The restoration is complete with the car returned exactly back to its original 1966 Dutch Championship winning specification, down to every last nut and bolt and finished in the livery of the car’s first victory at Zandvoort in July 1966 driven by young talent Wim Loos. The results are spectacular and the car represents a wonderful tribute to both Autodelta & Team Slotemaker in this the 50th anniversary year of the 1600 GTA!

This GTA was originally supplied in Rome and was bought by Rob Slotemaker in the spring of 1966, along with AR 613099, to form a 2 car team in order to challenge the Dutch Touring Car Championship. Rob chose 613099 to be his own car for the 1966 season, whilst this car (AR 613486 registered ROMA 854273), was designated for a talented up-and-coming young Dutchman called Wim Loos.

Over the course of the 1966 season, Wim won 3 races with 2 second place finishes, which was enough to crown him the Dutch Touring Car Champion in 1966 at his first attempt. In 1967, his campaign got off to an even better start with 4 wins from 4 starts and he seemed again unstoppable in the Dutch Championship. Tragically, that summer he lost his life mid season in a nasty racing accident at the Spa 24 Hour event, where he was entered in a friend’s Giulia Sprint GTV.

His death was a tragedy in Dutch motor sport – a talent who seemed destined to reach the top level of racing, cut short in his prime. Known for his successes driving this GTA, the car was even used to take his funeral casket to the Church, resting on the roof as it was pushed down the town high street. The number of people present to bid him a final farewell is testament to his achievements and popularity. Several photos courtesy of “Collection Gijs van Beusekom”