Alfa Romeo GT Junior: PH Carpool
The story of how light remedial work became a full resto for the owner of this gorgeous Alfa
Car: 1972 Alfa GT Junior
Owned since: December 2014
Previously owned: Audi RS4 (B7), BMW M3, Mini Cooper S JCW R53, Lotus Elise, Mercedes 220 TE, Volvo V70, Westfield XI, Ferrari 328, Ferrari 308, Alfa GTV, Ford Capri 2.8S, Citroen CX Safari
Currently owned: 2006 BMW 330d Touring, Caterham Supersport, Citroen SM
One very happy Alfa owner!
"Have you seen the photo?!
"Actually I had been lucky enough to have owned a Ferrari 308 GTS carb for the past four years and the values had climbed considerably in that time. I feel these cars have to be used properly (I did a 3,000-mile European road trip in 2013) and without a bottomless wallet, I felt it was right to sell rather than just see it become a garage queen.
"The plan was to buy something classic and affordable. I'd loved the 105 coupe since a kid (who hasn't?) and after looking for a while and almost giving up, I finally found the right car in December 2014. It had been advertised on PH for some time, but had been owned by a true Alfa enthusiast and was properly maintained. Like many of these cars it had been modified slightly with a 2.0-litre engine, reconditioned gearbox, LSD and slightly upgraded suspension. This is very common in 105s as although there were various engine sizes, they are completely interchangeable; the fact that the car was sold with all the original parts (1.6 engine, 'box, springs and dampers) plus a 2.0-litre Twin Spark engine (another common power upgrade), sort of clinched the deal. The stack of receipts and history also helped. Picking the car up from Doncaster and driving home to Cambridge was a blast, bringing a big smile to my face. Being a 40-year-old car, there were a couple of things I wanted to attend to, but nothing urgent. Or so I thought..."
Beginnings of a long journey...
"Ah. Well I did, sort of ... a full restoration.
"There was some bubbling on the front and rear sills, nothing serious and it had been there for a few years without worsening. There were also a few little pushes in the bodywork, but only what would be expected in a car like this. The seller even provided me with the replacement sills!
"So I booked the car into a brilliant workshop, Team Leos in Fordham, to replace the panels and get a bottom half respray. I think you can see what's coming next... After cutting out the affected areas, we found there was more rust than originally thought; the more we cut away, the more we found.
"Eventually we completely replaced the sills, both inner and outer, then they were completely rustproofed and probably better than new. This was when we hit the next problem. As the car was white with no obvious panel breaks, colour matching would be, to say the least, tricky. So a full respray was needed, which meant stripping the body and interior and removing the engine (more of which later). The body went off to Rob Kirby (ex-works Alfa racer in the 80s and 90s) who also attended to the minor dings before respraying in the original colour.
"In the meantime I'd been reading up that it was quite easy to get a bit more power from these engines, they're quite torquey but run out of puff past 5,000rpm. It looked like some headwork and some upgraded cams would do the job. The car had come with bills regarding an engine rebuild approx 10,000 miles previously, so we thought this should be reasonably straightforward. When the head came off, we found that although there were plenty of new bits, the quality of the build was a bit lacking.
Now this is an interior!
"There were times that I wished I had never started, but I'm delighted that I did!"
Things that I love:
"Everything! The brio of the drive. Classic car grip levels. Proper RWD handling. The noise with twin Weber carbs and a sports exhaust. The smiles it brings to people's faces. The fact that it feels quick without having to go quick. The lack of gizmos. Its practicality! The small roadprint combined with great visibility that makes it a fantastic drive on country roads. The way the engine pulls and the responsiveness the lightened flywheel gives during gearchanges. Highlight so far is the track day that I did at Goodwood two days after getting her back from the rebuild, four-wheel drifts the order of the day and not a hint of a problem! A road trip to northern Spain and France for summer next year is being planned!"
Goodwood in the sunshine? Bliss
"Are you serious?"
Costs:
"Well, putting the restoration on one side, if possible! Very reasonable, but this is early in the Alfa experience so far. It's averaging about 25 mpg, it uses very little oil and insurance is £150 a year with Hagarty on classic car policy.Parts are readily available and of good quality, I generally use Alfaholics or Classic Alfa. Both are really helpful and provided a lot of technical info during the rebuild. Values have been rising for some time now, but it may be a while before I would see my money back. Not that I have any plans to ever sell."
Where I've been:
"It's early days yet, but I've taken her to a couple of my races, a Goodwood track day and trips to the north Norfolk coast for fish and chips! I will use it sparingly over the winter to avoid the dreaded salt. But plans for next year include a Spanish trip in August and Le Mans (or do I take the SM for that?)"
What's next?
"You must be joking!"
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
I'm hoping to make it to the Classic Alfa day at Goodwood in 2015 so hope to see you there!
Dreamgarage holds a late GTV 2000 in lavender blue. One day.
James,, your 105 looks wonderful. What have you done to yours?
Thanks for the comments on mine. It's a full race car but sufficiently road legal to have number plates.
Here's my project thread;
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=47...
Gearbox is out of it at the moment while I swap to my close ratio one. Should all be back together again by the weekend for me to give the car a wee run.
I remember my Dad buying a 2 year old Fiat 125 back in 1972 from a car lot in Balham. Parked next to it was a 1750GTV at the same price (£895) and me wishing he had bought that instead! I would have happily squeezed into the back when all the family went out, but my older sister may have been less keen!
Some years later I got to buy the Fiat so did at least manage to enjoy some Italian twin-cam fun, but the rust......
Well done OP, keep enjoying it!
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