Provence Moulage 1/43 Alfa Romeo G.T.A

In 1962, the successor for the very popular Giulietta series was introduced. This car was the Alfa Romeo Giulia, internally called the "Series 105". The coupé of the 105 series, used the shortened floorpan from the Giulia Berlina and was designed by Bertone. The name of the car evolved from Giulia Sprint GT to Giulia Sprint and to GTJ (Junior) and GTV (Veloce) in the late 1960s.

At the time, Alfa Romeo was very active in motorsport. Autodelta, the racing division of Alfa, developed a car for competition that closely resembled to the roadgoing model. These cars were named GTA instead of GT, the 'A' standing for "Alleggerita", Italian for lightweight. The GTA was produced first in 1965 as a 1600 (1570 cc) and later as a 1300 Junior version. The GTA automobiles were also manufactured in either street (Stradale) or pure race (Corsa) trim.

The GTA had aluminium outer body panels instead of steel, (the inner steel panels were also of thinner gauge, the inner and outer panels were bonded and pop-riveted together), magnesium alloy wheels, clear plastic side windows, an aluminium rear upper control arm, different door handles and quarter window mechanisms, and lightweight interior trim. The engine had a new double ignition cylinder head (called twin plug, later in the eighties the system was called twin spark) cylinder head with a Marelli distributor from a Ferrari Dino, 45 mm carburetors instead of 40 mm and magnesium camshaft cover, sump, timing cover and bell housing. The transmission gear ratios were closer than standard and the gears were machined for lightness and quicker shifting. Dry weight of the 1600 was approximately 1,640 pounds (740 kg). In stradale form this car boasted approximately 115 PS (85 kW; 113 hp) (up from 106 PS (78 kW; 105 hp)). In full race form this engine could produce up to 170 PS (130 kW; 170 hp). The 1600 GTA did not have a brake booster and had a thicker radiator than the standard vehicle. For homologation 500 cars were made for racing and road use.

I like Provence Moulage kits. They are very basic as things go and this one is no exception. The body is one piece as is the interior. The only other bits for the inside are the dash and the steering wheel. PM provided a rather large pin to be cut and used for a gear shift lever.

There are two steel axles that fit into aluminum wheels which themselves fit into plastic wheels. Cast metal inserts are used for the wheels. There are also two photo etch windscreen wipers, a pair of sticky lenses for the headlights and a decal sheet that includes roundels, numbers and some logos. A single rear screw to attach the body to the floor pan is included. The hole for this needs to be drilled out. A single (now yellowing) vacuformed piece is provided for the windows. No instructions were included.

What I did not realize when I bought it was how badly the body was damaged. The seller said nothing about this in the item description and attempts at resolving the issue have come to naught. Lesson to be learned:  Never use PP 'Friends and Family' unless you know the seller, especially when buying from a Facebook sales site. The deal is that the roof was at one time smashed in and the supports broken into pieces. A crude attempt at replacing these supports was done, but it is not all that well done. It doesn't make the kit unbuildable, but does increase the work that will be needed to finish the kit.  

Despite my disappointment at the damage to the body, it is not a total disaster. I've broken roofs myself, but it is irritating when someone else had done it and passes it off as perfect. The lack of instructions is not a problem and there are a ton of very nice images on the 'net to help with painting. Not surprisingly, just about all of them are red.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_GTA

April 2018

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