1973 Alfa Romeo GT Junior

Our seller bought this GT Junior towards the end of 2014. Its previous owner was of course an enthusiast and he had uprated the car. The suspension had been modified and the car fitted with a 2.0-litre engine and replacement gearbox.

The engines are identical externally, so those seeking a little extra oomph from their Alfa commonly make the change.

Our seller reports that the car was in ‘honest condition’, with just a little bubbling paintwork around the sills.

Deciding the car was to be a keeper, he began working on the car but as is so often the way, once you start, you find more things that want doing… We’ve heard this tale a time or two before.

So, what was intended to be a bit of a freshen up turned into a full-blown restoration. Bodywork, interior, engine rebuild, you get the idea.

The end result is quite breath-taking both to look at and to drive. More power, better handling and of course a beautifully restored body.

Oh, and for the purists reading this, the original matching numbers engine has been retained and forms part of the sale.

Our seller has used the car extensively, clocking up over 10,000 miles in the process. A trip to indulge in a little racing at Spa was undoubtedly one of the highlights, as well as a trip to France to do the Normandy landing beaches. The car performed faultlessly.

The body work repairs and respray was done by former British Racing Driver Rob Kirby at Premier Garages in Newport.

For those that don’t know, Rob topped out his career in 1985 by winning the British Saloon Car Championships in his class, driving an Alfa GTV 6 for the Alfa Romeo Dealer Team. After retiring, he runs the garage and spends his time preparing and repairing cars. He undoubtedly knows his Alfas!

The Alfa was fully stripped down by Rob and his team to allow for age related dings etc to be properly repaired and the sills replaced, prior to a full respray. The results speak for themselves as the paintwork positively sparkles.

The car has been properly cared for since the work was completed and this shows in the car’s current condition.

All chrome work was fully reconditioned too.

Beautiful Cromadoro wheels are fitted to each corner, and each is fitted with a premium Toyo Proxes tyre, all having plenty of tread. As we always like to point out, good premium tyres are an excellent indication of careful and considered classic car ownership.

The undoubted highlight of the Alfa’s interior is the rather striking red Cobra bucket seats. Exceptionally comfortable, they grip in all the right places, especially important if you are enjoying a spirited B-road blast, or perhaps a little track time.

Don’t worry though, the original seats are included in the sale and can be bolted back in should you be so inclined.

The rear seats are as original and provide space for a couple of jolly passengers.

The dash has been fully restored and flocked. There is a hidden stereo, so as not to spoil the period look.

New carpets were fitted during the restoration, though the original rubber floor covering has been retained.

The interior has also been fitted with Dynamat sound proofing throughout.

The boot houses a full-size spare wheel in need of a splash of paint, and is a reasonable size for the type of car.

There is a little surface rust in the spare wheel well, an easy fix. We also note a little surface corrosion to the underside of the boot lid and to the hinges.

Lift the bonnet and that lovely 2.0-litre engine is revealed in all its glory. The engine was fully rebuilt and mildly tuned by Team Leos in Fordham (a professional race team) and now is good for around 170bhp, up from 125-130bhp. You can tell!

Said engine had its head worked on by Ayrton Senna’s engine builder from F3 and now boasts a lightened flywheel and new ‘hotter’ camshafts.

And don’t forget the original engine and gearbox are included in the sale, though we believe both will need a rebuild.

The engine compartment itself is impressively neat and tidy as one would expect.

Note the lovely carburettors, set up by expert Peter Baldwin, one of the best in the business. He also sorted out the car’s timing too for perfect running.

We always include plenty of pictures of a car’s underside and that is the case here. We note some signs of corrosion to the lower scuttle, and this will need addressing.

There is some very light surface corrosion to some components, so some time with the car on a ramp, wire brush in one hand, underseal in the other would not go amiss.

Oh, how we like a lovely pile of paperwork and thanks to the careful filing of previous owners, there is plenty to accompany this Alfa.

Amongst the invoice pile, you will observe the bill from Team Leos Motorsports in the princely sum of £7,995 for much of the Alfa’s lovely restoration. Money well spent in our opinion.

Old tax discs and a raft of MoT certificates help to complete the car’s history. The last MoT for what is of course now a historic vehicle was carried out in 2017, the mileage then being 68,061, which has now climbed to 71,000.

The MoT history makes for impressive reading, showing how well this car has been cared for during its lifetime by knowledgeable and loving owners.

On looks alone, this Alfa Romeo GT Junior is hard to beat, but get behind the wheel and that’s where the fun really starts. It’s a car to stir the soul and emotions and the complete antithesis to most modern-day offerings.

It is truly a car to take out for the sake of it, a car to excite the senses.

There’s room for four people, a boot capable of holding enough luggage for a touring holiday and last but most importantly, the car has been subject to much recent expense, sensible upgrades and drives exceptionally well. All you must do is put in a bid and win this lovely car and then the fun can really start. We estimate the car will sell for between £30,000 and £40,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, within government guidelines of course. The car is located at our THE MARKET HQ near Abingdon; we are open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’