This Alfa doesn't have an "audio system." It doesn't even have a radio. It don't need no stinkin' radio! But what it has is a sound system-as you hear every sound, every bump, rattle and roar this Italian makes. Every bit of sound deadening was abandoned, all in the sake of speed. Alfa Romeo called it the GTA, the GT standing for what it usually does, the A is for alleggeritea, or "lightened."
And lighten they did. Based on the Giulia GT, the GTA came without carpeting-snap-out vinyl mats sufficed-and the racer-style bucket seat was upholstered, if that's the word, in Hefty-bag thin plastic. The boom of the exhaust, the crash of the suspension over cracks and potholes, all come through loud and clear. Especially loud.
Which is as it should be. The GTA was a homologation special, a limited run of specially equipped cars to meet the minimum production requirements for a race series. Under the FIA rules, Alfa had to build 1,000 examples in a single model year. The GTA was introduced at the 1965 Geneva Auto Salon, but enough weren't made to qualify for racing until the beginning of the 1966 competition season. On March 12, future world champion Jochen Rindt piloted a GTA to an overall win in the four-hour Touring Car Race at Sebring. In second place was Bob Tullius in a V8-powered Dodge Dart, more than a lap behind. It was the first-ever Trans-Am race, and it was won by a four-cylinder Alfa Romeo. Another Alfa was third. Alfa went on to take the under-2.0-liter manufacturer's title (there was, oddly, no driver's crown), as well as a class championship in the European Touring Car series in 1966.
The GTA looked much like the standard Guilia (say Julia) GT, but was some 400 lbs lighter, thanks to extensive light alloy bodywork, a spartan interior and the aforementioned lack of insulation. Under the hood, Alfa put a special twin-plug, big-valve head version of the Giulietta-derived DOHC four, displacing 1570cc and producing 115 bhp at 6000 rpm, capable of pushing the two-door coupe to 115 mph in stock form. A "corsa"-or race-version was about 100 lbs lighter and with a higher compression ratio and smaller valves, made 170 bhp at 7500 rpm. Top end: 135 mph. Also available from the factory were the subtle rear flares on the photo car.
The GTA would become a staple on the Trans-Am scene for as long as the small-bore class lasted. In the early years, they struggled vainly against the Porsche 911, which was oddly classified as a "sedan," but then with more success against the Datsun 510 and BMW 2002 after SCCA sent the Porsche packing to more appropriate classes. In Europe, the GTA validated its initial ETC victory with titles in 1967 and 1968, plus won the European Challenge series in both 1300cc (GTA Jr) and 1600cc classes in 1969. In 1970, a wide-bodied version called the 1750 GTAm (the "m" standing for maggiorata or "enlarged") won the ETC championship outright, with the 2000GTAm taking class honors in 1971.
Racing laurels aside, perhaps most remarkable about the GTA is that customers were sold raw-boned, almost-race-ready automobiles and that one could, if so inclined (and many were) drive that car on the street. Even though the racetrack may be more appropriate for an Alfa GTA, there's no doubt the GTA made a spirited way to attack a winding road. And you want more volume from the sound system, you say? Then push down harder with your right foot.