Significance
Motorsport enthusiasts during the second half of the 1960s and into the early 1970s were thrilled to watch the Alfa Romeo GTA race, which to this day remains one of the most successful touring cars of all time. It won around the world, on circuits and in rallies in Europe, America, Africa, Australia, and South America, often against much more powerful cars including Mustangs in Trans-Am and BMW 3.0 CSLs in the Touring Car Manufacturers’ Championship, which the GTA won five times. Their giant-killing performance made them part of a long and illustrious legacy of successful racing Alfa Romeos. The centerpiece of the GTAm was an intense diet facilitated by exotic materials that saw the car’s already low weight slashed by a shocking 22%, a reduction of 500 pounds off the standard Giulia GT. The racing mission of the cars meant that many were used hard, and oftentimes even used up, which has made them exceptionally valuable today. This has led to a robust market for customizing and upgrading the street versions of these cars, often with an eye toward evoking the legendary GTA.
About this vehicle
Starting life as a US-Specification 1750 GTV finished in Rosso Alfa, this car is a magnificent testament to the vision and persistence of its owner, who built it over a six year period as the ultimate roadgoing Giulia. Every aspect of the car was built or rebuilt with exceptional attention to detail and without any expense spared and the result is nothing short of spectacular. Prior to the restoration, the car was a solid Texas and California fast-road car with a stripped interior, but the previous owner wanted to take the car as far as he possibly could. During the restoration, which spanned the 2017 to 2022 period, the car was fitted with the 1969 homologation-type flares from Alfaholics, as well as GTAm-style wheels and Cibie rally lights up front. The quality of the components throughout the car is first-rate, with countless Alfaholics bits, as well as paintwork by multiple-time Pebble Beach Concours winner Charlie Potts, and engine by well-known race motor builder Terry Tinney.
The interior is exceptionally simple aesthetically but checks all of the boxes you would want in a classic car. A pair of classic-looking sport seats are upholstered in a mix of leather and Alcantara and are fitted with Sabelt 4-point harnesses. Behind them, the rear seat has been removed, and in its place sits a parcel shelf with a chrome fire extinguisher and a rear half cage painted to match the car’s exterior. Sitting in front of the driver are a pair of large, clear Jaeger instruments, and the classic Alfa-Romeo shifter comes straight out of the dashboard, falling perfectly to hand.
The engine was fully balanced and blueprinted, using JE-Spruell pistons and Carillo connecting rods, nitrided crankshaft, and was built up to 1825cc. It employs MSD ignition and dual 45mm Weber carburetors fed by a 10-gallon ATL fuel cell with Monza filler. The head was ported and matched to both the intake and exhaust manifolds. To increase dependability, a new lightweight starter was fitted and a serpentine belt conversion was performed. Darstan tubular headers were installed and paired to a side exit exhaust, just like what would have been found on a real GTAm. Heavy duty engine mounts from Alfaholics were fitted, as well as aluminum carburetor supports. The engine was dyno-tested and made 168 hp at 7,100 RPM. The torque peaked at 6,300 RPM at 135 foot-pounds but more than 89% of that figure is available between 4,000 RPM and 7,200 RPM. Under current ownership, the car has undergone significant servicing with Issimi Mechanica that included new JE pistons, new spark plugs, numerous new gaskets, a throttle pedal recalibration, and an adjustment of the valve lash. Additionally, the car was entirely re-wired by an aerospace engineer, solving one of the most notorious issues with Italian cars of this era.
Additional upgrades included seam welding the car in the engine compartment, as well as the addition of an Alfaholics chassis leg stiffening kit. The front suspension crossmember was reinforced, as were the steering box mounting points. In the rear, an Alfaholics race differential was fitted with improved cooling and a Limited Slip Differential. Other Alfaholics suspension parts include adjustable suspension (springs and dampers), dropped spindles, 28mm sway bar, adjustable caster rods, polyurethane camber top joint bushings, rose jointed track rod kit, quick steering arms, drilled trailing arms, aluminum T bar, billet steering box (necessary because of the of suspension and enhanced grip provided by the wide wheels and tires). The undercarriage was painted in 2-part epoxy and then sprayed with black truck bedliner to increase durability and reduce the chances of rust.
The result of this effort is a well-resolved car that is not a race car, but is instead the ultimate weekend toy, one which is tractable and civilized enough to use on the road while being an order of magnitude more thrilling (to drive and to look at) than a standard Giulia GT or GTV. It has been shown to great effect at a number of Northern California events including the Monterey Kickoff, Hillsborough and Niello Concours, and many more. It has covered more than 1,000 miles of shakedown and is accordingly well-resolved.
The car is extensively documented with invoices and other paperwork from the build such as engine setup information, torque and alignment specifications, and a binder summarizing the build and depicting the paint and bodywork in progress.
