The official build record states that this GTA was completed on December 16, 1965. It was the 54th car of the model to be produced and the 14th given over to Alfa’s competition partner, Autodelta. Its works racing career ended in 1970, when it was returned to Alfa Romeo and used for testing. In 1988, the car was sold by Alfa Romeo to a new owner in Italy.
With the intent of retaining the Group 4 competition features, the new owner commissioned a major professional restoration to return the car to 1965-67 Autodelta specifications, which would enable it to be used on the road. This work included a complete rebuild of the bodywork, detachment and restoration of the lightweight Speralum 25 panels, anti-corrosion treatment and a repaint to the correct Alfa Red 501 livery. While the bodywork was attended to, the engine was also rebuilt with a balanced crankshaft, flywheel and clutch. New cams and a special head gasket were fitted to bring the compression ratio down to a level suitable for road use. The rear axle was also replaced since it had a short differential more suited to hill-climbing than road use.
In 1968, the front brakes had been changed from Dunlop to the more reliable ATE. These were retained, using GTA 1300 Junior steering connectors, as were the original Dunlop rear brakes. The restored bodywork, with its smaller wheel arches, required a return to the correct 7 x 14-inch Campagnolo wheels all around. In order not to preclude road use, the original roll bar has not been fitted, but the interior has been refurbished in vinyl to the correct pattern. The Autodelta driving seat is fabricated from aluminum over a light steel frame.
The car is not currently road registered, but is offered with a letter from the Alfa Romeo Register confirming its date of manufacture, which should aid this process. In addition, a detailed file contains photographs of the restoration, photographs of the 1967 GTA team in action, the Alfa Romeo build sheet and FIA specification details for the GTA, together with a copy of an original GTA parts list.
The completed car will require running-in prior to active use. It should make an excellent entry for a number of events from saloon car racing and track days to road rallies such as the Tour de France.
{analysis} This car sold for $58,750, including buyer’s premium, at the Christie’s Pebble Beach auction on August 20, 2000.
True dual-purpose cars are rare, as performance is typically sacrificed for drivability, or vice versa. Alfa Romeo’s GTA is arguably one of the most successful dual-purpose sports cars ever produced, keeping company with the Ferrari TdF and SWB.
To spark interest in its Bertone-bodied GT Sprint, Alfa introduced a lightweight version in 1965, the GTA, which was identical to the production car at casual glance. Exterior differences were limited to a mesh grille, a row of rivets in the rain gutters, a fabricated loop that functioned as the door handle, lightweight Campagnolo wheels and a trunk badge. Inside, lightweight seats and a lack of sound-deadening material were almost the only sacrifice to performance. The result was a Q-ship that weighed 1,642 lbs. compared to 1,984 lbs. for the production Sprint. Power increased from the stock 106 horsepower (at 6,000 rpm) to 115 horsepower, thanks in part to twin-plug ignition, a compression ratio of 9.7:1 (compared to the stock 9:1) and higher-performance camshafts. By virtue of its rear seat, the GTA qualified to run as a sedan in the US and it contested many memorable races against Pete Brock’s potent Datsun 510s. The GTA could truly bring home trophies as well as loaves of bread. Especially in this price range, it’s hard to imagine a more perfect dual-purpose machine.
Subsequent models improved the GTA’s competitiveness but ended its dual-purpose nature. The fire-breathing 2-liter GT-Am was a true Trans-Am car notable for its large fender flares, while the GTA-SA used an oil-driven turbocharger to wring 220 horsepower from the GTA’s 1570-cc powerplant.
The decision to return this car to its original configuration is laudable, as well as a good business decision. The sales price, at the high end of SCM’s guide, reflects an Autodelta association, recent restoration and documented racing history. However, the auctioneer’s text glosses over the fact that this GTA has endured a very hard life, having served 18 years as a test mule for the factory. Its serial number is missing from Tony Adriaensens’s definitive work, Alleggerita, and the auctioneer’s references to documentation seem to refer to the model type rather than this particular car. We assume that papers accompanying the car must have established this GTA’s provenance to both Christie’s (one of the advantages to purchasing a car from an auction company with a first-rate, researched catalog) and the buyer’s satisfaction.
Even with a strenuous racing history taken into consideration, there simply isn’t a more versatile automobile for the money.—Pat Braden
(Historic data and photo courtesy of auction company.){/analysis}