Junior 1300 Zagato wakes up

Profumo di Alfa magazine is the only magazine in Italy that is exclusively dedicated to the Alfa Romeo brand.

That's why, whenever Director Mario Fontana asks us to photograph our cars and draw on our archives, we are always happy to answer him: of course!

From the very beginning, spontaneously and above all with great fun, the group "Quelli del Museo" was created: When we decide to "get our hands" on an Alfa, there are many of us! Ettore takes care of the mechanical part, Marchino takes care of the aesthetics, and Elisabetta tests the cars (and pays the bill😂). Finally, most important, Mario gathers information in the archives, takes photos, writes articles, and publishes memorable features on Scent of Alfa.

Now these memorable articles already published (by the way, have you purchased this month's copy yet?) will also be available in our news.

This month we share the article dedicated to the Junior 1300 Zagato, published in issue 12 of the magazine dated 11/15/2023 .

Happy reading!

The Visconteo Castle in Legnano, the setting in which the shooting with the Junior Zagato took place. In the first photo we see Pietro Cozzi portrayed.

In 1969, Alfa Romeo presented at the Turin Motor Show this sporty and elegant model designed for an unconventional customer

Gorgeous 50-year-old woman

Only 920 kilos and the chassis is derived from that of the Duetto, however shortened, in fact it is low and very short making it very sporty not only in appearance but also to drive, after all the mechanics are those of the GT Junior. Thus begins the lectio magistralis of Ettore Grechi, the "mathematician" (for those who missed the previous episode, Grechi has a degree in mathematics. Ed.), and he goes on to argue that mechanics is pure mathematics, with numbers taking shape in the case of anAlfa Romeo. He then begins to illustrate the efforts Zagato has made in containing weight by pointing us to the aluminum hood and doors, although he is keen to point out that the car being already short and small did not need more aluminum parts to save additional pounds but, rather, insisting they would only increase production costs since aluminum is a "precious" metal.

So did Peter Cozzi see right through it? 

"He was far-sighted in including this car in his collection, with his motto 'put it there' he saved a real high-end piece, also because when you buy cars signed by famous coachbuilders, such as Zagato in this case, it is not certain that their design will stand the test of time. Let's say that the Junior 1300 Zagato represents for the design 105, that is, the Giulia, what the legendary SZ represented for the Giulietta. In this case the Junior Z smells ... of the future."

Can spare parts still be found? 

"Let's put it this way, it's better to melt the engine than to smash the plexiglass that protects the headlights because the mechanics are that of the GT and so you can find everything except for some characteristic elements of the bodywork such as the gas tank, which in this case is that of the Montreal".

How best to store it? 

"Although they produced relatively few examples, the maintenance is basically similar to that of a GT o Duetto, so absolutely affordable although there are some cautions if we are talking about cars of a certain age that do not travel many miles."

Which ones? 

"The radiator, for example. Beyond the model, many people when they see that the water radiator is not leaking and, opening the cap, they see the right level they think it is healthy, while often it is the internal tubes that get plugged because of limescale, preventing the liquid from circulating freely therefore preventing cooling. At the first signs of overheating, with all that can follow, I recommend changing the thermostat which is the cheapest operation, and if the problem remains change the radiator, to avoid more serious damage such as burning the head gasket and so on. So never evaluate the radiator just from the outside appearance because it doesn't mean that if it doesn't leak it's okay, but inside it, it doesn't necessarily pass water. And this also applies to the cabin heating radiator."

