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Alfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato Honors Shared Legacy With Retro Two-Door Coupe

Alfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introduction 23 photos
Photo: Zagato
Alfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introductionAlfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato official introduction
Just in case you want it for yourself, better luck next time, as it has already been earmarked for the garage of a German collector that is deeply passionate about both Zagato and Alfa Romeo automobiles.
Remember how earlier this month Alfa Romeo and Italian coachbuilder and design company Zagato teased everyone about the impending introduction of something cool, retro-flavored, and with a Kammback rear end? Well, the veil of mystery has now dropped to reveal a stunning two-door coupe!

And now we also have the full story behind its creation. According to Zagato, everything started last year when Alfa Romeo and their Italian friend were celebrating no less than a century since their first collaborative work – back in 1921 they were introducing the Tipo G1. Now the Milanese Atelier explains that as part of the anniversary efforts, the little company also decided to create a new model.

That sparked the interest of an affluent German customer that likes to daily a quirky little high-performance 1990 Alfa Romeo SZ (Sprint Zagato) and also has the pleasure of owning other Zagato and Alfa Romeo models, as well as “several Aston Martin Zagatos of the latest generation.” With the financial issue taken care of, they went on with the idea of celebrating Alfa’s current Giulia and Stelvio with something unique.

They settled on a two-door Coupé Zagato body dressed in carbon fiber and for a shortened wheelbase, in the end. Nothing out of the ordinary for the Zagato nameplate, frankly. But then it turns bonkers as they used an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio sedan as the unsuspecting starting base, kept the six-speed manual gearbox, and also upgraded the internals to full GTAm credentials.

As for the design, they used the Alfa Romeo SZ (1989-1991) and TZ (Tubolare Zagato, 1963-1967) as inspiration to ultimately morph the Giulia sedan into a prototype Giulia SWB (short wheelbase) ‘Corsa,’ also with help from Alejandro Mesonero (Alfa Romeo’s head of design) and his styling team. Meanwhile, the subsequent “conception, development and production of the car were, however, carried out entirely and independently by the Milanese Atelier without external support” from Alfa Romeo.

The bespoke Alfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato has seemingly only come out of hiding for a quick photo shoot on the ‘La Pista’ circuit in Arese, Italy, before the official handover to the customer. So, better marvel at its flowing lines while we still can, as these one-offs are in a habit of disappearing without a trace after the initial promo stunts are over.

As for how fast it will vanish, that’s probably tributary to the 2.9-liter turbo V6 tucked under the hood with GTAm (533 hp) levels of power. The rest of us, mere mortals, can only suffer that there was no video feature to accompany its high revs…
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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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