The primary take a look at flight of the Concorde, the moon touchdown, the Woodstock competition, and Monty Python’s Flying Circus first aired on BBC One… just some of the key historic occasions that occurred within the yr 1969. In motorsports, so much occurred too, as Sir Jackie Stewart gained his first of three System 1 World Driver Championships, Bruce McLaren dominated the Can-Am sequence in a automotive constructed by his personal group, and Ford gained Le Mans for a fourth consecutive yr. However that very same yr, the French group of Alpine entered the A220, a racing automotive which may not have gained Le Mans that yr however has turn into kind of a cult hero. Most notably for its short-to-longtail conversion from 1968 to 1969, which is now paid tribute to by none apart from Zagato.
The well-known Italian design studio and coachbuilding firm Zagato has been round for greater than 100 years and is thought for its distinctive styling. Based by Ugo Zagato in 1919, the corporate rapidly garnered fame by making light-weight our bodies for Alfa Romeo’s racing vehicles within the Nineteen Twenties and Nineteen Thirties. One among Zagato’s most well-known creations is the Alfa Romeo 8C, however the firm would additionally construct vehicles for Rolls Royce, Fiat, Bugatti, Maserati, Lancia and others.
Following the Second World Conflict, Zagato made an announcement with ‘Panoramic’ vehicles within the Sixties, identified for its bubble-like tops with massive glazed surfaces. By means of the Seventies and Eighties, the corporate continued to discover new grounds and even proposed an electrical automotive as a response to the oil disaster. In later years, Zagato created distinctive physique designs for Aston Martin, Spyker, Alfa Romeo and others. One of many key styling parts in a number of vehicles is the so-called Zagato ‘double-bubble’ roofline.
A Porsche 356 Carrera Zagato Coupé ‘Sanction Misplaced’
A Porsche 356 Carrera Zagato Coupé ‘Sanction Misplaced’
For the AGTZ Twin Tail, Zagato joins forces with Alpine and La Squadra, a Polish super- and hypercar distributor working with manufacturers akin to Ferrari, Pagani, Koenigsegg and Bugatti. Alpine can be represented by La Squadra, which was based by Jakub Pietrzak, which is how all three parts on this distinctive collaboration are tied collectively.
The Inspiration
Earlier than we delve into the all-new and somewhat cool AGTZ Twin Tail, now we have to know the place it comes from. Jean Rédélé, a storage proprietor from Dieppe, France, was an enthusiastic racer and determined it was time to launch a brand new automotive firm in 1954, which might turn into the Alpine model. The primary automotive was the A106, which used Renault know-how beneath a two-door coupe physique. Within the mid-Sixties and Seventies, Alpine was fairly profitable in racing, with the attractive Alpine A110 conquering the inaugural producer’s World Rally Championship in 1973 as an example. In endurance racing, the French group naturally focussed on the Le Mans 24 Hours race and different sports activities automotive codecs. The crowning achievement was the 1978 victory on the well-known Circuit de la Sarthe, with the hanging Elf-sponsored Alpine A442, the corporate’s first and solely general win at Le Mans.
The A220 nevertheless, began life because the A210, a short-tailed two-seater sports activities automotive derived from Alpine’s earliest line of racing vehicles, the M63, M64 and M65. The light-weight vehicles all featured small displacement Renault engines tuned by Gordini, though a short experiment with a V8-powered variant was performed in 1967. The A210 was constructed and campaigned between 1966 and 1969, and entered the Le Mans 24 Hours race quite a few occasions. A minimum of seven A210s entered the 1967 version of the well-known endurance race, alongside a number of different Alpine vehicles, and the manufacturing facility group got here in ninth general and 1st within the 1.3-litre class with the #46 automotive, in addition to thirteenth general and first within the 1.6-litre class with the #45 automotive.
A yr later, a rule change rendered the big-output racing vehicles out of date, as displacement was restricted to three litres for prototypes and 5 litres for sports activities vehicles. This improved Alpine’s possibilities, and to amplify that, the group introduced forth the long-tail A220. The automotive was wider, and clearly longer, due to the drastically redesigned rear part aimed to enhance the automotive’s aerodynamic stability and efficiency. Regardless of their greatest efforts to compete for the race win, placing 11 vehicles on the grid for the 1969 race, Alpine did not make the influence it wished and the one automotive finishing the 24-hour race was a 1-litre A210 automotive.
In an effort to lengthen the automotive’s life regardless of the unsuccessful run at Le Mans, the automotive was minimize up and shortened, refocusing its racing profession to shorter circuits and races. Along with slicing about 30cm off the whole size of the automotive, moveable aerodynamics have been additionally put in. The automotive’s low weight and newly formed physique proved to be fairly profitable, because it achieved third place in a hillclimb occasion shortly after it was rebuilt. A complete of eight A220s have been constructed, however just one acquired this drastic conversion. Half of these 8 vehicles have survived, together with the one “as soon as long- however now short-tailed” chassis #1713. This split-personality, if you’ll, now serves because the inspiration for a brand new coachbuilt creation, referred to as the AGTZ Twin Tail.
The Tribute
Regardless of not attaining what it got down to do, the Alpine A220 has turn into considerably of an icon. It was an try to create motor racing historical past, and in a approach it succeeded, however not the best way it was meant to take action. However fortunately, the story doesn’t finish there because it has now impressed a captivating new automotive, the AGTZ Twin Tail. As talked about, the driving drive behind this wonderful mission is Jakub Pietrzak whereas the design work is finished by Zagato. Solely 19 vehicles might be constructed, and each might be totally different when it comes to specs, distinctive to every particular person proprietor. Based mostly on the Alpine A110, a modern-day sports activities automotive closely impressed by the unique A110, the method beneath stays unchanged so far as we all know it, however it’s the exterior that issues most!
For this particular hommage to the A220, who lived as each a short- and long-tail endurance racer, Zagato penned a dramatic new physique for the A110 sports activities automotive. To pay respects to the A220 in one of the best ways doable, it includes a detachable tail part so every proprietor has the selection to run it as a short- or long-tail. Beginning on the entrance, the face of the Alpine A110 is made much more pronounced, with a extra aggressive air consumption, greater headlights and a recessed air vent. From the aspect, the design flows into a pointy air consumption simply behind the doorways. From there, it will get actually attention-grabbing as you’ll be able to think about!
The short-tail physique has a definite cut-off design, nearly within the fashion of the Kammback fashion. A big diffuser with horizontal slats and central exhaust makes for an aggressive rear-end, with a set of angular air vents on prime and horizontal tail lights. Set up the long-tail part of the bodywork, and the lineage of the Alpine A220 turns into much more clear. The form is similar to the design of the unique A220 in its long-tail iteration, with vertical taillights and prolonged air vents to assist the circulation of air and stabilize the rear finish.
The long-tail model of the AGTZ Twin Tail
The short-tail model of the AGTZ Twin Tail
Additional particulars embody Zagato’s well-known double-buddle roof design, which extends into the rear window and down into an engine cowl that may be very harking back to the unique A110, making the design come full circle. There aren’t any particulars in regards to the inside, so for now let’s assume it has remained untouched within the course of. As mentioned, solely 19 might be made and the primary vehicles are being produced and the order books filling up rapidly already, regardless of the asking worth of EUR 650,000. That’s actually some huge cash, however a becoming hommage to a singular racing automotive redesigned in a approach that can be an ideal expression of the artwork of coachbuilding.
For extra info on this fabulous hommage to the Alpine A220, please go to AGTZTwinTail.com.
Editorial Observe: The pictures portrayed on this article are sourced from the AGTZ Twin Tail web site and Traditional Driver until said in any other case.
