1967 Alfa Romeo GT Junior Alfaholics upgrades and Bob Dove engine

Highlights

• South African built car imported by Alfaholics
• Comprehensive history and restoration file
• Bob Dove Motorsport 1,962cc engine
• One previous UK owner
• Alfaholics fast road suspension kit and LSD

Overview

When a classic Alfa Romeo arrives with the names ‘Bob Dove Motorsport’ and ‘Alfaholics’ liberally sprinkled throughout its history, then you know you’re dealing with something special. In recent years Alfaholics have stamped their authority all over the classic scene, building incredible restomods while offering all manner of styling and performance enhancements for classic Alfas. You’re probably very well aware of them, thanks to some rather famous fans and extensive media coverage.

Bob Dove is a name those outside the hardcore Alfa community may be less aware of. Quietly working away building amazing race and fast road machines, often using classic Alfas, their work is much admired and adds a serious dose of genuine motorsport engineering to any project.

This lovely little car, originally a standard GT1300 Junior, would have come from the factory with a perky little 1.3-litre twin-cam. A fun and rorty little engine offering just under 90bhp. Enough zip to make the lightweight Junior great fun to drive, but nothing that would set your hair on fire. Thanks to Bob Dove, this particular example is now blessed with a thumping great 2-litre twin-cam. And not just any twin-cam, no this is a tweaked and honed powerplant that delivers approximately 155bhp to the rear wheels. In a dinky little sub-tonne car, that definitely qualifies as “plenty”.

With too many upgrades and enhancements to list here, you only need to cast an eye over the pictures to see why any true petrolhead would be delighted to pop this gem in their garage. Whether you’re looking for a desirable classic, something charming and fun for the weekends, a fast, solid road car as the basis for a full restoration or even a historic racer, we reckon this ticks a lot of boxes.

Handsome, characterful, fun and life-affirming, it’s everything you could possibly want from a classic Alfa.

History and documentation

• Built in 1967
• First registered in the UK 29 August 2006
• Starting life in South Africa, the car was imported to the UK in 2006 by Richard Banks of Alfaholics for the first UK owner, the current owner having owned it since 2015
• Extensive collection of invoices detailing servicing, maintenance, enhancements and old MOT certificates
• Owner’s Workshop Manual
• Current MOT expires 20 September 2025, with an excellent MOT history
• Historic vehicle - MOT and tax exempt
• 95,131 miles on the five-figure odometer (believed to be genuine, but not verified prior to 2006)
• V5 present in owner’s name
• HPI clear
• London ULEZ compliant
• Box of original parts (including headlights, indicators etc.) included

Interior

• Black vinyl upholstery, all of which looks to be in good order, with no tears, sagging or notable damage we could see other than a small half-inch rip on the driver’s seat
• New, professionally tailored and fitted black carpeting throughout the cabin is in fine condition
• Perforated cream headlining is secure and appears to be undamaged, but bears some marks and staining
• Wood veneer dashboard fascia is intact and looks to have no cracks, although the lacquer is damaged and peeling in a few places and the glove box cover is insecure
• New Alfaholics dashboard supplied but not fitted
• New Alfaholics column switches fitted
• New inertia reel seatbelts
• New wood-rimmed Hellebore steering wheel
• Aluminium OMP race pedal set - matching footrest also included but not fitted
• GTA black vinyl door cards
• Leather GTA door pulls
• Billet aluminium door handles
• New boot carpet
• All of the interior trim and switchgear shows well, with some attractive light patination to the original elements (such as the instruments and some controls)
• Dash top and rear parcel shelf covered to protect them from the South African heat, the vendor has not attempted to remove the covering
• Oil temperature gauge inoperable as it is not compatible with the 2-litre engine
• The vendor reports no other faults or issues with any of the cabin’s features

Exterior

• Bianco Spiro white - overall the paintwork is in good order, now being almost 20 years old
• We noted a few minor scuffs to the lower front valance and a few small spots of surface corrosion to some panels edges, with the vendor noting that the car would benefit from a respray to bring it back to its best
• All of the bodywork looks to be in fine fettle, being straight and well aligned, with no damage or notable corrosion we could identify other than a couple of small dents to the rear valance
• Aluminium door skins have been fitted
• GTA external door hoops and buttons fitted
• Alfaholics GTA mesh grill and lightweight Alfa Romeo ‘heart’ fitted
• The door rubbers have been renewed
• Updated Alfaholics Xenon headlights and front side lights
• Bullet style door mirrors
• Auto Delta GTA sliding aluminium side window kit fitted, with Lexan shatterproof panels
• Rear numberplate platform fitted, but the glass on the light is broken
• The front and rear bumpers have been removed but retained, and will come with the car
• Underneath, the car looks to be clean and solid, with a few spots of what appears to be surface corrosion
• 15-inch GTA replica alloy wheels from Alfaholics, finished in silver and presented in very good order
• The wheels are shod in a set of Michelin tyres (195/55 all round), which look to have excellent tread depth and no sidewall damage we could discern

Mechanical

• 1,962cc Bob Dove built and prepared twin-cam engine
• Believed to be putting out c.155bhp
• Uprated camshaft
• Rebuilt Dell-Orto carburettors
• Pipercross performance air filter and ram-intake
• Race oil catch can
• 123 electronic ignition
• Original dynamo replaced with alternator
• New wiper motor
• The engine bay is clean and tidy, with no obvious evidence of leaks or other issues
• Rear-wheel drive
• Upgraded hydraulic clutch
• Bob Dove rebuilt transmission with short 5th gear
• Refurbished 4:1 rear axle from a Spider fitted
• Limited slip differential
• Alfaholics fast road suspension kit including: new steering bushes, front wheel bearings, T-bar bushes, Koni Sport dampers and springs all round
• Uprated front anti-roll bar
• Uprated discs, calipers and pads all round, from Alfaholics
• Braided brake hoses
• New Alfaholics brake master cylinder
• The brakes have just been stripped and serviced
• Alfaholics stainless steel exhaust system
• The vendor reports no mechanical faults or issues

Summary

There’s a reason the Junior is such a well-loved classic. The proportions, styling, handling, noise – it’s all just spot-on. And this example has been refined and enhanced to offer proper fast road aesthetics and performance.

With fantastic Bob Dove Motorsport mechanicals and lots of gorgeous Alfaholics styling cues inside and out, we reckon this handsome little machine would make a truly superb addition to any collection. Whether you’re looking to enjoy it as-is or elevate it to show-winner status, there’s much to admire here.

As an antidote to today’s ever more digital and cosseting performance machinery, this raw, visceral slice of lightweight performance is as close as you’re going to get to petrolhead heaven…

This car is with our concierge partner Autoclicker in Congleton, Cheshire. To arrange a viewing, please contact them on 01565 758 302.