Almost 60 years after its first big motorsport win, the legendary Alfa Romeo GTA is once again in the spotlight. In the 2025 Motor Klassik Awards, the lightweight coupé was crowned winner in the “Italian Classics” category, earning 37.6% of the vote and outpacing icons from Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini.
More than 17,000 readers participated in this year’s poll from the renowned classic car magazine, reaffirming Alfa Romeo’s consistent success in the competition—most recently with the GTV6 in 2023.
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First introduced in 1965, the Alfa Romeo GTA was a radical rework of the Giulia Sprint GT, built by Autodelta with racing in mind. Replacing steel with lightweight Peraluman alloy, Plexiglas windows, and magnesium parts throughout, the GTA weighed just 745 kg.
Its 1.6-litre twin-cam engine, complete with dual ignition and Weber carburetors, delivered 115 hp in the road version and up to 170 hp in racing trim.
Visually distinct with its air intakes, magnesium wheels, and signature Quadrifoglio Verde decals, the GTA was launched in just two colors—red and white—at the 1965 Amsterdam Motor Show.
On the track, the GTA quickly became a dominant force. In the late 1960s, it ruled the 1.6-liter touring car class, clinching multiple European Championships with drivers like Andrea de Adamich and Spartaco Dini, along with numerous wins in national races and rallies.
Legendary names like Jochen Rindt also took the wheel of the GTA, further cementing its racing legacy. The race-prepped versions featured significant upgrades, including a 90-liter tank, oil cooler, reinforced chassis, and louder side-exit exhaust.
Only around 500 units of the original 1600 GTA were built, along with a similar number of 1300 versions launched in 1968. Today, these rare models are prized by collectors, with pristine examples fetching over €100,000—and race cars with historic pedigree commanding three times that.
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