1972 Alfa Romeo GT Junior

Be in no doubt that ‘PGU 685K’ is a beguiling prospect indeed, a restoration that’s already had all the hard (and for “hard” you should read “expensive”…) work done, leaving you free to bolt it all back together to your desired specification.

We’ll let the seller himself explain: “This is a project to finish the restoration of my Alfaholics fast-road-spec 105 coupé, which has stalled. The body has already been restored with new or refurbished panels as necessary, all of which have been primed and painted.

“I also have a 1976 donor car, a rebuilt engine, and many new parts from Alfaholics and Veloce Sport. Sadly, my mechanic/restorer recently passed away, so I am unable to complete it.”

As for the car itself, it’s had two previous owners since arriving in the UK at the end of 2016, and the history file includes a Certificato di Origine from Alfa Romeo showing that it is a genuine right-hand-drive example.

An original right-hand-drive car? Yup, it came to the UK from South Africa, which means that while historical paperwork is sparse, by way of compensation it hasn’t had to contend with decades of salt-laden winters.
 

The bodywork fits together well with good panel gaps; care has obviously been taken to get the alignment of the doors spot-on as you can see from the way the swage-lines both run nice and straight.

The good news continues with the fact that the combination of its South African past allied to this restorative work has left it solid and free of visible rust.

Unfortunately, work stopped before they got around to fitting the unpainted boot lid and bonnet. The rest of the coachwork has been painted but, as you can see, it’s probably no more than acceptable as there are quite a few marks on it, although a talented body-shop could probably buff most of them out.

However, given how easy it would be to get it prepped for fresh paint, we can see the new owner will almost certainly want to start afresh, which would give them the chance to change the colour if the classic red isn’t to their taste.

If so, you might like to work on the front valence and rear lamp panel as both would benefit from some new metal letting in to bring them up to the same standard as the rest of the bodywork.

The alloy wheels are obviously not the original ones but they’re an attractive wheel in their own right if you can ignore the universal fitment that leaves half the wheel mounting holes unused.

They’ve been fitted with a mixture of Avon and Bridgestone too, so perhaps it might be best to just use them to move the rolling chassis around until you can source the correct wheels and some period-authentic tyres?

It’s got the full-length sliding fabric sunroof too, which combines all the benefits of a convertible with none of the drawbacks such as a floppy chassis. The fabric itself looks to be in a good condition, but it will need fettling to get it to fit and work as it should.

We are told that “pretty much everything” needed to finish the car comes with it. Of course, we’d be happy to host you for a couple of hours if you wanted to make an appointment to pop along to see us to verify what is and isn’t available.  

The donor car is here with us, so you’ll need to make sure whoever collects it for you has the space for both cars – plus a lot of boxes! 
 

What can we say about the interior other than the dashboard, speedometer, pedals, headlining, sill plates, and rear seat look to be in a decent, albeit dirty, condition?

Again, we are told that most of what you’ll need to finish the car is either available with us, or in the donor car that forms part of the listing and is available for inspection. 
 

There’s not much we can say in this section either other than while we’ve photographed the boxes of parts that come with the car we haven’t listed their contents. However, if you would like to make an appointment to come and see it, we’d be happy to give you the floorspace to do so.

(One point to note it that the rebuilt, two-litre engine is with the donor car.)

The donor car has now arrived on site at BonhamsCarsOnline HQ and a selection of images can be seen in the gallery. There is a plethora of spares so please request a viewing to come and inspect all that is offered.

The engine bay has been painted and is of a standard we think most would be happy with.

As for the underside, that looks to be good and solid too. It hasn’t been painted or undersealed yet, but we see that as a good thing because it means you can easily assess its condition before settling on the finish you’d prefer.

The suspension, which the invoice suggests is Alfaholics’ fast-road spec has been fitted so you can roll the car around easily enough. 
 

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear bar the marker for being an imported vehicle.

The history file includes several invoices for parts, including one for more than £5,000 from Alfaholics for mechanical components, plus another nigh-on four-figure spend at Veloce Sport in addition to the cost of the donor car.

Feast your eyes on where the money went and then, like us, rejoice at how much more cost-effective restoring a car is when someone else has already done the heavy lifting…

There’s paperwork from the DVLA too showing that the appropriate VAT and duty has been paid along with export papers from the South African police, a brochure, Instruction Book, workshop manual, and a V5 in the seller’s name.

Oh, and if you’re feeling brave then there’s a V5 for the donor car too…
 

We’re huge fans of the 105-series Alfas and while many people think they need the full-fat GTV, the discerning few are being increasingly impressed by the simpler Junior.

Neat and understated, the more basic model offers the classic enthusiast the likelihood of greater future appreciation as well as the prospect of being under-estimated by all but the cognoscenti.

And yet, the fear of rust (understandably) puts many folk off buying what is one of the best sporting saloons of the era.

Which isn’t an issue here thanks to its African provenance and subsequent light restoration.

As for our estimate, we think it’s going to fetch somewhere between £8,000 and £12,000, but as it is being offered with no reserve it’s going to sell from the very first bid.

Yes, you’re going to need to finish it, but can you think of a more affordable and fun way to get behind the wheel of the iconic Italian you thought you wouldn’t ever be able to afford?

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.