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The Zagato Ferrari Story

The man behind Zagato Coach Builders was Ugo Zagato, and started his career with Alfa Romeo. Enzo Ferrari also worked for Alfa Romeo, first as a race driver and then later as head of the racing team.

Zagato’s talent lay in metalwork, and he designed and constructed many of the delightful bodies seen on Alfas at this time. When Ferrari went back to Modena in 1939, after his departure from Alfa, he and Zagato didn’t see each other for almost a decade. As Ferrari grew their prodution car business they primarily used Pinin Farina to design his cars.

Nearly ten years later Zagato re-bodied a Ferrari that was not supplied by his friend Enzo but from race car driver Antonio Stagnoli. The car was a Ferrari 166 Mille Miglia (s/n 0018 M) and was later called the Panoramica because of Zagato's domed cabin design. Then in 1953 Zagato re-bodied another Ferrari 166 Mille Miglia whose owner Luigi Bosisio called the Elaborata.

Zagato's reputation grem and in 1956 Vladimiro Galluzzi and Camillo Luglio asked Ferrari to supply two 25o GT chasis to be bodied directly by Zagato. Due to the fact he had a long standing friendship with Zagato as well as two very good customers request he did as requested and delivered two 250 GT chasis s/n 0515 and s/n 0537. Zagato completed the cars in just a few months primarily because he used the platform of the Lancia Appia Sport he had completed earlier. While the two cars had some minor differences they primarily looked the same. The cars received a lot of publicity and grew the Zagoto design name around Europe. A third (s/n 0665) was built in 1957 with the bubble roof as seen below. There were a total of five 250 GT LWB Ferraris. The last two had regular roofs (s/n 0689 and s/n 1367).

Zagato did not get a chance to work with Ferrari again until 1991. Between 1991 and 1992, a number of adventurous owners let Zagato extensively modify their 348 TBs into Zagato Elaboraziones.

While the Zagato 348 TB certainly looked more "high performance" it was just a look. Zagato did absolutely nothing to the engine or transmission. The car had a new front end look as well as enlarged NACA ducts for engine with matching side skirts. At the rear Zagato fabricated a new engine cover with a clear glass section to reveal the V8 below. In 2000 Ferrari copied this idea with the 360 Modena Spider. At the rear, a new triple light arrangement and an electronically-operated spoiler were added.

In addition Zagato added their signature Double Bubble roof. The Elaboraziones also included custom OZ Racing alloy wheels, external fuel filler caps and a completely reworked interior including a three-inch rear view screen and suede upholstery. It is specualted that Zagato completed 22 Ferrari 348 Zagato Elaboraziones. They all share a distinctive look.

Zagato Design shortly after the 348 Elaboraziones Zagato lead designer, Ercole Spada re-bodies a Ferrari Testarossa. Spada had great success with the Zagato design of the Aston Martin DB4 and an Alfa Romeo 155. His Testarossa made no concessions to the original and featured stylistic creases, huge air intakes and pleasing curves.

When first released at Geneva, the FZ93 featured an awkward two-tone paint scheme and huge black cavallinos which easily distracted the viewer from the actual lines of the car. The car currently resides in the Zagato collection in their 250 square foot facility in Milan Italy.

In 2006 Yoshiyuki Hayashi, a famous Japanese car collector, who owns a Ferrari 166MM, the 250 Spider California, two Daytonas – a coupé and a spider – and the Enzo. Hayashi asked Zagato if it would be possible to create a body for his 575M, in the style of the famous 250GTZ berlinetta.

Like its Ferrari 250 GT Zagato, the 575 GTZ has an all-aluminium body with two-tone paintwork and styling that refers back to the 1950s 250 GT. There have been a total of 6 575 GTZs made.