[alfazagato]

Goodings have SZ*00043* coming to auction in January at Scottsdale. The last info I had on the car was 1963. Anybody have news of the car since then?

 

[zzarchi]

SZ PHOTO

 

[tregana]

According to Tito Anselmi, SZ # 00043 was built on 23 sept 1960, N° motore 00180, Colour Grigio Metallizzato, and first owner was Giovanni Bulgari (Roma)

 

[alfazagato]

Ah yes.....but what has happened to the car since '63?

 

[divotandtralee]

Stuart, this car was displayed at the Lime Rock Fall Festival in a slightly dustier condition. From what I saw it is indeed a time capsule. I never spoke to the owner but he was said to be from upstate New York and had taken the car years ago after it had been entered at the Targa and that it is the way he got it from the race. It won a prize at LR and was pulled across the awards ceremony by a golf cart. I have a feeling there must have been some serious buckets of money dumped at his feet and sooooooooooooooooo.. auction time.

 

[Twin cam]

According to Ginos book ran in Targa Florio 61 and 62 Grana and Bulgari and retired lap 8 and crash lap 10 respectively. Also suspect it ran in 63 Constanini and Ferlaino and retired lap 5. It doesn't look like it's been touched since and I like the Amadori rear wheels. Rick, do you know if it has the original 750 type SZ engine on DOC3s?

Paul

 

[alfazagato]

Rick you don't mention which year the Lime Rock Festival was held...can you recall? There is an owners name on the board in front of the car which is not clear but might be Larry something I can't read. Again any idea?
The Amadori wheels on the rear only was a period mod I think.
In all this speculation it is clear that a lot of work will be needed to get it back on the road.

 

[alfazagato]

I have answered my own questions.....it was last year's Lime Rock Festival and the owner seems to be Larry Garcia. All this from the site for the event.
So for over fifty years it has been out of circulation it appears, or at least out of sight of those who record these things.......astonishing! Can't wait for the auction details.
Mechanically re-build and give a wash to the body? Wouldn't that be a great restoration!

 

[divotandtralee]

Rick you don't mention which year the Lime Rock Festival was held...can you recall? There is an owners name on the board in front of the car which is not clear but might be Larry something I can't read. Again any idea?
The Amadori wheels on the rear only was a period mod I think.
In all this speculation it is clear that a lot of work will be needed to get it back on the road.

Stuart, definitely LAUGHING OUT LOUD!!!! .. at my age things get a little fuzzy but thankfully I still use the same calendar and find the date circled with a note "Lime Rock" in the August 31, 2014 box... good thing I don't tear off the pages!

Paul, I didn't get a peak under the hood/bonnet as the owner wasn't present I didn't want to distrurb the patina (or a mouse hostel). That would have been too gauche! We left shortly after the awards ceremony so i never spoke to him.

The other hit of the show was the attached that was running and original, down to the family who inherited it from a deceased patriarch. Salt of the earth, they were.. Very entertaining to hear their stories and the silly phone calls they receive from treasure hunters. don000 and his wife were with us and we had fun poking around these cars when the crowds were all at all restored stuff. The last photo are the owners of the SIATA. The photo makes the paint look new.. it was far from it and more like a thin film and dull as a slate.

 

[Twin cam]

Nice pictures Rick and I love the story about the owners. A very handsome car but not too sure about the front grille. reminds me of Jaws, .........just when you thought it was safe to go to a car show.

Paul

 

[divotandtralee]

Nice pictures Rick and I love the story about the owners. A very handsome car but not too sure about the front grille. reminds me of Jaws, .........just when you thought it was safe to go to a car show.

Paul

I could live with it..oh, could I live with it!.. The car has dealer plates to keep it at a shop who keeps the running gear in top shape. It was another away to key the treasure hunters out of their hair.

PS I heard the white car we spoke about is on your side of the water...don't know where.

 

[divotandtralee]

Interesting history on the SZ..The bidding will be also interesting... for us mortals. 1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ | Gooding & Company

 

[skiwalk]

As the song by the Barenaked Ladies goes- "If I had a million dollars, the first thing that I'd like to do....."

 

[Subtle]

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What a story.

 

[divotandtralee]

Gaveled at US$525,000... There doesn't seem to be a corollary thought on what one can buy (including automobiles) with this kind of money by the people waving the paddles.. Someone should write a thesis on this subject.

 

[alfazagato]

It is very difficult to see, especially from here, what needed to be done to the car and perhaps the prospect of a further major investment in money and time put bidders off. What is the premium charged by Goodings?

 

[Twin cam]

Stuart, at $525000 I wouldn't say the punters were put off. It was the estimate of $600 to 800K that always looked beyond spicey.

Yours is a good question. What do you do with it? Do a full restoration and you've destroyed what you paid all that money for.

But we both know that it's guaranteed the structural integrity of the car will be compromised with the inevitable reaction over the years between the aly panels and the steel frame which Zagato never intended to last for more than a few seasons. Take the panels off and you've lost all the "originality".

Personally I would do a light mechanical restoration, do nothing else and drive the car gently and never take it out in the rain. But who wants to drive an SZ gently! Glad it's not my decision as the alternative is to leave completely alone and keep it in an air conditioned garage for showing at "preservation class" shows. Perish the thought.

Paul

 

[alfazagato]

Precisely that Paul. I could easily see that with commission and a full restoration that the upper figure might well be the final cost. I agree that it was over optimistic.

 

[divotandtralee]

As for his commission, they get 10%/10% buyer/seller. As a good businessman, he probably cuts slack to the high rollers with repeat business... kind of like Platinum Card holders.

As for the car, it is an interesting dilemma. Restoring it washes away the patina'ed history but then how much of the patina was formed way past it's competition days which forms it's history. My old car #37 was in about the same state when I acquired it and had some interesting provenance, but not enough to stop me from removing the body, dipping the chassis and reassembling preserving the interior except for the seat bottoms which had been changed out by a PO and about 80% of the skin. The nose and door skins had to go for sure.

The subject car was very straight and the interior intact, including the grey headliner that had given up most of it's adhesion to the roof when I saw it.
This might be a good candidate to do the mechanicals and leave the window dressing for later... The mechanicals would have all the blems and age spots as found... not some nut and bolt "to-the-plater" job that some folks revere..
As for the price and preserving it.. I think it is a fine investment and will accelerate in value ahead of the market faster if kept as is . I think it would be very cool to keep it and build me a knock off as many of the continentals have done for thrashing about. That would require a palry sum for those guys dropping a half mill on this.

 

[alfazagato]

As you say, a slippery slope as far a restoration is concerned. It is often said over here "whilst we are doing this it would be silly not to do that" which leads to complete "to-the- plater" jobs you refer to. As Paul notes SZ were not built for longevity and a replica for every day would be a fine thing....it might even be watertight! An SZ is the only car I know that has has the driver's shoulder outside the drip rail over the side window!!!!