[South Africa]

Dear interested 'GTAm lovers',

I do remember the article showing the Type 33 and GTA in a scrapyard in Angola in the 1990's. I am not sure if I kept the magazine. The Type 33 was bought 'using bribery and corruption' as the car was considered 'abandoned' (no finger pointing as this is not the only example of such activity). This car went to England where it was restored and sold. I have often wondered if the 'legitimate' owner could ever claim it back - a little bit like Elizabeth Taylor and her works of art whom others have claimed were 'stolen' from 'them'. The GTA was still in Angola in 2000, to the best of my knowlwdge. One GTAm together with other material was bought by MP Racing in London and 'sold on' (see photograph number 2). Quite a lot of material was kept by South African enthusiasts and and even bigger amount was destroyed - as recorded in the thread on South African built Alfa Romeos.

Possibly going back a few years, maybe to the 1970's, before the 'discovery' and retrieval of the Type 33, one needs to understand that when war broke out in Angola people with substantial assets left the former Portuguese colony with 'hand luggage' only - that is how fierce the fighting was. Farms, cars, crops etc were abandoned with people fleeing to South Africa and elsewhere. The Type 33 was not the only valuable 'abandoned'.

Alfa Romeo was very active in South Africa where it made good profits from a very protected market - not the only manufacturer doing this in the 1960's to 1985. There were production, racing, marketing etc departments. Quite a large amount of GTA/GTAm/Alfetta type 'GTAm' material was brought into the country for marketing purposes. Some of the names associated with these activities were Dr Vito Bianco, Piero Nardin, Arnold Chatz, Sampie Bosman, Dawie de Villiers, Basil van Rooyen and many others. Many cars were prepared and raced all over Southern Africa. Some examples of what happened to some of the cars raced: GTAm type car raced by 'Bunny' Wentzel was involved in an accident with Arnold Chatz's 'ALFETTA type GTAm' where it caught fire. The GTAm type car was stripped of its wheels, engine and other 'race valuables', another chassis found and another car prepared; car number two found rusting under a tree, stripped of race valuable parts and bodyshell put into the 'steel recycling pile'. GTAm parts were freely available from Autodelta and many South African privateers bought parts from them and raced cars. The GTAm cars brought from AUTODELTA were specifically used by Alfa Romeo South Africa however when they were retired some parts ended up with private race drivers or were destroyed. Many Alfa enthusiasts were angry/cried when racing equipment was destroyed/buried in big holes when the liquidators of Alfa Romeo South Africa could not find buyers for the items in question - see related thread on South African build Alfa Romeo's.

The 105 Alfa Romeo GTV shells were made in 'large' quantities in the world and in South Africa in particular. If a car was badly damaged one could buy a replacement shell from Alfa Romeo. I have first hand experience where a new bodyshell was purchased without a chassis number from Alfa Romeo South Africa - see the thread on South African built Alfa Romeo's and production number discrepancies in general. One would say that this would not happen today but it definitely did happen in the 'Sanction Busting Years' in South Africa. Find attached some photographs of GTAm's in action at Kyalami, South Africa. Another example, GTAm chassis number 1530849, received a new 'bodyshell' when it was rebuilt in the late 1980's. This car was last seen in England (first photograph).


I have attached a photograph of GTAm chassis number, 1532346, which when it was brought to England in the 1990's was described as 'in good condition, original and unmolested' and the best GTAm seen in the world by GTAm experts. The 'blue car' in Alleggerita was in an unspoilt condition - I might be wrong but it probably needs a new bodyshell by now to bring it to the same condition as the BALDUCCHI 'replica'. To say that the BALDUCCHI 'replica' as shown in this thread is in a condition that possibly no GTAm was ever in - even when it left the race preparation garage - is possibly an accurate statement. There are other details on the BALDUCCHI 'replica' that are not 'period correct'. The racing GTAm's were notorious for their untidy/scruffy presentation.

Another point is that BULDUCCHI was very active in the preparation of GTA/GTAm cars and it would be interesting for somebody to find out from him how many he preparted as he is still alive.

No offence meant. Maybe we should start this thread over again, define what we consider to be a 'genuine' GTAm and then try and find out who?, what?, where? when? why? or maybe carry on with this thread to see what other possible GTAm cars existed. In my opinion, we are going to have some pleasant discussions.