1973 Alfa Romeo 1600 GT Junior

Sold to S. J. Wood on the 1st of June 1973 by Dove of Northampton Ltd., this lovely Alfa Romeo Junior is finished in Blue Hollondaise over Cinnamon leatherette.

In the care of the previous owner for six years, during which time he was a frequent participant at local, national, and international club events including the Laon Historique 2017 in northern France, it was the subject of a running mechanical restoration in his hands.

Running well and with an impressively comprehensive maintenance record, it boasts an excellent interior and impressively solid body. That said, the paintwork is cracked which means it will offer the canny Italian car enthusiast the chance to buy a cheap but solid Junior upon which they can stamp their mark.

This delightful Blue Hollondaise colour makes an interesting change from the usual red and is a hue we think that adds a sophisticated air to what many consider to be solely a sporting saloon.

It’s got a good level of overall fit ‘n’ finish too, plus some good alignment and a distinct absence of ripples and car-park dinks. It also looks to be solid, with even the wheelarch rims looking good - and you don’t need us to tell you that that’s the one thing you really need to concentrate on. Mind you, given the previous owner was an enthusiastic member of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club, the Junior’s condition shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The roof was resprayed three years ago by a well-known Alfa specialist, so that’s in good shape. Incidentally, the previous owner told the vendor that the same garage said of it: “it is the most solid rust-free Alfa Romeo 105 series I have seen”.

It’s got some lovely steel wheels fitted for the win plus a lovely set of chrome hubcaps for the wheel centres. There are some good 185/70R14 tyres fitted too, with Uniroyal Rain Expert on the front and Dunlop SP at the back.

The bodywork is not perfect: there is some paint crazing to the blue paint (#11 and #48 will give you an idea of what we mean) after reacting with the primer, so it’s going to need a respray at some point to allow it to fulfil its considerable potential.

We defy anyone to find a better interior than that of the 105 Alfa. Perfectly judged and jam-packed with style where other put only utility, the Cinnamon colour complements the dark blue coachwork to perfection.

It’s also in a great condition with that lovely three-spoke, deep-dish steering wheel, cowled dials, and low-back bucket seats all revelling not only in their design but also their condition. In fact, the seats look like new, so have undoubtedly been recovered or replaced in the car’s recent past.

The quilted vinyl floor coverings are good too, the headlining is taut and the toggle switches are neatly labelled - and while the fake wood trim might not be the most convincing you’ve ever seen, there’s no denying its condition.

The rear seat and rear quarter panel trim are both excellent and what it lacks in legroom back there it more than makes up for in style. The boot floor is solid and is home to a matching steel spare wheel.

Overall, it’s a delightful place to be and all the better for being lightly patinated.

That said, there is still a small amount of work for you to do if you’re so minded. The top of the dashboard has the usual crack in it (#116), the headlining is a little stained, and the base of the pedals looks like it’s a little cruddy.

Oh, and while the modern Pioneer headunit might sound great we can’t help but think that something a little more in keeping with the period interior might suit it better.

The Alfa’s service history book reveals the following:

• 07.06.1973 and 620 miles – first service by Dove of Northampton

• 20.06.1975 and 9,781 miles – 7,500-mile/12,000km service by Dove of Northampton

• (unknown date) and 13,337 miles – 12,500-mile/18,000km service by Dove of Northampton

• 21.12.1976 and 21,086 miles – 18,750-mile/30,000km service by Dove of Northampton

• (unknown date) and 24,464 miles – 26,250-mile/42,000km service by Auto Service Garage

Historical paperwork shows the following servicing work was carried out:

• 21.04.1981 and 32,109 miles – ignition work by Baytree Garage of Cheltenham

• 25.11.1985 and 44,654 miles – 6,000-mile service by Lansdown Motors of Stroud

• 28.04.1986 and 46,394 miles – small service by Alfatech

• 22.07.1986 and 47,768 miles – carburettor cleaning and set up by Lansdown Motors of Stroud

• 15.10.1986 and 57,544 miles – 6,000-mile service by Baytree Garage of Cheltenham

• 15.12.1998 – suspension work including a set of lowering springs and four Koni dampers by The Highwood Motor Company

Some more restorative work was carried out in 2010/11 including new front discs and pads, the installation of a Pertronix electronic ignition system, some other miscellaneous mechanical fettling and some cosmetic work to the interior.

More modern work, undertaken by the previous owner we think, is detailed in a printed history. This reads, in brief:

• 28.05.2015 and 73,375 miles – purchased from Stan Heal of Bristol

• 18.06.2015 and 75,469 miles – clean and polish exterior, and detail engine bay and interior

• 12.09.2015 and 75,512 miles – replace part of vinyl roof and some localized paintwork to the area

• 09.02.2016 and 75,653 miles – replace fuel filter, battery, and HT leads

• 09.03.2016 and 75,843 miles – fit LED interior bulbs and refit thermostat

• 22.04.2016 and 75,882 miles – set steering alignment, fit LED exterior bulbs, fit battery isolator

• 27.04.2016 and 75,896 miles – rolling road tune at Novatech, Slough

• 05.05.2016 – Alfaholics fit new fuel regulator and filter plus an HT lead set and fan belt

• 10.05.2016 and 76,081 miles – Alfa Aid of Maidenhead fitted new carburettor mounts and an inlet manifold gasket, throttle end linkages, air cleaner stay bar bush, both brake servos, the fuel regulator, both engine mounts, and the rotor arm before balancing the carbs, adjusting the ignition timing, and tuning the engine

• 04.11.2020 and 77,637 miles – JTH Performance fitted a new Classic Alfa water pump and belt

The engine bay is good without being OTT, and the car starts, drives, stops, and handles as it should. Few cars give you more pleasure at low speeds than this and yet it can run with the best of them when you’re in the mood.

The underside is good but there is some light corrosion that will need stamping out sooner rather than later before it becomes a problem.

It comes with some useful spares too: please see the photos for details of what is included.

The Alfa doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MoT’d at the earliest. The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

It has a number of expired MoT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years, invoices that date back to the early eighties and so go to the very heart of how well this car’s provenance has been documented.

It also still has a number of expired tax discs and the stamped service history booklet we mentioned earlier.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained and restored to a good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

We’re huge fans of the 105-series Alfas and while most have historically preferred the full-fat GTV, we find ourselves being increasingly impressed by the simpler Junior. Neat and understated, they offer the classic enthusiast a beguiling combination of 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 off buying what it almost certainly one of the best sporting saloons of the era – but even that is not a problem in this case thanks to the car’s remarkably solid shell, thereby eliminating the only obstacle to buying a car that you, like us, have probably lusted after for decades.

And that delay in achieving your ambitions might not be as costly as you fear because, while the price of the GTV has now risen to what is frankly silly money, this Junior is likely to go for less than £30,000 and maybe as low as £24,000, a price that reflects both the car’s solidity and need for some paint.

This not only makes it a bargain now but also means that there are probably few safer, or potentially more lucrative, places to store your money now that the banks and building societies are paying such a derisory rate.

Viewing is always encouraged, within Govt. guidelines of course, and this particular car is located with us at 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. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.