The 1960s saw a second golden age in the competition history of Alfa Romeo. Models such as the SZ, TZ, and TZ2, along with the Tipo 33 sports racing prototypes, made Alfa Romeo a potent force on the world’s circuits. The exciting production racing classes were not ignored either, with the 105-series Giulia Sprint GT providing the base for a highly-tuned racing version – the GTA. The “A” stood for alleggerita, or “lightened.”

The GTAs that were destined for racing were carefully prepared under Autodelta, Alfa Romeo’s in-house competition department, run by engineer Carlo Chiti. The GTA was successful in Europe and the US, winning numerous championships and class victories. Developed over nearly a decade, several GTA variants were built, though today it is the original GTA 1600 that is most prized by collectors, a credit to the model’s aesthetic purity and dual-purpose character.

According to factory records, this GTA, chassis 752648, was manufactured on July 20, 1965, finished in red with black upholstery and configured in right-hand drive. In January 1966, this car was prepared by Alfa Romeo’s in-house racing department, Autodelta S.p.A., and readied for delivery to Knauz Continental Autos of Lake Forest, Illinois.

Soon after its arrival in the US, the GTA was entered into the first ever SCCA Trans Am Sedan Championship and entrusted to the driver team of Australian Horst Kwech and Swiss ace Gaston Andrey. Between March and September 1966, Kwech and Andrey captured outstanding results with the Alfa Romeo, including class wins at Mid-Ohio, Road America, VIR, and Green Valley. These impressive wins, combined with 2nd in Class finishes at Bryar and Riverside, helped earn Alfa Romeo more points than any other manufacturer competing in the inaugural Trans Am series.

Following the Trans Am season, Kwech had earned enough points in SCCA National races to participate in the American Road Race of Champions held at Riverside International Raceway in Southern California. There, Kwech gave an incredible performance behind the wheel of the GTA, battling and ultimately defeating Al Moffat in an Alan Mann-prepared Lotus Cortina. This victory secured Kwech the B-Sedan National Championship as well as the prestigious President’s Cup, the SCCA’s most important driver award.

The GTA’s spectacular 1966 season is well documented in period literature, with the car pictured in numerous contemporary publications including Sports Car Graphic, Raceway, and Autoweek. At the end of the season, Alfa Romeo’s North American distributor even prepared a press release with the headline “Alfa’s Fantastic ‘66” touting the many successes of the Knauz Continental GTA.

In 1967, Knauz Continental sold the GTA to John Martino, and then in 1968 it was passed to Tom Blank of Denver. Blank repainted the car with silver trim and campaigned it in SCCA Regional, National, and Trans Am races, often with co-driver Del Russo Taylor. From there, the Alfa Romeo passed through interim owners Jim Weber and Charlie Mollica before it was acquired by Bill Porter of Chicago in 1974. During his lengthy ownership, Porter entered the GTA in over 30 SCCA regional races and one Trans Am event at Road America.

In 1985, collector Paul Spruell of Tucker, Georgia, purchased the GTA, restored it, and campaigned it in various Historic Sportscar Racing events during the late 1990s. In 2007, Mr. Spruell sold the Alfa Romeo to Robert Lee of Rolling Hills, California, who commissioned marque specialists Roman Tucker and Scott Gray to perform a restoration to its original 1966 livery and specification.

The car remained with Mr. Lee until 2013, during which time it was campaigned at prestigious historic events including the Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca. For the past seven years, the GTA has resided in two prominent American collections comprised of the finest postwar sports and racing cars.

Undoubtedly the most famous GTA to race in North America, this Trans Am and SCCA champion is featured prominently in the definitive book on the model, Alleggerita, including an introduction written by Horst Kwech. Additionally, the GTA is accompanied by an extraordinary file of documentation, which includes the Alfa Romeo Certificato d’Origine, period SCCA logbooks, photographs, and correspondence – as well as a remarkable collection of ephemera from the victorious 1966 season.

A famous, historic, and professionally restored example of Alfa Romeo’s legendary 1960s homologation special, this GTA is worthy of serious consideration.

*Please note that this vehicle is sold on a Bill of Sale.