.67**
Motoren-Nummer: D2*006* ***
Farbe: Rot
Interieur:
Karosserie: TZ2 («ribassata», Fiberglas)
erster Besitzer: Aldo Bardelli (Pistoia)
weitere Besitzer: Giulio Dubbini; Colombo; Rudy Pas (Niederlande); Von Wenger; Peter Kaus; Paul & Matt Grist
Bemerkungen:

**Witting da Prato/***www.zagato-cars.com

Der Beitrag Alfa Romeo TZ – «ribassata» erschien zuerst auf radicalmag.