Z for Zagato 

Alfa Romeo president Giovanni Luraghi had a bold idea: a compact, sporty, one-of-a-kind GT. It was a titanic challenge, but he knew it had to be realized. The birth of this marvel is a tale of visionaries and dreamers 

InAlfa Romeo, the president Giovanni Luraghi had identified a space - in a range that included theGiulia Super, Spider and GT Junior-foran GT original, compact and sporty. To improve both performance and handling, it needed a compact, aerodynamic design and lightweight construction, combined with a rigid body. Finally, the styling had to be original enough to differentiate it from the Spider designed by Pininfarina and the GT Junior designed by Bertone. So it was that at the Turin Motor Show of 1967, Luraghi met Gianni and Elio Zagato and the principles behind the new vehicle were agreed upon. Once again the work was entrusted to Ercole Spada, and the resulting design was extremely provocative.The seductive profile of the Junior Z, truncated at the rear (in homage to studies carried out in the 1930s by Swiss Wunibald Kamm, from which the tail's namesake is derived Kamm. Ed.) and tapered forward into an aggressive wedge at the front, had broken every conventional aesthetic scheme of theAlfa Romeo.

The debut 

L'Alfa Romeo presented the 1300 Junior Zagato at the Turin Motor Show in 1969. Although the styling was considered somewhat controversial at the time, the House of Arese aimed the car at a young and relatively affluent market segment interested in sporty and elegant cars.Technically, there was nothing new to see. Making use of production components from the 105 Series of theAlfa Romeo, the Junior Zagato shared the (shortened) floorpan, transmission and trim with the Giulia Spider Junior.

The design of Sword encapsulated these proven basics in an advanced and elegant form with an eye to the level of detail the designer devoted to the aerodynamic features of this car.There was no fancy chrome or superfluous detailing to be seen-common in all other models of the same era-but instead sharp lines and a bumper kept to a minimum. The interior was also relatively spacious, with polished aluminum console trim where the base of the gearshift was mounted almost at the top of the center cabinet, while the pedals were hinged to the floor. Behind the driver and passenger was a flat storage area that provided more than adequate luggage space.Devoid of chrome and badges, the exterior design was so engaging that designer Yves Saint Laurent inserted a Junior in one of his magazine print ads. The useful all-glass tailgate opened by hand to give access to the small trunk, but a switch on the dashboard allowed the driver to raise the rear window electrically just a few inches to improve interior ventilation.Sleek bodywork and sporty handling made the Junior Zagato an object of automotive desire despite its engine of only 1300 cc.Other clever air management details abounded.To reduce frontal drag, the aggressive nose was covered with clear plexiglass.The only openings were a cutout for the radiator, cleverly shaped like the shield of theAlfa Romeo, and a series of vertical slits for the carburetor air intake.

In addition, the center section of the engine hood rose as if by an origami effect toward the windshield, and on the driver's side, a special conformation directed airflow and allowed the wiper arm to move without resistance.From the nose to the tail, soft contours and design lines followed the car's beltline, reducing wind resistance and noise.All these aerodynamic features resulted in a drag coefficient of 0.29, which is very impressive for a road car designed almost 60 years ago.Although the engine, transmission, suspension and brakes were strictly Alfa, these components worked better on the Zagato due to the car's lightness, structural rigidity and smoothness of form than the "sisters" who had "donated" their mechanisms.

The photo shoot depicting the Junior 1300 Zagato.

Too expensive 

Upon its release, testers after road tests were enthusiastic about the performance of the Junior, particularly its balance and maneuverability.The Zagato performed so well that it earned a reputation as one of the Alfa Romeos small-displacement cars on the market at the time. But the excellent performance did not translate into sales success.Despite its appeal to enthusiasts, its small size, and the effort made by Zagato to keep production costs as low as possible by using the original 1.3-liter twin-cam engine found in the chassis of theAlfa Romeo Spider donor, the final selling price also due to the complexity of the workmanship was relatively high (considerably higher than that of the coupe or the Spider. Ed.) and abetted by strong competition curbed its sales, which stopped at 1,117 units produced in three years because it was later replaced by the 1600 version, which we will discuss in future issues.

In conclusion 

Cars like the Junior Z underscore what enthusiasts have long known: that we are looking at more than a classic car. We are looking at a work of art, a fragment of history that lives on in the present. And then the knowledge that you don't need a big engine block under the hood to have fun because, sometimes, even small cars can bring big smiles to us alfisti.And this Pietro Cozzi he knew well.

The cover of issue 12 of Profumo di Alfa in which there is an article dedicated to the Junior 1300 Zagato