Squadra corse
After long years of dreaming, I hope that the upcoming year will finally see the realization of my own "racing team" :-), participating in selected historic vehicle events. In the end, bureaucracy and legislative restrictions proved to be the greatest hurdles. After an extensive search, I managed to source an Alfa Romeo GT Junior race car with historic plates and complete documentation and certification. However, when attempting to renew it (to allow the car to be driven on public roads), I encountered an insurmountable problem that invalidated all existing documents. The battle and effort to legalize the incorrectly issued papers and assigned license plates lasted nearly three years—and was in vain.
The crucial issue turned out to be the presence of the installed roll cage. Today, no vehicle that wasn't originally homologated with a cage by the manufacturer can legally operate on public roads. A notable exception today is, for example, the Porsche 911 GT2 and GT3 RS; these cars come with a factory-installed roll cage, making its presence legal. Our car had the cage added as part of its conversion into a sports car over 10 years ago, and despite being officially issued all necessary historical documents back then, the renewal of their validity was ultimately denied.
It is sad that in neighboring Germany, this problem has a solution, and provided adequate conditions are met, a historic race car with a safety cage can be granted historic plates.
Thus, for the past few years, instead of burning high-octane fuel with castor oil, the car sat sadly in the garage. Aside from being started occasionally, it spent its life in a way it didn't deserve. If conditions remain favorable, I will try to present the car to you in its natural habitat at an upcoming historic event.
The car is based on the production version of the Alfa Romeo GT Junior. However, not much of the original remains..."
BODYWORK:
The car has been lightened to the maximum extent possible, with an emphasis on maintaining structural rigidity. All steel panels except for the roof were replaced with fiberglass ones, attached using traditional riveting. The front valance, fenders, doors, hood, and trunk lid were all replaced. The doors were also swapped for lightweight versions, including their internal steel structures. The Makrolon windows are fixed in a lightweight aluminum frame; the window cranks and the entire operating mechanism have been removed. The weight saving is approximately 70 kg, which is significant.
The hood lost its hinges and is now secured by four safety hood pins with clips. The trunk lid is similarly secured by racing spring-loaded latches.
All windows except for the windshield were replaced with Makrolon, resulting in a further weight reduction of about 10 kg.
Naturally, the original bumpers were removed. In the front section, air vents were added to supply air to the radiator and the auxiliary oil cooler. On the driver's side, the car also features a built-in ram air intake for the carburetors.
The body is painted in the traditional Rosso Alfa shade, complemented by white stripes on the sides featuring the Quadrifoglio (four-leaf clover) and Biscione (Milanese snake) logos on the hood.
FUEL SYSTEM:
The original 46-liter steel fuel tank was removed, and a homologated 20-liter safety fuel tank (fuel cell) was installed in the trunk. Refueling is possible by lifting the trunk lid.
Fuel delivery is handled by a Bendix electric fuel pump. A second spare pump is installed alongside the main unit to provide redundancy in case of primary pump failure.
INTERIOR:
No stone was left unturned in the interior. All sound insulation and carpets were completely stripped from the floor. Naturally, the original seats were removed—the rear bench is gone entirely, while the front seats were replaced with lightweight racing seats by SPARCO, complemented by multi-point safety harnesses with a central release from RRS. The side paneling in the rear passenger area was removed, while the front panels remain.
The dashboard was also replaced with a one-piece carbon fiber replica weighing less than 2 kg, providing further weight savings. The original gauges were kept, but the steering wheel was replaced with an aluminum one wrapped in Alcantara. The dashboard features a master kill switch for the electrical circuit and toggle switches to activate the electric fuel pump located in the trunk. Starting is done via a push-button. A control for the homologated fire suppression system, with nozzles located in the engine bay, is also mounted on the dash.
A FIA-compliant tubular roll cage, TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welded, was installed. The cage is permanently welded to the chassis, providing maximum additional structural reinforcement.
The battery was relocated to the rear seat area to ensure isolation from the fuel tank. The interior is also equipped with a helmet net, belt cutters, and an intercom system.
ENGINE and DRIVETRAIN:
The engine underwent a complete rebuild to withstand increased stress while maintaining reliability. While the engine block remains stock, everything else has been modified. The crankshaft, connecting rods, and pistons are reinforced, and a heavy-duty head gasket has been installed. The cylinder head features modified valve seats, polished ports, and "hot" (high-lift) camshafts with longer duration.
Fuel delivery is handled by two twin Weber DCOE 40 carburetors with open velocity stacks. The engine now produces 130 hp, up from the original 89 hp. More importantly, its character has completely transformed. Due to the aggressive camshafts, the idle and low-end performance are typically "lumpy" and restless—driving slowly is almost a punishment. However, once you cross the 3,500–4,000 RPM mark, its personality shifts entirely. The redline has been safely pushed to 7,000 RPM.
A steel skid plate was installed under the oil pan to prevent punctures.
Supporting the engine is a ceramic clutch paired with a racing 5-speed close-ratio gearbox. Power is delivered to the rear axle, which is equipped with a 40% limited-slip differential (LSD).
EXHAUST SYSTEM:
The exhaust system is made entirely of stainless steel. It features 4-1 headers with equal-length primary pipes to harmonize the gas flow. The system includes a center and a rear muffler, exiting traditionally at the back of the car.
CHASSIS:
he springs were replaced with stiffer units, paired with KONI Sport (Yellow) shock absorbers. The control arms were lightened by drilling, following the tradition of the original racing GTA versions by the renowned Autodelta. The anti-roll bar was replaced with a thicker one, and its rubber bushings were replaced with polyurethane ones.
BRAKES:
The braking system is by Dunlop, featuring ventilated discs and performance brake pads.
WHEELS:
The car is fitted with replicas of the original Campagnolo magnesium wheels. In our case, they are manufactured by Maxilite in the size 7J x 15, wrapped in 195/5 R15 semi-slick tires.5
WEIGHT:
The car has not yet been physically weighed, but the estimated weight is around 850 kg. Compared to the original stock weight of approximately 950 kg, we have achieved an estimated saving of 100 kg. However, we are still a long way off from the factory racing GTAs, which weighed a mere 760 kg.
DRIVING PERFORMANCE:
There hasn't been an opportunity to perform real-world testing yet, but I'd estimate that under optimal conditions, the car could reach 0–100 km/h in approximately 7.5–8.5 seconds