Chassis No. AR 776142

Engine No. AR0055905371

Alfa Romeo rebuilt its touring-car standing in the early 1960s via Autodelta, the outfit launched by Carlo Chiti and Lodovico Chizzola and formalized as the works competition arm in 1963 by Alfa Romeo president Giuseppe Luraghi. With Autodelta's backing, Alfa Romeo created the Giulia GTA 1300 Junior-GTA standing for Gran Turismo Alleggerita (Lightweight)-introduced in 1968 expressly to attack the European Touring Car Championship's (ETCC) small-displacement class. By de-stroking the proven 1.6-liter twin-cam to 1.3 liters and pairing it with the lightweight GTA package, Alfa built a cost-effective, homologation-ready contender tailored to those regulations. Their efforts paid off-Alfa Romeo secured the ETCC Manufacturers' titles in 1971 and 1972, with GTA 1300 Juniors taking Division 1 wins at every 1971 round except Spa.

Completed on 23 November 1973 and dispatched six days later to Auto Becker in Germany, this exceptional GTA 1300 Junior left Arese finished in Biancospino (white) with tessuto plastificato nero (black vinyl) upholstery-confirmed by its accompanying Alfa Romeo Certificato di Origine-an extremely rare factory shade for a GTA and a striking counterpoint to the Rosso finishes that predominated. According to research conducted under previous ownership, the car remained in dealer inventory until 1979 before transfer to another German dealer, from which it ultimately passed to its first private owner. In 1983, that owner reportedly imported AR 776142 to Japan, where it was registered in 1985 with plate number "68 33" and carefully retained for the next 35 years. The car was then relocated to Italy after its decades in Japan, where AR 776142 was restored in 2018 to correct Stradale (Street) specification, presenting crisply in its rare, factory-specified Biancospino and showing a believed-original 52,000 kilometers. Significantly, its lightweight magnesium equipment including the bellhousing, valve cover, and oil cooler remains in place, and the cabin retains its original upholstery in very good condition.

As one of the most sought-after Alfa Romeos of its era-combining ETCC-winning pedigree, tractable road manners, and a distinctive livery-this GTA 1300 Junior has been sparingly used since restoration, and would be a welcome entrant at leading European touring or track events, offering its next owner the satisfying blend of agility, responsiveness, and potent performance that made the model a legend.