The GTA was Alfa Romeo’s response to the Mark 1 Lotus-Cortina that raced with tremendous success throughout 1964 and 1965. While the earlier Sprint GT was fast, it was ultimately too heavy to compete with the specially developed Louis-Cortinas. As a result, Carlo Chiti, head of Alfa Romeo’s Autodelta racing division, provided the answer in the form of the GTA, with the “A” standing for alleggerita (lightened).

Weight savings of nearly 450 pounds were realized by replacing the GT’s steel body panels with aluminum. The interior featured a special lightweight dashboard and seats. Under the hood, Autodelta developed a new twin-plug, twin-cam head that, together with other modifications, resulted in an immediate horsepower gain of over 30 percent.

Ultimately, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA was the most dominant car of its era in FIA Group 2 touring car racing. It would finish in the first seven places in the first round of the 1966 European Touring Car Challenge and would win both the 1966 Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships in its first season. The 1300 Junior variation was introduced in 1968 to compete in the new 1,300-cubic centimeter class.

The car offered here is an extremely rare matching-numbers example that we understand has had only three owners from new and 7,325 miles (11,815 kilometers) showing on the odometer. It was completed in late 1968 and registered to its original owner in Florence, Italy, in 1969. It was enjoyed by its original owner for over 25 years, before it was imported to Japan in the mid-1990s. There, it found a new owner in Yuki Kakishima, the chief priest of Bukkakuji Temple in Yamanashi, who owned the Alfa from 1996, until it was acquired by the present owner in 2004. It has remained in the United States and in the consignor’s dutiful care ever since.

This Junior Stradale is unrestored, aside from a single repaint, and it has been well-maintained by each of its owners throughout its life. It was set up in fast, road going configuration and is still equipped with its original 1,300-cubic centimeter engine and limited-slip differential. The engine has benefited from a recent, complete rebuild of the 45 DCOE Weber carburetors and the ATE disc brakes, and it has also received a new clutch and Koni shock absorbers. While this example was originally delivered in Hawthorn White, it was refinished in the signature Rosso Alfa of the period-correct Autodelta livery, and it features the quadrifoglio, the hood serpent, and a white stripe running along both sides. The interior, including the dash, upholstery, and headliner, remains original and unblemished. This very rare and desirable 1300 Stradale is also provided with the original owner’s manual, a 1300 GTA supplement, and a technical shop manual. Few complete and original examples exist today, and those that do have seen a dramatic increase in value due to their scarcity.