AGTZ – The Story of Two Tails
REINCREATION OF THE RACING LEGEND
When in February 2024 the famous Italian coachbuilding house Zagato announced their collaboration with Polish concept La Squadra, the buzz in automotive world was immense. But the reaction simply could not have been different. When you take a romantic story about chasing a win at the 24h of Le Mans, add a world-renowned designer and decide to blend two iconic racers into one modern vehicle… you simply nailed the winning recipe.
But it is a winning recipe not only for a design, as the story of AGTZ Twin Tail is much more than ‘just’ a bespoke car itself. It embodies a tale of the nearly forgotten trait of coachbuilding, it is a driveable history lesson about Jean Rédélé’s and Amédée Gordini’s relentless pursuit to crown the podium at La Sarthe and finally, it is a pioneering attempt to offer a feature never seen in a production car before. So, without any further ado…
STATIC DEBUT AT FUORI CONCORSO
Let’s meet the car! Fast forward to May 2024 at Fuori Concorso, the design was statically revealed to the public. The grand reveal of AGTZ took place in between Villa del Grumello and Villa Sucota, accompanied by the two inspirational muses – the 1968 Alpine A220 ‘Longtail’ wearing the No. 29 Le Mans livery and the one-off 1968 Alpine A220 ‘Short Tail’. Seeing the protoplasts doesn’t only complete the history circle, but also helps to understand the AGTZ much better.
And after all, the Twin Tail is Zagato at their finest. Firstly, the car features the iconic ‘double bubble’ roof, well-known from legendary designs such as the Ferrari 250 GT Zagato, Maserati A6G/54 Zagato or a bit more populous Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato. The front reinterprets the rather large headlights known from the Le Mans racers, hiding a stylish-yet-functional air-vent in between. The magic, however, happens at the very rear. This is where in a matter of minutes and the aid of a bespoke trolley the AGTZ transforms from a rebellious Short Tail to a more elegant and streamlined Long Tail.
Whilst it might be deceptive that parts of the body remained the same, it is just an illusion. The lightweight alloy chassis has been dressed in carbon panels all-around. What has not been touched, though, is the interior. Here the alterations are limited to the iconic Z embroidered onto the headrests and… the very special rating plate, proudly wearing the Prototype typology of the double-o serial number.
THE CLASSICS AND TALES FROM LA SARTHE
To do justice both to the new AGTZ Twin Tail and this article, we need to quickly rewind several decades to when Renault and Alpine started their chase of the Le Mans win in 1952. The very beginnings can be described rather as a fair attempt than a sheer success. Rédélé and Lapchin in their Renault 4CV managed to reach the chequered flag and lap La Sarthe 178 times… but were ‘only’ 99 short of the winning Mercedes-Benz.
Fast forward to 1966 and the history can paint a much brighter picture – now already of Alpine – as three A210s powered by 1.3-litre 130HP engines took over the entire podium in the performance class, which was based on multiple factors of efficiency. Reinforced by this success, the brand was ready for the next steps, namely the three-litre V8 meant to power the A220 Long Tail. Unfortunately, the engine performance did not match the factory enthusiasm and Alpine was not competitive against much faster Ford, Ferrari, Porsche and Alfa Romeo. André de Cortanze paired with Jean Vinatier came in eight, 34 laps behind the winner.
Despite many tweaks to the 1968 A220, a year later it failed to finish the 24-hour trial due to a conrod failure after eighteen hours of racing at the Circuit de la Sarthe. A bold yet drastic decision has been made to convert the only unaltered chassis remaining – number 1731 – into a short tail. One month after the Le Mans failure and trimmed by 30 centimetres, the A220 came in third at the Chamrousse Hillclimb in France, to then score second at the Circuit de Nogaro. A much better formula, yet far away from the longed triumph in the most prestigious endurance race.
The dream for the French manufacturer came true in the eleventh hour, when Renault Alpine A442B piloted by Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud brought the victory home in 1978. They finished not only the winning 369-laps, but also a 26-year long chase of Jean Rédélé’s and Amédée Gordini’s dreams.
ANDREA ZAGATO ON THE PROJECT
You might be wondering, is there another link other than the racing history at Le Mans for the new Twin Tail? There might well be! And who else would be better to disclose it and tell us more about the project than the person, who has led the famous design atelier from Rho for the past thirty years. Please, join me now for a short interview with Andrea Zagato.
Adam: Hi Andrea, it is a pleasure to meet you here at Como at this great event of Fuori Concorso, forming the grounds for the presentation of your new concept – the AGTZ Twin Tail. What does this project mean to you?
