1967 Alfa Romeo GT Junior

1967 Alfa Romeo GT Junior for sale
Fresh from a nut-and-bolt restoration to ‘GTA 1600’ specification
Original twin-plug cylinder head
Only 600 miles since its rebuild

This Alfa Romeo started life as a standard GT 1300 Junior road car and was sold new in Italy. First registered on 14 March 1967, it was acquired by Italo Cipriotto and then sold two years later to Umberto Cipriotto. Given the fact that the Automobile Club d’Italia registration documents lists the same address for both men, and they were born two years apart in Viterbo, it seems safe to conclude that Umberto was Italo’s younger brother.

Umberto kept the car until the 1980s and it subsequently passed through various other owners in Italy. By the middle of 2018, the Alfa had been partially dismantled was in need of a complete restoration. Having been acquired by a Gloucestershire-based specialist, it was shipped from Salerno to the UK so that work could begin – and the decision was taken to upgrade it to the same specification as the famous 1.6-litre GTA competition cars.

The build process is fully documented in the Alfa’s huge history file, with every invoice and receipt having been retained. The attention to detail is evident throughout the car and extended to fitting an original twin-plug cylinder head. Two Weber 45 DCOE carburettors were added, the bodywork features correct GTA ‘bubble arches’, an Alfaholics chassis-leg stiffening kit was specified, and Perspex side windows installed.

Inside the stripped-out cockpit, there is a full roll cage and extinguisher system, Sabelt race seats and harnesses, and a modern Stack rev counter. Pirelli Cinturato 165/70 14 tyres are fitted all round, and the full extent of this project can only be appreciated by going through the paperwork.

This painstakingly restored Alfa Romeo Giulia GT Junior was completed in 2021 and given the UK registration YHR 845E. Now being offered for sale at The Classic Motor Hub, it has covered only 600 miles since its rebuild and perfectly evokes the GTA’s motorsport success in the 1960s.

The Type 105 Alfa Romeo Giulia was introduced in 1962 and spawned a huge number of variations. One of those was a range of coupés based on a shortened floorpan and designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone.

Their mechanical specification included a five-speed gearbox, disc brakes all round, and Alfa Romeo’s classic twin-cam, all-alloy, four-cylinder engine. This was offered in various capacities for the GT model, and there was also the smaller-capacity GT Junior, which initially featured a 1290cc engine. In 1972, the 1570cc GT 1600 Junior was added to the line-up.

It didn’t take long for Alfa Romeo’s Autodelta racing division to create a competition version of the Giulia coupé. With its aluminium body panels, magnesium alloy wheels and Perspex side windows, the GTA was considerably lighter than the road cars.

A twin-plug cylinder head was fitted, while capacities varied from the original 1570cc unit to the short-stroke GTA 1300 Junior and the 2-litre GTAm. All had independent front suspension via wishbones and coil springs, while at the rear there was a live axle with trailing arms.

The Alfa Romeo GTA was mainstay of saloon car racing throughout the late 1960s. Future Grand Prix driver Andrea de Adamich won the 1966 European Touring Car Championship in 1966 and 1967, Spartaco Dini did likewise in 1969, and Toine Hezemans added a fourth title in 1970. In 1971, the GTA 1300 Junior was utterly dominant and won its class at every ETCC round apart from the Spa 24 Hours.

The 105 and 115 series Alfa Romeo Giulia coupés remained in production until 1977 and have rightly become highly coveted by marque enthusiasts.

1967 Alfa Romeo GT Junior

MODEL HISTORY