Bonhams Cars has a terrifyingly expensive surprise coming to Laguna Seca this August 13. A pristine 1968 Alfa Romeo 1300 GTA Junior Corsa Coupé is about to cross the auction block, and it carries the kind of racing resume that makes modern plastic track toys weep. This is chassis number 775511, one of a minuscule family of just five examples meticulously massaged by Autodelta before being shipped off to terrorize the United States.
Under the front hood sits a screaming 1,290 cc twin-plug inline-four engine fed by a glorious pair of Weber 45 DCOE carburetors. It pushes out 135 HP at a glorious 7,700 rpm, a number that might sound modest until you realize the car weighs roughly as much as a wet cardboard box. That power hits the asphalt via a close-ratio five-speed manual transmission, turning every gear shift into a visceral act of mechanical devotion.
To make it a proper track weapon, Carlo Chiti’s legendary Autodelta racing department threw away the standard steel panels and replaced them with ultra-lightweight Peraluman 25 aluminum alloy skin. That is what the “A” in GTA stands for, Alleggerita, or “lightened”. This extreme diet shaved off a massive 440 pounds compared to the standard Sprint GT. While most of the 450 homologation units built were the Stradale versions for wealthy road-goers, authentic Autodelta Corsa racing variants like this one are exceptionally rare.
It features disc brakes on all four corners, independent front suspension, and a rigid rear axle enhanced by Autodelta’s proprietary “Sliding Block” system. The result was a platform that spent twelve solid years engaging in relentless SCCA Class C Sedan warfare between 1968 and 1980, racking up over 50 races across iconic tracks like Road America, Daytona, Bridgehampton, and Indianapolis.
Fresh off a painstaking, five-year restoration completed in 2020, this Italian masterpiece bears official certification from the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese. Wearing its original bodywork and numbers-matching engine block, it proudly sports its original Biancospino paint with green side stripes and the iconic number 48 racing rounds. Bonhams hasn’t released an official estimate yet, but if you have to ask, your wallet definitely can’t handle it.
