Ferrari and Zagato's relationship formed one of the most desirable 'marriages' in car design, the 250GT Zagato (GTZ). It was their most successful collaboration and only a few were ever made for requesting clients. As the ultimate combination, the GTZ allied the already proven Ferrari 250 Tour de France chassis with Zagato's curvaceous low drag body. It practically guaranteed success.
For the Ferrari 250, Zagato used his lightweight, aeronautic techniques which he first adopted when founding his coach building company in 1919. This meant the lightweight and purposeful bodywork on the 250 GTZ not only looked incredible, it helped Camillo Luglio become the Italian sports car champion twice over.
The first GTZ, chassis 0515GT, was completed in 1956 and set the basic shape for four more coupes. Each was intended for competition, and some even had stylish details that put them at the forefront of the Concours scene. As Uwe Zagato and his sons were open to suggestions from their clients, the GTZs varied in subtle details, and a few were made as lightweight as Zagato could go.
Fighter pilot Camillo Luglio won two Italian champions in two different examples, and placed second in class at the somewhat tamed-down 1958 Mille Miglia. During this remarkable placement he held pace with Ferrari's factory team and was later offered a position by Enzo to drive in Formula One which he turned down.
Throughout Ferrari's colorful and successful history, only ten customer-bought Ferraris were bodied by Zagato up to 1973, making these cars one of the hardest to see in person. Despite what is published, all of the GTZs remain intact and each is the highlight of the collection they belong to.
source: http://www.supercars.net/cars/516.html
by Richard Owen
Sources & Further Reading
Marchiano, Michele. Ferrari by Zagato, Giorgio Nada: 1988.
Massini, Marcel. 'The Zagato Ferraris'. Cavallino 38, April/May 1987.
Massini, Marcel. 'The Zagato Ferraris'. Cavallino 38, April/May 1987.
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