Andrea: Well, it is much more than that, it is a running concept. The car is working perfectly, and it will be the 00 car of the series of nineteen. It also means that we introduced the project to Alpine at Le Mans in June last year, we told them what our purpose was and in less than a year we have a running car ready. So, it also proves we have had a very good timing - we were straightforward about our target, and we achieved it. The car is running and despite we need to improve a little bit the tail assembly process, it is a very minor modification which we will do within the next two months and then we can start the production in September or October.
Adam: That’s great! Of course, it is always quite tricky from the design perspective to approach such a legendary car in a new way. Could you tell a us little bit more about the design process of the car, how much inspiration have you taken from the Le Mans racer?
Andrea: Our plan was not to design an Alpine for the future, because that would be against the magnificent job that Antony Villain is doing right now at Alpine. As we speak, they are introducing the concept for the future of Alpine at Villa d’Este. Everything they do is looking into the future and we are creating value in the historical side of things. So, we are revamping all the historical experience, telling this intriguing story to new generation - because if you learn from your past, you better face the future. Our purpose was not to design the new Le Mans car, but to have the chance to tell a story, or rather two stories, in one car. And this is the reason why this car has two souls - there are two stories brought together in it.
Adam: The detail that makes it so unique – making two cars into one possible – is very special. I cannot recall any other car with a similar solution throughout all the cars that have been on the market. How big a challenge was it?
Andrea: It was a big challenge! I cannot recall any other cars with two tails either… I know many cars that have a long tail and then a short tail, but in a different model - a long tail and then a short tail separately. But one car and two tails – it is a novelty. The idea was to design two good looking cars in both scenarios and both silhouettes recognisable. One of the key points not many know about is that you can tell them apart even in the night, because the rear lights are vertical on the long and horizontal on the short tail.
Adam: Such a thoughtful manoeuvre and a great design insight! Now a little bit of an unfair question to a designer who created such a beautiful car that works both in a long- and a short tail... Which of the two is your favourite?
Andrea: Well, the short tail is the one I would use everyday. I like it a lot! Long tail for me would be for when you go to a dinner and need to be more formal, you have to introduce yourself and create a wow effect... that’s when you put on the long tail. The purpose is different - short is for everyday, long is for special occasions.
Adam: This car was also developed in collaboration with La Squadra. How did that work out?
Andrea: They are very young. Very enthusiastic. Passionate! We got a letter of congratulations from Luca de Meo who is the CEO at Renault. I then asked Luca if I could share the congratulation letter with all the La Squadra team and then he said “yes, of course, and if you want, I can also make a video”. Luca is very intelligent, one of the best managers of automotive I’ve ever met in my life – and then he added – “it is because I like the passion of these young generation guys towards the brand”. This was really important.
Adam: Thank you very much, Andrea!
Andrea: Thank you!
LA SQUADRA’S BOLDEST MOVE TO-DATE
Ever since Grupa Pietrzak brought the La Squadra concept to live in 2016, it had firstly become a focal point on the Polish automotive map. Then it slowly took over more of the European ground and became visible to a much broader audience. Located in Katowice the dealership now represents exclusive brands such as Ferrari, Maserati or Pagani, but coincidentally (or not) its roots started as a Renault dealership in 1994, when the business was led by Bogdan Pietrzak – Jakub Pietrzak’s father.
I always appreciated the work of La Squadra, a few times visiting their Ristorante to enjoy a lunch with a view on some of the amazing classics they have. They tended to always surprise, either by presenting the very first Ferrari F40 in Poland or not so long ago even signing the hottest hypercar brand – Koenigsegg. Whilst all of that was impressive, to me it seemed like a natural consequence of the group’s hard work and felt almost ordinary. All until now…
In my book, the premiere of the AGTZ Twin Tail reiterates La Squadra as not only a dealership, but also a group of passionate people daring to embark on a monumental journey to create something unique and iconic. At Fuori Concorso, I had the chance to meet with Jakub Pietrzak, who as one of the visionaries behind the project described his AGTZ journey from the bottom of his petrolhead’s heart. Listen in!
THE STORY CONTINUES
At some point on Sunday the AGTZ Twin Tail disappeared from the premises of Villa del Grumello. Jakub must have gone for his evening drive, doubtlessly turning heads of many automotive enthusiasts gathered in Cernobbio for the Como Car Week. Left with the two vintage A220s, I reflected on how spectacular this project is from multiple perspectives. Ultimately, to have a Zagato collaboration originating in Poland is simply jaw-dropping.
As the AGTZ Twin Tail is just getting its journey started, I am sure you will see a whole lot more of it in the coming months. Its dynamic debut is planned for this year’s Festival of Speed at Goodwood, but if you already fell in love with the car and have the means… be quick! Some of the nineteen already found their homes.
Text & Photos: Adam Pekala ©
