[Zagato_Olaf]

Hello forum members,

In another thread I added some information on the earliest Junior Zagato's (prototypes, preproduction and early production examples).
I would like to add the same information in this chapter and hope that other members can add information to complete the history of our GT 1300 Junior Zagato.

Concerning the prototypes and start-up of the production:

According to 'Guida all'identificazione Alfa Romeo' by Maurizio Tabucchi (Giorgio Nada, 2000) the chassisnumbers 1800004 and up were produced in 1970. However, there are reasons to believe that the first production examples of the GT 1300 Junior Zagato were produced in 1969.

Style Auto nr 23 (last quarter of 1969) did an article on the Junior Zagato with a lot of pictures of the production and early production examples of the JZ. The early production cars can be recognized because they also have the early style doorlatches without the metal surrounding the doorskin. This makes it plausible that early production JZ's were produced in 1969. Attached you will find some of the pictures.

In the book 'Le Zagato Fulvia Sport - Junior Z' by Michele Marchiano (Edizioni della Libreria dell'Automobile, november 1986) the writer states that Giovanni Luraghi, president of Alfa Romeo, went to greet the Zagato brothers at their stand during the Turin Motor Show of October 1967.
Luraghi said; 'We want to build a new coupe on the Giulia chassis'. On the second of January 1968, the first chassis arrived at the coachworks of the Zagato brothers.
'The aluminium prototype was delivered to Alfa Romeo in July 1968 for the first road tests. It was red. The second and fifth cars were subjected to torsion testing. Subsequently they were refurbished and painted yellow and metallic grey. Number four was white and the 1800006, the first to be placed on sale, was Lesonal red.'
When the Junior Z was shown at the 1969 Turin Show, production had just begun. By the end of that year (1969) 208 cars had been delivered to Alfa. Sales to the public began in February 1970 at 2.235.000 Lires.

According to Luigi Fusi in 'Tutte Le Vetture dal 1910' (Emmeti Grafica Editrice, published in 1978), the JZ was introduced at the Turin Motor Show in november 1969. He states that the type was built from 1969 to 1972. Seems likely to me when we combine this information with the other sources.

There are pictures from JZ prototypes, preproduction and production examples. Attached you will find some from the book 'Zagato' by Gianfranco Fagiuoli e.a. (Automobile Club d'Italia/L'Editrice dell'Automobilia, published in October 1969). The yellow car looks like a preproduction example to me. Look at the front bumper (it looks thicker than the definite version), lack of trim around the centre part of the plexiglass covering the front, the place where the Z logo and side indicator are put (high up on the side of the car). Also have a look at the early style doorlatch this car has as is seen on the production models. Could this be #1800002?

Please forum members; challenge me if you have more and other information.

I hope I have contributed to the knowledge of this forum on the GT 1300Junior Zagato!

Ciao! Olaf Roeten