The Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA 1300 Junior, which appeared in 1968, a few years after the original 1600 cm3 Giulia GTA, may have been the stepping stone to the Giulia GTA, but it was no less exciting and desirable for that.
It extracted 97 hp from its 1.3 l in-line four cylinders, which in combination with its modest mass — 920 kg — already allowed for respectful performances at the time. Perhaps not "respectable" enough, as this copy, played by British Alfaholics, demonstrates.
At Alfaholics you talk, breathe, experience everything Alfa Romeo is. It was known for the GTA-R, a diabolic machine built practically from scratch, but its services are much broader.
Alfaholics does everything from “pure and hard” restorations to the Alfa Romeo of yesteryear, as well as updates and/or improvements that fit the definition of what we call today restomod (a mix of restoration and modification).
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And a restomod, something substantial, was what happened to this Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA 1300 Junior.
The model in question was found by Alfaholics itself, which dismantled it until only the bodywork “remains”, without any restoration work having been carried out on it. When re-assembling the GTA Junior, Alfaholics endowed it with the same mechanical specs as its GTA-R, as well as a new interior, also with GTA-R specs.
What specs are these?
The original 1.3 l engine gave way to Alfaholics' 2.1 l — an evolution of Arese's 2.0 Twin Spark — with independent throttle throttles and a Motec ECU. Result: the power goes from “nice” 97 hp to a much more serious 233 hp!
To cope with this considerable power jump, everything else — transmission, chassis — had to be brought up to the same level as the engine. So, like the engine, Alfaholics went to the more radical GTA-R to get most of the hardware for the chassis and transmission.
We then have a short gearbox, a self-locking differential, the cooling system (GTA-R 290), as well as the same steering, suspension and braking system, without forgetting the wheels of equal size (7'x15 ″).
Added to the increased performance is also more comfort and convenience for everyday life. This Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA 1300 Junior was insulated with Dynamat and comes with air conditioning (by Alfaholics). The dashboard is the same as the 1750 GT Veloce, although finished with the same specification as the Alfaholics GTA-R, which implies the use of leather and Alcantara. The seats also come from the GTA-R and even the headlights are now LED.
There is no lack of details in this Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA 1300 Junior that make it an even more special machine — it's not just the classic 911 that can be re-imagined. From Alfaholics itself:
(…) it's a wonderful blend of subtle classic looks and ultra-refined ride quality, with performance and handling capable of beating a modern (Porsche) 911. A real wolf in sheep's clothing (...)
