Removable tail for $1 million Le Mans-inspired sports car

Italian coachbuilder Zagato has unveiled the AGTZ Twin Tail – a name owners will be able to take literally once they have paid the €650,000 ($AU1.07 million) plus taxes asking price. 

Based on the Alpine A110 sports coupe – not sold in Australia since 2021, when it cost approximately $100,000 – the Twin Tail features an additional piece of bodywork to extend the rear into a ‘Long Tail’ configuration. 

The piece extends the overall length of the car but when it’s not wanted, it can be removed and the vehicle fully functional without it in place. 

The bodywork – and functioning tail lights – look complete in both short- and long-tail forms. 

Zagato worked with Polish company La Squadra on the Twin Tail, inspired by the Alpine A220 race car built to win the 1968 and 1969 Le Mans 24 Hours.

The A220 was capable of reaching beyond 300km/h at the end of Le Mans’ famous Mulsanne Straight, with its bodywork featuring an extended ‘long tail’ to help the airflow around the car keep it on the ground at such speeds. 

While it didn’t take the victory at the famous French race it was designed for – finishing eighth in 1968 – it remains revered for its looks and the sound of its mid-mounted 3.0-litre V8 engine. 

A220 Chassis number 1731 also had 300mm lopped off its tail as it went racing at shorter circuits and in rallies around Europe – inspiring the 2024 Twin Tail. 

For the Twin Tail, every panel of the A110 donor car has been worked upon, with the front-end treatment leading to sculpted doors – again, significantly changed from the A110. 

The windscreen appears to wrap around the vehicle like a racing helmet visor thanks to an A-pillar treatment that connects the windscreen to the side glass, and even the roof has a classic sports car racing bubble shape to it. 

There was no mention of any mechanical changes detailed in the announcement from Zagato, with production of the Twin Tail limited to 19 units with customer deliveries scheduled to start in October 2024. 

Alpine A110The AGTZ Twin Tail will make its first in-the-metal public appearance at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este at Lake Como, Italy, in May 2024.