Coachbuilt Swede

[Speedman]

Just ID'd a car on VZI, never heard of it before but its sooo very cool to me

I have for a long time wondered about the Volvo 2000 GTZ and the Volvo 3000 GTZ by Zagato. Were two different cars actually built, or just one body later upgraded with larger engine? The 2000 GTZ is listed as constructed in 1969 and the 3000 GTZ in 1970. The Turin show picture was shown as 3000 GTZ at the old Zagato Milano site. (Could anone please tell the year). It is another slighly different picture from the same Turin show in "le Zagato. Fulvia Sport . Junior Z" by M. Marchiano. I have also found the following pictures labelled both as 2000 GTZ or 3000 GTZ at different sites at the internet but I guess the blue ones are 3000 GTZ and the b/w shows the 2000 GTZ ?
I know of a picture of the 3000GTZ being restored in the Swedish magazine "Classic Motor - Signalhornet" sometime in 1997-1998, and I actually went to ALUCars outside Finspång and saw the remains shortly after. Stupid as I was (am) I did not bring my camera...
It has been stated that 2000 GTZ was based on a Volvo 142 and I presume the 3000 GTZ engine is from a 164? On the other hand I have seen a German magazine "Oldtimer markt" 7/1986 supposedly showing a Volvo 1800 TCZ
If anyone knows more about Volvos by Zagato, please share your info.
Fredrik B, Sweden

[tonycocacola]

well, thats a new one on me.
and I'm not too keen.

[Seth]

Shades of the Alfa Zagato there to my mind - not surprisingly Kinda cool me thinks and not at all Volvo looking but then neither is a P1800.

[devilishdesigner]

That's really quite nice, reminds me of an ISO Griffith I think

[Bob the Fish]

Nice, the tall tyres don't do it any favours though.

[BenzBoy]

That's beautiful! (So not very Volvo-esque! ;D). Seems to be a lot of mystery surrounding the car(s)... hopefully the ridddle can be solved.

[briandamaged]

I've not seen one of those before.

It all goes wrong for me at the front- that sort of reversed Coke-bottle just behind the A-post looks weird....and the front end looks like an afterthought.

Great photo though, and proof that Volvo were still thinking in terms of a sports car beyond the death of the P1800.

[misteralz]

That looks so much like a Bristol 412(?) that Bristol should sue for breach of copyright.

[Paul H]

Nov 24, 2008 15:14:43 GMT misteralz said:

That looks so much like a Bristol 412(?) that Bristol should sue for breach of copyright.

The only Bristols that look remotely similar weren't introduced until a couple of years later

[dugong]

Nov 24, 2008 15:14:43 GMT misteralz said:

That looks so much like a Bristol 412(?) that Bristol should sue for breach of copyright.

Yeah, there's a resemblance, but the GTZ looks far more like a rebodied Alfa Zagato Junior to me. Rear end treatment also looks like it was an influence on the Sixten Sason Sonnet 2 and 3, as well as the later Matra Murena which was styled by Robert Choulet (he did the original MVS Venturi as well):

Bristol had collaborated with Zagato in the past, building several lightweight specials.

Bristol 411:



Alfa Zagato Junior:



The front is very ISO Grifo esque, as has been said.

It's my understanding that the 2000 and 3000 GTZs were commissioned in 1970 by Motauto, the then Italian importer of Volvos. The P1800 was coming up for replacement and a previous coachbuilt special by Fissore had been rejected by Volvo on cost grounds.

Both 2000 and 3000 were built and are still extant, the former residing in France in its original blue \ orange hue and the 3000 in Scandinavia having being restored by a classic car magazine.

I believe Volvo rejected the GTZs on cost grounds once they were evaluated. They were still recouping costs from the development of the P1800 and made Motauto pay list on both chassis they supplied.

Eventually the 2000 and 3000 were sold off very cheaply when Volvo made it clear that the planned run of 50 was not going to happen - the P1800 as a niche model would cost too much to replace.

(source: Hoegmark and Folz et al : 2000)

[kjell]

Soon ready for the fun part of installing all the painted and renovated parts.

[BenzBoy]

That's a great update to the story. Glad it's getting restored!