1971 Alfa Romeo GTV 1750 For Sale in Scotts Valley , 2146379388 Tweet

1971 Alfa Romeo GTM 1750 Trans-Am ID: 72BS04 (2) 1st place finishes in 1971 Trans-Am U2.5L championship, (5) podium finishes 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes in 1972 Trans-Am U2.5L championship A fantastic and important racing icon for Alfa Romeo Built and raced by Trans-Am champion Horst Kwech with Weston Racing Class winner at the 2008 Amelia Island Concours after restoration Engine recently overhauled by Rebello Racing with minimal racing hours Signed by racer Horst Kwech and Lee Dykstra, founders of DeKon Engineering Extensive spare parts and period documentation, photos, and logbooks 2.0L DOHC inline-four engine, 5-speed manual transmission Eligible in many historic racing events nationwide There are few historic racing cars that embody the phrase big things come in small packages, and few are as significant in American racing as this 1971 Alfa Romeo GTM 1750. The Alfa Romeo was delivered new as a body-in-white chassis and raced primarily in Trans-Am in 1971 and 1972 by Horst Kwech, an Austrian-born Australian and a co-founder of the legendary DeKon Engineering. Prepared by Kwechs AUSCA facility in Libertyville, Illinois, the car was extremely competitive and produced multiple 1st place finishes in 1971 and several high finishes in 1972. This particular car follows a lineage of Trans-Am successes of Alfa Romeo in America, and presents as an excellent prepared example, ready to race on any track. Horst Kwech was born in Austria, but emigrated with his mother to Australia due to WWII. During his time in Australia, he found a fascination with racing and where his raw engineering talent manifested over time. In 1961 he moved to America and joined Knauz Continental Motors of Lake Forest, Illinois, where he was the lead mechanic. During this time he built his own innovative racecar with a tube-frame chassis, the AUSCA MK II, competed with it and won the SCCA Central Driving Championship. In 1965 he won the SCCA Central Driving Championship again but this time in an Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Super, which began his long future relationship with the Italian auto manufacturer. Horsts success with the Alfa Romeo did not go unnoticed, turning the attention of Alfa Romeos head of USA racing, which resulted with Knauz Motors being given the opportunity to purchase an Autodelta-prepared GTA to race in the new SCCA Trans-Am series. In 1966 the team took the most points for a manufacturer and won the U2.0L Trans-Am Championship. Kwech and the team subsequently raced with Alfa Romeo vehicles for many years while taking a number of wins including the 1970 U2.0L Trans-Am Championship. Then, for the 1971 season, this 1971 Alfa Romeo GTM 1750 made its debut. For the 1971 Trans-Am championship, the new rules allowed for engines under 2.5 liters, enabling more horsepower and more entries into the new U2.5L class. Horst Kwechs car, delivered as a plain body-in-white chassis and consistent with how factory GTM team cars were delivered in Europe, was prepared for competition at his AUSCA facility in Libertyville, Illinois. He had determined in their own testing that the GTM chassis with the 1750 engine was faster than the previous GTA 1600. Campaigned under the Weston Racing banner, the Mamas Pasta Alfa Romeo with Kwech at the wheel won its debut race, taking 1st at Watkins Glen, 2nd place at Mid-Ohio, and 3rd place at Olathe and Road America, for a total of 5 podium finishes. It went on to finish 1st place at the championship-deciding epic dual with John Mortons BRE Datsun 510 at Laguna Seca, only to be disqualified due to a fuel capacity violation. It returned in 1972 with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes before it was sold to its next owner who campaigned it in SCCA, AROSC, and IMSA competition through the 1970s and early 1980s. Racing Histor