Alfa Romeo TZ1: Introduction

I was encouraged to tackle a new Model Factory Hiro kit, even though I already have two in progress, because the Model Factory Hiro Group on Facebook is running a competition for best build which starts now and runs to end of December. So I went through the stash and picked one that seemed like it would provide a challenge without being too difficult. The 917K is too reminiscent of the stalled 908/03; and while I have a couple of nice Ferraris, they are all variations on the 3-litre 250 GT Lusso which is underway, and so don't present any new challenges. So the Alfa won out.



This being a competition with real prizes, I figured I should do some research, as historical accuracy will be part of the judging process.

The kit comes with decals for three 1964 Le Mans cars, including car #57, the winner of the GT 1600 class (13th overall). In fact the only entrants in the GT 1600 class that year were three TZ1s, of which two finished, and a Lotus Elan, which quit due to overheating after only 7 laps. Car #57, serial 750 011, is now in the hands of the famous collector (and drummer for Pink Floyd) Nick Mason. It rolled out of the factory on April 30, 1964 (click here) just in time for Le Mans practice, sporting a twin-plug head.



Unfortunately, the Zagato website, which appears to be authoritative, shows period pictures of the car running at Le Mans in 1964, but no period underhood shots. At least one other online reference mentions the twin-plug head, and the British specialists Alfaholics have posted pictures of rebuilds and restoration jobs on TZ1s which all show the twin-plug head. However, photos of car 750-045, posted by an auction house which emphasised the historical accuracy of the car, show a single plug head. As well, the Zagato website does show newer pictures of other TZ1s, post-restoration, with single plug heads. Why does this matter? Because the kit comes with a single-plug head ... so some uncertainty here; I am guessing that retrofitting a cheaper single-plug motor was a common swap as twin-plug heads wore out or blew up. I suppose I could swap in an 8-cylinder aftermarket distributor and a second coil if needed, but the head would still be wrong. 



So on to the kit: the body is quite simple, made up of two parts, and is up to the usual MFH resin standards. The engine and drive train look like typical MFH builds. The chassis, which was my greatest concern, consists of one large casting and about six or seven smaller ones, all designed to model the tubular space frame.



Maybe I am getting better at this; the frame went together OK, so far, and I only had to cleanup and reglue one of the frame sides. Thank goodness for acetone, which dissolves CA glue. So on to the primer for the chassis.



Stay tuned!