Max Minshull
Associate Specialist
LOT 25 Ω
1968 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA 1300 Junior Corsa Coachwork by Bertone Chassis no. AR 775511 Engine no. AR 0059 01068
Estimate: US$250,000 - US$300,000
Lot 25Ω
1968 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA 1300 Junior Corsa
1968 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA 1300 Junior Corsa
Coachwork by Bertone
Chassis no. AR 775511
Engine no. AR 0059 01068
Coachwork by Bertone
Chassis no. AR 775511
Engine no. AR 0059 01068
1290cc DOHC Twin-Plug Four-Cylinder Engine
Twin Weber 45 DCOE Carburetors
Approximately 135bhp at 7,700rpm
Five-Speed Close-Ratio Manual Gearbox
Four-Wheel Independent Front, Live-Axle Rear Suspension with Autodelta 'Sliding Block'
Four-Wheel ATE Disc Brakes
* Autodelta-prepared racing sedan icon, accompanied by its matching numbers engine
* One of only five Autodelta GTA Juniors imported to the U.S. by Alfa Romeo
* Campaigned in over 50 SCCA meetings from 1968–1980 with three appearances at the SCCA National Runoffs
* Meticulous five-year restoration
* History documented by Martin Ubelher, author of Alleggerita
* Offered with original SCCA logbooks, period photographs, and owner correspondence
THE ALFA ROMEO GIULIA
When Alfa Romeo resolved to take Bertone's elegant 105-Series coupe racing, the task fell to Autodelta, the firm's competition department under Carlo Chiti. The result was the GTA — the 'A' standing for Alleggerita, or lightened — its steel outer panels exchanged for Peraluman 25 aluminum alloy, shedding some 200 kilograms from the standard Sprint GT. Beneath the lightweight skin came a twin-plug cylinder head, enlarged valves, 45mm Weber carburetors, raised compression, and magnesium castings for the cam cover, sump, and timing cover. For circuit work, Autodelta offered its ingenious 'sliding block' rear axle location, transforming the car's handling.
The GTA claimed the European Touring Car Championship in 1966, 1967, and 1969, and SCCA B Sedan titles in America in 1966 and 1970 with Horst Kwech. As competition intensified in the 1300cc class in Europe and C Sedan in America, Alfa Romeo introduced the GTA 1300 Junior for 1968, a short-stroke 1,290cc derivative that went on to win the European Touring Car Championship in 1971 and 1972 and the SCCA C Sedan national championship in 1969 and 1971. An Alfa led the 1970 run offs until an unfortunate DNF elevated a Mini to the win. Of the approximately 450 GTA 1300 Juniors built for homologation, the great majority were finished in Stradale trim; genuine Autodelta-prepared Corsa examples are rare and highly prized today.
THE CAR OFFERED
Built in 1968 and prepared by Autodelta to full Corsa specification, chassis 775511 was placed by Alfa Romeo's competition director Don Black to its first owner, Eugene Strandberg of Des Moines, Iowa, the sale having been brokered through New Jersey dealer Tom O'Brien as Alfa Romeo itself could not sell directly to customers. While Autodelta's own records on GTA Juniors to the US do not survive, the car's competition provenance is firmly established by two independent sources within the history file: period correspondence with Strandberg, and a hand-written note from Don Black himself, dated 1992, confirming that 775511 was one of the first five Autodelta-prepared GTA Juniors imported into the United States by Alfa Romeo. Black's testimony carries particular weight, as Alfa Romeo's longtime Technical Director in North America from the 1960s through the 1990s and the man who managed the marque's U.S. competition programs and Alfa Corse operations. These first five cars were specifically sold to owners who would take them racing and promote Alfa's on track success in the C Sedan category.
What followed was a twelve-year American racing career. Original SCCA logbooks, photographs, and correspondence with all six owner-drivers document more than 50 SCCA-sanctioned meetings between 1968 and 1980 at circuits including Road America, Road Atlanta, Daytona, Indianapolis, and Bridgehampton.
