New Alfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato unveiled as 533bhp grand tourer
Zagato’s latest project uses the powertrain from an Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm and adds a manual gearbox
Italian coachbuilder Zagato has revealed its new car, called the Giulia SWB Zagato. It’s based on the hardcore Giulia GTAm super saloon but Zagato says the development and production of the Giulia SWB was done entirely in-house.
Zagato and Alfa Romeo, both based in Milan, have a long history together with the coachbuilder first working on Alfas in 1921 with the G1. Since then, we’ve seen Zagato interpretations of Alfa Romeos in the form of the 1600 Junior Zagato, the SZ and more recently the Dodge Viper-based Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale.
As a slightly belated centenary celebration of Zagato and Alfa Romeo working together, the new Giulia SWB Zagato pays homage to designs of old. The overall proportions are far removed from Alfa Romeo’s Giulia saloon and are more akin to Zagato’s TZ3 and Junior Zagato.
At the front we can see headlights taken from the Tonale, plus a very low bonnet line coupled with a larger version of Alfa Romeo’s “Trefoil” triangular grille. The wheels are taken from the GTAm, finished in silver and behind it we can see huge GTAm brakes with yellow calipers.
The purpose of the two-tone paint work design is to help give the SWB Zagato a more streamlined appearance. On the roof we can see a double-bubble design, while the doors have no obvious handles - they’re operated by a tiny button on the b-pillar. To the rear we can see Zagato’s favoured ‘Kammback’ rear end style, combined with a huge rear light bar. Beneath there’s a large diffuser and twin-exit central exhaust - similar to the GTAm’s. Almost every body panel on the Zagato has been remodelled and constructed from carbon-fibre, which means it’s likely to sit under the GTAm’s 1,580kg kerbweight.
Underneath that long, low bonnet (which is also forward-opening) sits a 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6 taken from the Quadrifoglio GTAm model. Zagato hasn’t quoted performance figures, but it’s unlikely to have been tweaked with around 533bhp and 600Nm of torque available. Power goes to the rear wheels, but instead of an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox, there’s a six-speed manual instead - which is available on the Giulia Quadrifoglio in some markets. The Zagato also retains Alfa Romeo’s ‘DNA’ driving mode selection with an additional ‘race’ mode.
The interior uses plenty of regular Giulia Quadrifoglio parts, such as the infotainment screen and various switches. There’s plenty of green trim, mimicking the exterior colour and Zagato has used carbon-fibre material for much of the dash and door cards. ‘Z’ branded leather seats also feature.
Zagato says the Giulia SWB was made for a German customer who happens to own an Alfa Romeo S.Z. along with various Aston Martin Zagatos. With the GTAm base-car costing around £155,000, Zagato’s creation would’ve likely cost nearer the £300,000 mark.
Check out our review on the Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm here...
