Alfa Romeo/Alfa Romeo Digest Archive

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: 4R Zagato



Looks as if one can't post anything anymore without "quibblers" making one out to be a liar. My information comes from David Owen's book "Alfa Romeo: Always With Passion"

According to Owen's statement in the first paragraph of the sidebar 'The Spider 4R Zagato' on page 111: " The car was built on the Giulia floorpan with Giulia mechanicals, but the body, at least, was built by the old firm in the old way, and the car looked a great deal more genuine than many modern recreations."

Unfortunately, David Styles' "definitive" Alfa history "Alfa Romeo: The Spirit of Milan" doesn't mention the 4R Zagato Quattroruote at all.

But Tippler's treatise: "Alfa Romeo Spider, The Complete Story" States only that the Gran Sport Quattroruote 4R Zagato was built '...using the running gear and suspension of the 101 series Giulia."

I suspect that Mr. Owen was being a bit too literal. While it is possible to mount either front or rear suspension members outside of the stamped Giulia floorpan to get a longer wheelbase, it would make little sense to do so. What would make more sense would be for Zagato to fabricate a simple ladder or x-member frame for the small number of cars made.

George Graves
'86 GTV-6 3.0S




On Friday, Aug 1, 2003, at 17:14 US/Pacific, alfa-digest wrote:


Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2003 14:56:38 -0400
From: "John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@domain.elided>
Subject: 4R Zagato

Tim had written that they "were built on a Giulia floorpan", and George Graves
wrote they "were actually built on a Giulia floorpan by the original
coachbuilder, Zagato and sported a real, fold-down flat windshield."

I question at least the "built on a Giulia floorpan" part; the car has a
wheelbase of 2600 mm, versus 2250 mm for the 101.23 Giulia Spider (whose type
number Russ Neely correctly says they shared), a difference of roughly
fourteen inches. Other Giulia wheelbases are 2380 mm for the Sprint, 2350 mm
for the 105 coupes, 2510 mm for the sedans, 2570 for the 1750/2000 Berlinas.
Even the Milano is 2510; the Alfa Sei was the only Alfa between the 2600
berlina and the 164 with as long a wheelbase as the 4R.


George Graves
'86 GTV-6 3.0S
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided


Home | Archive | Main Index | Thread Index