The car qualified three times for the SCCA National Runoffs, with Strandberg finishing 10th at Daytona in 1969, Bob Henson 4th at Road Atlanta in 1971, and Jerry Wannarka, later SCCA Chairman, 7th at Road Atlanta in 1974. Dismantled after its final race in 1980 in anticipation of a restoration that never came, 775511 remained in that state for 35 years until acquired by the current owner in 2015 and shipped to Australia, where it received a five-year restoration by Alfa specialists Tim Doyle of Zoo Autocraft, Mick Mitchell of Corse Automotive Services, and Vin Sharp of Pace Engineering, at a cost exceeding AU$400,000.
The car retains its original bodyshell, with 775511 stamped on the bulkhead, and its original matching-numbers engine block (01068), which accompanies the car. To preserve that block, a new engine was built upon an original, unused, and unnumbered 1300 block supplied with the car, producing approximately 135bhp at 7,700rpm. Highlights of the restoration include correct DCOE18 Weber 45 carburetors with original hand-finished intake trumpets, correct magnesium head and sump castings, a close-ratio gearbox built by Pace Engineering to correct original GTA ratios, the original restored Autodelta-stamped sliding block, original Veglia instruments, the correct S132 Magneti Marelli distributor case fitted with electronic ignition and an FIA-approved welded-in safety cage from Alfaholics UK. The car is finished in its original colour of Biancospino, "hawthorn white", with contrasting green side stripes, Alfa Romeo logos, and number 48 racing roundels on the doors and hood, presented in the livery in which it first raced, over a largely stripped-out black vinyl and interior accented by the orginal dash and chrome trim. Further period-correct equipment includes plexiglass side and rear windows, Facet fuel pumps, a period-style external fuel filler, a wood-rimmed Hellebore steering wheel, a Schroth Racing driver's harness, a driver's bucket seat, and replica Carello headlights, with 14-inch replica Campagnolo-style alloy wheels in gunmetal grey fitted with Dunlop Racing tires. Two ignition keys accompany the car.
Since restoration, 775511 has been enjoyed on several track outings at Philip Island, Australia. Holding a Motorsport Australia Group T logbook, it has also been campaigned at Wakefield Park and Sydney Motorsport Park. At Auto Italia, Australia's premier Italian classic car show, it won the sponsor's Perpetual Trophy in 2021 and returned in 2022 to be voted Best Alfa Romeo and People's Choice for Best Car, standing as one of four Best of Show finalists from a field of 350. It placed 2nd in two concours categories at Motorclassica in 2022 and was among just 40 cars invited to the Sydney Harbour Concours d'Elegance in 2024. The car has only been raced sparingly – twice at Wakefield Park (2021 and 2022), three times at Sydney Motorsport Park (2023 and 2024) and once at Phillip Island (2025). Documented by Martin Übelher, author of Alleggerita, the definitive GTA reference, and offered with its original SCCA logbooks, correspondence with previous owners, period photographs, and original numbered engine block, chassis 775511 presents a nearly unrepeatable opportunity to buy a historic and fully documented Alfa Romeo GTA 1300 Junior Corsa.
Footnotes
Sold on Bill of Sale
Gene Strandberg 1969 Lyndale Farms
Gene Strandberg 1969 Elkhart Lake Badger 200
Gerald Strickfaden 1972 Ft. Sumner
George Cichon at Blackhawk Farms in 1975
Gene Strandberg 1970
Gerald Wannarka 1974 VIR
Additional information
Looking for a similar item?
Our Cars specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistSpecialist section
Auction Viewings
- 11 August 2026, 09:00 - 17:30 PDT
- 12 August 2026, 09:00 - 17:30 PDT
- 13 August 2026, 08:30 - 10:00 PDT
Lot symbols
| Ω | Import Duty |
| Lot is subject to US Customs duty or tariff and/or related import fees payable by the buyer as part of the purchase price. Please refer to the Specialist Department managing the auction for details. |
