Alfa Romeo 1900C SS Zagato

The Alfa Romeo 1900C SS Zagato, often referred to as the “esse esse zetas” or SSZ, stands as the most coveted version of the Alfa Romeo 1900 series. With only 39 of these bespoke coupes crafted specifically for racing, the 1900C SSZ marries Zagato’s mastery of lightweight, aerodynamic design with the most powerful iteration of Alfa Romeo’s 1900, the Super Sport. Elio Zagato, who not only helped manage his father’s famous coachbuilding company in Milan but was also a passionate motorsports enthusiast, played a pivotal role in the creation of the SSZ. In 1952, Zagato founded the Sant Ambroeus racing team alongside several friends. Among the team members was a young builder, Vladimiro Galluzzi, who initially raced an Alfa Romeo 1900 coupe with a Touring body. However, Elio Zagato, recognizing the potential of the 1900C’s mechanical platform, encouraged Galluzzi to switch to a lighter, more aerodynamic body that could better exploit the car’s performance capabilities. Zagato was particularly intrigued by the 1900C’s sporting credentials, which included a shorter wheelbase, an alloy-head dual-cam engine, and advanced suspension. Leveraging connections from Ugo Zagato’s earlier work with Alfa Romeo, the coachbuilder acquired a 1900C chassis for development. Key figures from Alfa’s experimental department, Consalvo Sanesi and Ernesto Bonini, also contributed their expertise to the project. By September 1954, the first Super Sport Zagato was completed, featuring a delicate aluminum-alloy body with Plexiglas windows, significantly reducing the car’s weight compared to the standard model. The sleek lines of the SSZ were not only visually striking but also aerodynamically optimized. The hood was purposefully shaped to accommodate the high-profile intake manifold, with vents directing air to the dual carburetors beneath. Following the prototype’s early success, Alfa Romeo approved a limited production run of the Super Sprint Zagatos. In total, approximately 39 berlinettas and two spiders were produced, nearly all before mid-1956. The SSZ quickly gained popularity among private racers for its stunning design and nimble performance. It became a fixture at sports car races across Europe, with six SSZs competing in the 1955 Mille Miglia alone. Galluzzi finished 26th in this grueling race, while the team of Vanini and Badaracco secured the best SSZ result with a 19th-place finish. The SSZ’s racing pedigree was further cemented when Joakim Bonnier drove his SSZ to a first-place overall victory at the 2-liter Sverige Grand Prix on August 7, 1955, outpacing several Porsches and two Fiat 8V competitors. Today, the Alfa Romeo 1900C SS Zagato remains a symbol of mid-century automotive excellence, combining exquisite design, innovative engineering, and a storied racing history.