Equipment
1570cc/112hp, 5-speed, side exhaust, alloy wheels, Hoosier tires, Talbot Yorck mirrors, OMP harnesses, leather-wrapped steering wheel, added oil pressure, oil temp, and water temp gauges.
Condition
#3 Good
Runs and drives well. Flaws not noticeable to passersby. Most common condition.
From the Quadrifoglio collection. Originally owned and campaigned by Dmitri Nabokov, son of Lolita author Vladimir Nabokov. Since he was tall, he also reportedly ordered it with Zagato's signature double bubble roof so he could fit inside with a helmet. Period race history at Monza and in hillclimbs. Then sold to Australia and campaigned in the Tasman Championship in 1966. In present ownership since 1991. Set up for vintage racing but looks like it hasn’t run in a while. Its last reported outing was in 2012, but it reportedly got an engine rebuilt in 2015. OK paint with some cracks here and there. The headlight covers don’t fit quite right. Ancient-looking wheels and tires. Dull side windows. Dull rear window frames and rusty rivets holding them on. Tidy interior. Non-original engine. Inherently an interesting and rare car, the 61st of 117 built, but tired.
Market commentary
With the right condition and history, a TZ-1 can be a million-dollar car, and RM Sotheby's estimate for this imperfect but honest example was a seemingly reasonable $700,000-$900,000. But there were several tired old Alfa race cars out of this collection, all offered at no reserve. Maybe there were too many of them, maybe cars with needs are tough to sell right now, or maybe it's a little bit of both, but most of the cars out of the Quadrifoglio Collection sold for a relative bargain.