A pic of my GTA Junior in Australia - Page 3

Threealfas · #31 (**permalink**) 06-11-2005, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RossT

EXCELLENT!

I've never seen that green.

Thanks,

Ross

Andrew M · #32 (**permalink**) 06-12-2005, 09:18 PM

In answer to questions and comments... I will do my best to clarify in no particular order.

Autodelta?
I agree that the Autodelta terminolgy is a hazy area in many cases, and we also need to distinguish between a car that was actually raced by the works as compared to an identical car that was supplied to a race team no matter what the specs or where that race team was. There are probably three categories Autodelta-works, Autodelta-customer, and GTA's fitted with Autodelta bits. The first two being Autodelta built and the last category parts fitted by dealers/teams etc. In the case of the Mildren LHD car, not only was it Autodelta but they got Bussinello to test it in Italy and then fly to Australia to race it for The Mildren Team (the car was leading Sandown in 1965 before the engine expired at 99 laps). After the first season Mildren ordered a higher spec car with the new slide block rear which had not been available on the 1965 delivered cars (and so not featured on the LHD car although this car did have an aluminium floor).

As I said, not that it matters, but for the record my GTA, ex-Mildren (Gardner/ Bartlett) was definitely Autodelta prepared, and both of his GTA race cars were. Alec Mildren confirmed this to me some years ago. The Mildren Race Team was a very favoured race team in the 1960's and he always got the very highest spec cars from the factory ( just consider that the factory provided a 2 litre protype tipo 33 engine for the Yellow 'Submarine' and an Autodelta GTA F2 engine with lucas fuel injection for his other openwheeler, and sold him the prototype TZ2!!). My GTA was factory fitted with the early type slide block unit, which was a fabricated steel arrangement that was permanently fixed to the vehicle frame, unlike the relatively common later type with aluminium arms. To my knowledge this early type only appeared on a few cars and they were always prepared at Autodelta. Has any one else seen his early type on a car as I would be very interested in specs comparisons? Do any of the US based cars have the early type fitted? My guess is that the early type was only used for part of 1966 and possibly early 1967. I will post some pics of mine when I have a chance to take some shots under the car.

The Australian GTA Numbers:

Short answer is that there are 6. Now for the long answer....
To my knowledge there are actually 4 GTAs and 2 GTA juniors in Australia. 3 White GTAs came in to race teams ( 2 to Mildren 1 x LHD, 1 x RHD, one RHD to Syd Fischer at MW Motors that was actually a stradale but was used to set a number of long distance records for production cars in 1968), one RHD stadale was privately imported to Australia by a pilot after racing in Malaysia, another white RHD GTA was imported privately from the UK in about 1970 but was badly damaged in a fire in 1972 when it belonged to dealer/racer Ray Gulson. I purchased this project but onsold it to Sam Calabro and that is the car that has recenly been advertised and is now sold. Sam painted it red. In addition Mildren imported one white GTA Junior stradale for his own road use (currently RHD), and a red GTA Junior stradale came in via Germany/Rhodesia/England in about 1980 as a LHD car but was converted for Australian road registration (This is now my car and I purchased this one from Sam Calabro).

As you can see I have had the disease very badly.

On the subject of the production numbers one cannot just count the numbers from the first to the last chassis numbers because many theoretical numbers were just not built. Alfa built nowhere near that many and the cars were not built in chassis order either, or at least not finished and delivered on that basis. 752501 should have been RHD number one but was built 3 months after many other RHD cars. Also Alleggerita also indicates that Alfa were trying to create the illusion of 1000 cars for homologation. Italian haphazard or deliberate? Who knows, yet Alfa closed the file. Very few people would know the truth of it now. Let's just say that they built less TZs and more GTV's!

Anyway it is great to see so much interest in the GTA's and to be able to access so much information and discussion. Love those period shots of the
US cars. Keep them coming.

