The Alfa Romeo 1750 GTAm evolved out of intense competition in the crowded small-displacement class of the European Touring Car Championship. During the early 1970s, Alfa Romeo’s in-house motor racing department, Autodelta, set about upgrading the Giulia GTA in response, using the US-market version of the 1750 GT Veloce as a starting point. It featured Spica mechanical fuel injection in place of the usual twin-barrel carburetors to comply with more stringent US emissions requirements, a feature that also proved advantageous on the track.

Factory GTAm competition cars featured flared fenders, a stripped interior and, in some cases, aluminum doors and Lucas fuel injection instead of the Spica system. Engine displacement increased to 1,985 cubic centimeters resulting in output ranging from 195 to 220 horsepower. Autodelta created around 40 racing versions of the GTAm from 1970 to 1971, with additional conversions like the one offered here emerging over the years as racers and enthusiasts clamored for the opportunity to compete in the lightweight Giulias.

Little is presently known of the early history of this GTAm-specification car, though research indicates it was not completed under Autodelta auspices. According to Alfa Romeo documentation on file, it began life as a US-market 1750 GT Veloce—just as the Autodelta-built 1750 GTAm examples did. Completed on 9 April 1970, it was delivered to Frankfurt, Germany, later that month. By the time the consignor acquired it in 1988 out of Germany, it had already been transformed into the competition-prepared machine seen today. He subsequently imported it to New York. Service invoices on file from that year indicate that the engine had suffered internal damage.

As with other Alfas in his notable East Coast collection of vintage racers, the consignor had the car cosmetically and mechanically recommissioned—including a replacement engine block—before using it to compete in Sportscar Vintage Racing Association events. An SVRA logbook on file indicates participation at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Watkins Glen International in 1988 and 1989.

Given the rarity of Autodelta-built 1750 GTAm racers, this offering, with its various period racing features presents a compelling opportunity, following recommissioning, for Alfa Romeo enthusiasts seeking to experience the thrill of one of the automaker’s most coveted competition variants.