L'Alfa Romeo Giulia GT, magnified by Giugiaro's ingenious pencil strokes at Carrozzeria Bertone, enjoyed an exceptional sporting career, through its many GTA, GTA SA, GTA 1300 Junior and GTAm variants. But in hill-climbing, a strange variant reigned for several years: the Groupe 5 Silhouette, with a physique totally transformed from the usual GTAs. The Group 5 class of "special production cars" was inaugurated in 1976, with permissive regulations and low homologation quotas, allowing engineers great creativity from sports sedans.
A first career in Group 2
The GTA 1600 we're talking about today first enjoyed a successful career in Group 2 from 1965 to 1975, thanks to the collaboration of Carlo Chiti. The original engine was a 1300 with 16-valve injection, then the sedan switched to a 1600 with carburetors, with a modified transmission. The first to race it was Amerigo Bigliazzi from Siena, who had it prepared in 1965 at Autodelta, winning prestigious races in the absolute Italian speed championship and the European mountain championship. After Amerigo Bigliazzi, the car was raced by the likes of Truci, Cesarini, Sacchini, Ciardi and others, and continued its series of important victories at European level.
1975: the transformation
In 1975, it passed into the hands of the Tecnopel structure in Prato, where it was joined by a twin sister, and both were transformed into Gr. 5 Silhouettes, continuing to be entered in hill-climb and track races. The Gr. 5 of the '70s allowed for significant modifications to the bodywork, with the addition of aerodynamic appendages so exaggerated in their widening, that often the cars, instead of becoming Silhouettes, became ugly, clumsy and ungainly. Doors, front, rear and roof headlining, including headlights, had to remain unchanged; everything else could be enlarged and lightened at will, including wheel dimensions.
What's more, on GTAs, it was possible to replace the original aluminum hoods and doors with very thin, much lighter fiberglass ones, then removing the door panels, window lift mechanisms, windows and all handles. Even the dashboard could be removed and replaced by an aluminum one. The GTA, thus transformed into a "Silhouette", is unrecognizable with its wide fenders and large spoilers. It even looks like a BMW 3.0 CSL or a BMW 320 Turbo Group 5! The enlarged oil sump is made of magnesium, but above all a side-mounted "gooseneck" exhaust makes its appearance, giving it a truly unique sound.
A fine track record, then retirement
Of the 4/5 cars converted to Gr. 5 at the time, raced by Angelini, Rampa, Bellina and others, only one was saved and continued to be raced in its current configuration by the former Alessandro Fracastoro, who bought it from Tecnopel. The instructions given by engineer Chiti, who had both cars taken to the wind tunnel, had proved to be timely, especially on the track, where the layout of the two GTAs, with their highly effective aerodynamic appendages, had always made them very fast.
The story of this GTA then moves on to Arezzo, home of the mythical Celso Caccialupi, who bought the car from Alessandro Fracastoro in 1978 and used it in hill-climbing and track racing until the early '80s under the pseudonym "John Travolta". The car competed in 300 races, winning 70 class titles, but the bodywork was badly damaged in a hailstorm during a hill climb in 1981. From then on, the bodywork was never fully restored, competition entries ceased, and the GTA Silhouette ended up gathering dust in a garage in Tuscany, even though the engine had been removed.
The Fantini renaissance
Deliverance came in 1987, when, in a pitiful state, it found a buyer and became part of the famous Collezione Fantini in Arezzo. Throughout his life, Attilio Fantini assembled an exceptional collection of 20th-century sports cars, featuring the stars of circuit racing, rallying and hill-climbing. Among them are numerous Alfa Romeos, Abarths, Lancia Stratos and many others, often asked to take part in historic events and exhibitions.
After a three-year restoration, it has returned to its former glory, remaining in Gr. 5 configuration, as almost all its racing history lies in this group. It retains all the original accessories authorized at the time: ventilated brakes, fuel tank with two caps for quick refuelling on the track, adjustable rear spoiler, roll bar, modified dashboard with period Jager instruments and meters, removable BBS rims, period fiberglass doors and hoods, door-opening wire, polycarbonate windows, side swan-neck exhaust, fiberglass intake box to protect the 45 carburetor horns, Colotti compulsory gearbox and magnesium oil sump. The car has since taken part in numerous historic events, including the 2023 Italian Speed Festival at the Mugello circuit.
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