1976 Alfa Romeo 1600 GT Junior

This original UK market Alfa Romeo 1.6 GT Junior was first registered on 1 August 1976, the day of Niki Lauda’s near-fatal crash at the German Grand Prix and about mid-way through the UK’s uncharacteristically long hot summer.

During the car’s 44+ years it has had 11 owners cumulatively covering 81,292 miles from across England including Yorkshire, Worcestershire, Kent, Berkshire and Northants. The most recent owner, the MD of an electronics company, bought the car in January 2017, six months or so after it had been given a full strip down, repair and respray costing nearly £5k.

The story of its purchase by our vendor is probably not uncommon. He was selling a 380SL to a local classic car dealer to free up some funds and space, and agreed to drop the Mercedes off and get a lift home. As soon as he walked into the showroom, however, he was beguiled by the little Alfa and ended up parting with more cash to take it home.

Having owned several classic bikes and cars, he tends either to look for ones that are cheap and need a fair bit of work, or ones that are the very best out there. This Alfa sits squarely in the latter category.

In terms of use, it’s done most of the 1,000 miles in his ownership along the back roads between Northants and his parents’ home in Merseyside. Although he says it is capable of motorway cruising, it’s much better suited to A and B roads - and it’s more fun that way too. When not in use, he’s kept the Alfa either at home in a dehumidified garage during the summer or in a heated storage area of his factory.

With the recent purchase of a second home, needing money to be spent on it, he’s reluctantly selling the GT Junior and just hopes that he won’t look back with too much regret in a few years’ time.

The paint and bodywork on this Alfa is in a fabulous condition, not perfect of course - no car ever is, but it is really quite hard to fault its beautiful finish. The panel alignment and shut lines are very good, probably way better than they were when it left Milan forty-odd years ago.

Across the car, the chrome trims and fittings have been renewed or replaced and present very well, and the various badges and scripts are bright and appear unblemished. There is a slight crack or scratch in one of the front side light lenses but it looks more likely that a screw was overtightened rather than suffering impact damage.

A number of external changes or enhancements have been carried out over the years and the GT Junior now sports a race-ready de-bumpered look with a mesh front grille. In 2013 it had serpent badges - from the more potent GTV - added to the C-pillars.

The car’s wheels were also replaced in the same year - substituting the standard 14-inch steel rims with 15-inch GTA-style lightweight alloys, courtesy of Alfaholics, which are in a super condition. All are fitted with Michelin Energy Saver tyres, dated 2015 and still showing good tread depth.

The Alfa’s interior has been renovated and restored to be largely faithful to originality with the fluted black vinyl seating, plain vinyl door cards and the characteristically ‘70s straight-grained wood inlays to the dash and centre console. All of the interior upholstery and trim is in a great condition with no discernible wear or damage.

The instrument panel appears in good order with its original Jaeger dials (although the rev counter is a little sticky), and the deep-dished wood-rimmed steering wheel looks correct both to the car and the period.

The only real touch of modernity is the JVC CD stereo with aux input and its high-quality Vibe Audio speakers inset in the side walls of the rear cabin. As far as we’ve been able to test, all of the electrics work as they should with the exception of the two-tone horn, but that should be a nice, easy job for the new owner to do.

The black carpets were replaced fairly recently and the headlining looks taut and clean with just a tiny nick in the fabric near the rear view mirror mounting.

Under the pristine front-hinged bonnet, the bodywork around the engine bay is also well painted and in good order. The engine itself looks honest with polished stainless cam covers, and the ancillaries seem tidy and in fine fettle, including the lovely brass radiator.

Underneath the car all looks intact and, aside from the usual surface rust across some of the suspension linkages, there are no signs of current corrosion although there is evidence of previous repair, notably in the wheel arches. The exhaust is a full stainless steel sports system and is in good order all the way from the headers to the chromed tailpipe.

Inside the boot, there is a full set of light grey mats and linings - with the Alfa Romeo crest - which were bought from Alfaholics in 2016 and still look in great condition. Underneath is a full size (14-inch) painted steel spare wheel and a small tool-roll. The boot lid itself is also immaculate, with no signs of rust anywhere.

The GT Junior’s last MOT expired in February 2018, but it had four first-time passes over the five preceding years. Although exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it tested at the earliest opportunity.

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 is also invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies.

The history file contains several old MOT certificates and a large collection of invoices showing over £15k spent on works and replacement parts - especially between 2012 and 2015 - mostly from Alfaholics of Clevedon near Bristol and Classic Alfa in Croydon.

Key upgrades include:

- Stainless sports exhaust

- Dual circuit brake balance box (can be clearly seen in underside photos)

- GTA wheels

- Full wiring loom

- Programmable distributor

- New interior carpets

- New boot linings

- Full respray

The car also comes with photos documenting the full respray at Rapid Vehicle Repairs of Kettering in 2016.

This GT Junior is very, very good. It ran well, sounding solid - no undue rattles and squeaks - and felt nice and tight on our test drive. The gearbox changes sweetly once all is warmed up and the balanced brakes work effectively. In all, it performs considerably better than you’d expect for a ‘70s Alfa Romeo.

As we mentioned before, asking prices for 105 series Alfa Romeos have been rising over a number of years. For something in as great a condition as this, with low mileage for its age and several choice upgrades, we expect it to fetch between £29,000 and £39,000.

There aren’t many original UK cars like this left, as many will have succumbed to corrosion, so this is more special than the southern hemisphere Alfas more commonly seen for sale today.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; 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’.