The best way to renew yourself is to return to your origins. And that’s exactly what Alfa Romeo decided to do, to celebrate 110 years of making history. Half a century down the line, a legend leaps back to life: the Giulia GTA.
The present draws on the strength of its prestigious past: and that explains why the new Giulia GTA is technically inspired by its forerunner from 1965, the “Gran Turismo Alleggerita” developed by Autodelta from the base of the Giulia Sprint GT.
The 2020 GTA has been developed from the base of the Giulia Quadrifoglio and can boast an amazing weight-power ratio – thanks to a weight reduction of 100 kg, obtained by using ultra-light materials – as well as a boosted version of the Alfa Romeo 2.9 V6 Bi-Turbo engine, which can deliver 540 HP. Even in its spiciest version, the GTA brings back to life the Giulia GT Am, an outright 2-seater with a roll bar and sporty 6-stitch safety belts. The two new models are both available in only 500 exemplars.
So, another new story starts, with its roots in the iconic glories of Alfa Romeo’s past. An Ariadne’s thread stretching back over half a century, to rediscover the purest essence of sportscar driving.
It all began in 1965, with the presentation of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA. Based on the GT with bodywork by Bertone, launched two years earlier, the GTA was inspired by two key ambitions: more power and, above all, less weight. Steel turned into aluminium, glass windows and rear window into plexiglass, interiors stripped of everything superfluous... and weight passing from the Sprint GT’s 900kg to the GTA’s 745kg. The 1570 cc engine generated 115 HP, and a maximum speed of 185 Km/h. The Giulia GTA became one of the fastest and most successful cars on the racetracks.
In 1968 Alfa Romeo decides to extend GTA options, also creating a lower displacement version. This led to the birth of the Giulia GTA 1300 Junior, derived from the GT 1300 Junior, sharing the same four-cylinder 1290 cc engine. It borrowed several sporting solutions from the GTA 1600, such as the double-barrel carburettor and twin-spark ignition. The GTA 1300 Junior experienced years of sporting triumphs at national and international levels, before concluding its competitive career in the mid-1970s.
In 1970 the Giulia GTA project evolved still further, to respond to increasingly fierce competition and to continue winning the Tourism Championship. So Alfa Romeo created the Giulia GT Am, featuring a Spica indirect injection system. Roughly 40 exemplars of this fierce racing car were produced. Thanks to its aluminium doors, super lightweight interiors and a 2-litre engine delivering up to 240 HP, the Giulia GT Am dominated the 1971 European Tourism Championship, in addition to conquering numerous triumphs in Italy and worldwide.
From 1965 to today, the Giulia GTA story never came to a full stop. Now, in the new Alfa Romeo version, it returns to its origins, with a glowing timeless sporting soul.
