Beschreibung:

1,560cc DOHC All-Alloy 4-Cylinder Engine
Twin Weber Carburetors
Est 180bhp at 6,000rpm
5-Speed Manual Transmission
Independent Front Suspension - Live Rear Axle
4-Wheel Disc Brakes
*Rare US delivery new, well documented and pedigreed example
*Roger Lewis team campaigned at Road Atlanta, MidOhio, Elkhart Lake and Summit Point
*Restoration performed retaining the original bodyshell with mechanicals by A. Furiani
*Recently inspected and admired by Tony Adriaensens author of the reference work on
the model 'Alleggerita' where the car's history is available on page 222
THE ALFA ROMEO GTA
Few can deny the fact that the sight (and sound) of an Alfa GTA at speed is one of the most evocative post-war racing images. Autodelta, the legendary racing arm of Alfa Romeo initially devised the GTA specifically for Group 2 racing and from 1966 onwards the GTAs were a familiar and successful sight (in various guises) for the better part of a decade. The 'A' stood for 'alleggerita' which means lightened, and in order to do such, Autodelta gutted the car of all sound deadening and replaced the steel panels with aluminum items along with magnesium wheels; this resulted in a 200kg weight reduction! Furthermore, the now svelte sports car was 'breathed on' by the Autodelta works engineers to produce more power and suspension revisions were made to improve the already well-balanced handling. Right from the word go the GTAs trounced Lotus Cortinas, BMW TiSAs and even the big capacity American touring cars such as Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas fell victim to the Milanese rockets on tracks across the globe.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
This handsome example we proudly offer here is documented by the factory as one of the ultra-rare GTAs to have been originally supplied to the USA new, indeed they note it was built on 9 November 1965 and sold on 14 January 1966, supplied to the concessionaires in Newark, New Jersey. A French magazine article in the history file for the car documents the history of this well-raced little beast and attests that the car was a recruit of the Roger Lewis squad that raced GTAs across the USA; this car being used in the 1969 and 1970 seasons on circuits such as Road Atlanta, MidOhio, Elkhart Lake and Summit Point.
It was then purchased by the period-renowned, hard-charging Alfa racer Mr. Horst Kweck who transformed the car into GT AM specification for the 1971 season and ran the car as part of the official 'Alfa Romeo USA' effort in the AARC Trans-Am series. It is also noted as being the very car that competed in the first IMSA race to be held at Bridgehampton where it led for an hour and a half before retiring with electrical problems.
After the 1971 season, the car was retired, and it lay dormant for ten years before it was found and identified by history file documents and notes forming the basis for the condition the GTA was restored to. Following completion, it was track tested at Grattan in Michigan for a shakedown.
In 1989 it was purchased by Don Dixon, who rightly believed the GTA to be an ideal entry for the Pirelli Classic Marathon in Europe. In order to prepare the car for the retrospective endurance classic, he sent it to Mr. Gordon Spooner in England for a comprehensive check through and additional modifications; in particular, the restorer completely seam welded the body shell and reinforced the roll cage. Mr. Spooner was most well-known for his engineering efforts over the years on Ford Works rally cars but he set about the Alfa with typical thoroughness to ensure fast, safe and reliable use. The GTA successfully completed the Pirelli Classic Marathon twice in both 1990 and 1991, on one occasion Bobby Unser (who was driving a D-Type Jaguar) drove the GTA briefly in between stages while his car was being repaired.
En route back to England from the first Marathon, the GTA dropped a valve in Austria, and fortunately this was not too far from German Ferrari dealer and Alfa GTA racing expert, Fritz Neuser in Nürnberg. When posed with the question of whether Mr. Neuser could fix the engine, the answer was 'how much power do you want?' A solution was found! Following the week-long rebuild the car returned to the UK where it remained until the following year's event, in the meantime receiving a nose to tail check-over.
Since the last event, the GTA had remained garaged on the US East Coast and despite not having seen any competitive use had been exceptionally well-maintained on a regular basis. Chassis 613688 was then presented at an auction in Monterey in 2005 by Christies. A Californian enthusiast, Dr. Tancredi d'Amore, purchased the car and undertook a thorough preparation. First, the great Alfa Romeo specialist from Berkeley, Conrad Stevenson gave the car a complete overhaul.
D'Amore then decided to participate in European historic car events with his friend Gianluca Rattazzi. 613 688's rich record of achievement was completed by several Tour Auto events and participation in numerous circuit events. To ensure the logistics of these events Rattazzi used the support crew services of the workshop of the German Alexander Furiani, the greatest European specialist in Alfa Romeo racing. Gradually the GTA benefited from this extremely meticulous preparation in his Cologne workshop.
In 2014 it was decided to sell the Alfa Romeo to its current owner who continued to race in classic car events, taking great care to maintain the GTA to its highest standards. In 2020, having decided to stop racing, he wanted to restore the car to its original configuration while preserving the wonderful mechanical preparation of the FURIANI workshop.
The original shell and bodywork were completely stripped and carefully restored after the mechanics had been completely revised.
It is this historic car of prime importance that is presented for sale today back in the country it was first delivered to and raced in period. Of impeccable appearance, reliability and exceptional performance, it is ready to be used on all occasions thanks to its wonderful ease of operation. The car is offered with a photo documented book of its history from new through to the recent cosmetic restoration, the original California title from 2005, EU import duty papers from 2009, an HTP ACCUS FIA/USA passport from 2006 in class F 1961-1965, together with sundry invoices and further historical documentation and photographs.