Cheers
Andrew M

1965 GTA
1968 GTA Junior
1969 GT Junior
1971 Lotus Elan Sprint (yes I know its not an Alfa!!)

Threealfas · #33 (**permalink**) 06-12-2005, 10:47 PM

So does anyone know what happened to the Bathurst raced GTVs ?

Andrew M · #34 (**permalink**) 06-12-2005, 11:40 PM

Phil,

I can give you some information. I owned one of the lesser cars some years back, the Gillard/Harrison 2000 GTV, now in NSW Australia, which last raced Bathurst in 1976. The car is being raced again.

I believe the rolling shell of the Pye sponsored (Wherrett) GTV is still somewhere), and the car that Ray Gulson last raced in 1974 is still around
in Canberra. I don't think there is too much left of the rest.

Others may have more info, as it would be good to hear positive news that more than that have survived.

Cheers
Andrew M

PSk · #35 (**permalink**) 06-13-2005, 03:40 PM

Andrew M,

Thank you very much for the detailed answers. I really appreciate the effort.

Love to see photos of this important cars restoration

.
Pete

vsharp · #36 (**permalink**) 06-14-2005, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSk

A GTA in Australia raced with a Repco Brabham F1 engine for a period ... I believe.

There are pictures somewhere on this site.
Pete

Andrew M · #37 (**permalink**) 06-15-2005, 02:44 AM

Hello Vin, I think the engine also ran in the GTA lightweight based on some photos that I have seen. You can tell with the roll cage detail and the exact location of the gold stripes etc, but you do have to look very close.

Cheers
Andrew M

Andrew M · #38 (**permalink**) 06-15-2005, 02:55 AM

Here is a pic (not that good) but at least the progress in the rebuild process can be seen.

Cheers
Andrew M

vsharp · #39 (**permalink**) 06-15-2005, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Threealfas

So does anyone know what happened to the Bathurst raced GTVs ?

vsharp · #40 (**permalink**) 06-15-2005, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew M

Hello Vin, I think the engine also ran in the GTA lightweight based on some photos that I have seen. You can tell with the roll cage detail and the exact location of the gold stripes etc, but you do have to look very close.

Cheers
Andrew M

Andrew M · #41 (**permalink**) 06-16-2005, 08:56 PM

Hello Vin,

Foley actually flopped the fibreglass guards and nose off the GTAM for the
GTA. My understanding is that there was an overlap as the GTA was modified in 1971. At least one shot purported to be the GTAM is the GTA with a V8, but I guess Foley is the man to ask. I always thought it was the same 2litre engine.

Cheers
Andrew M

alfa2go · #42 (**permalink**) 06-16-2005, 10:16 PM

I have some slides from a work colleague of a red GTA, no. 32, racing at Lakeside in 1970. It is lined up next to Dick Johnson in his Torana.
Which of the 6 Oz GTAs is this one? It has Clive Nolan Motors down the side.

Andrew M · #43 (**permalink**) 06-16-2005, 10:24 PM

That is also my car. After it was raced by Gardner and Bartlett, Alec Mildren sold it to John French who was the Queensland Alfa dealer (Clive Nolan Motors), French initially race the car white, then red/black and he added guard extensions to run wider wheels.

Can you post some pics??
Cheers
Andrew M

alfa2go · #44 (**permalink**) 06-16-2005, 10:51 PM

Ah, now it makes sense. Also have a photo off this friend that is of the John French driven car(your car) when it is still white. My friend says it was taken in '68. Should be able to post that one on Monday. Waiting on a slide scanner to scan the others but maybe in the next week.

Derek

vsharp · #45 (**permalink**) 06-17-2005, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew M

Hello Vin,

Foley actually flopped the fibreglass guards and nose off the GTAM for the
GTA. My understanding is that there was an overlap as the GTA was modified in 1971. At least one shot purported to be the GTAM is the GTA with a V8, but I guess Foley is the man to ask. I always thought it was the same 2litre engine.

Cheers
Andrew M