1968 and 1970 Alfa Romeo GT Juniors Review and Buyer's Guide

\"You’ll never have more fun than when you’re driving a car with a motor that’s too small, with a great five-speed gearbox, on a mountain road.” That’s what Bob Lutz, GM Vice Chairman of Development and long-time friend of SCM, told Ms. Banzer and me on the California Mille some years ago. We had just spent a good 30 minutes harassing his 300-horsepower, 1955 Chrysler C-300 with our 1300-cc 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce.

The Alfa GTV two-door coupe, part of the 1600-cc Giulia lineup that followed the Giulietta, is acknowledged as one of the great GT cars of all time. But less well known is its 1300-cc, five-speed variant, the GT Junior. This car was never officially imported to the US. The base model of the line, they came with rubber floormats rather than carpets, and simple stamped hubcaps. They had an ultra-close ratio fifth gear. Even in our land of superhighways, they could hold their own at 80 mph, and return over 30 mpg as well.

While trolling eBay, I came across a pair of GT Juniors that sold.

Here is the first, item number 1875252752, as described by the seller:

This 1960 Alfa GT Junior is a very original car. It has not been changed from the original factory specification. The car drives like new and handles well. The paint seems original, in that it is the same throughout the entire body (no respray). Interior is like new and original. The dash has one small crack in it. Window glass is all in good condition with only one scratch on passenger side.

The car was imported from San Remo, Italy, so it has no heater connected, but is in the car. The motor is in good running condition with no oil leaks or burning. All cylinders have good compression and leakdown is minimal.

The car comes with new Yokohama YK420 tires and new performance drilled and grooved disc brakes for all four wheels.

Minimal rust in the right door, I was told it is not bad and can be fixed easily. The paint is in great shape and shines well. Only one small dent on right hand quarter panel and would be easily fixed using the paintless dent removal method.

There was only one picture, which was nearly useless, in the listing. The car had incorrect 1750 hubcaps, and there were some panel fit issues evident. It was light gray with a red interior. There was no VIN listed.

Located in Lancaster, California, after four bids it sold on December 31, 2002, for $6,800. The seller, whitebuffaloracing, had a feedback rating of one.

And here’s how the second, item number 1876788424, was listed:

This 1968 Alfa GT Jr. 1300 is a very clean, two owner car with records from 1974. It has a 100% rust free body and no accident damage. It has always been maintained by Alfa of Tacoma. It comes equipped with its original tool kit and manuals.

The paint is in very nice condition. It has been repainted once in the original color. All of the glass is good including the rubber seals. The interior has been redone.

The mechanicals on this car are very sound including the clutch and transmission (5-speed). The brakes and tires are in good condition and it is equipped with stock wheels and hubcaps. All of the gauges and the electricals are in good working order. The panel fit is excellent.

The floors are rust free along with the trunk floor and jacking points. The chrome is in excellent shape including the grill. This is a very nice original car in good working order.

The VIN was AR1227011, and the car was green with a tan interior. The listing included eleven photos, including the engine bay and the spare trunk well, always a rust-prone area.

Located in Seattle, Washington, after ten bids it sold on January 18, 2003, for $5,800. The seller, classyclassics, had a feedback rating of 20.

In my opinion, the second car was a much better buy than the first. The seller had extensive documentation, it had been cared for by Alfa Tacoma—a firm with a first-rate reputation—and they offered many photos for potential bidders.

And yet it sold for $1,000 less than the white Junior from Lancaster.

In any event, a well-sorted, rust-free GT Junior can make any daily commute into a mini-Targa Florio, as you run up and down through the gears just to keep up with traffic. The engines are robust and easily maintained. While not built for four adults, Juniors have more room than the equivalent 911.

And each time you drive a GT 1300 Junior, you get a small taste of Alfa Romeo in its salad days, when its chain-driven overhead cams were definitive, its styling state of the art, and its position as one of the great sports car manufacturers on the planet was secure.

Sadly, those days are now long past. But by buying the green Junior here, for less than $6,000, you could be experiencing Alfa at its very best.—Keith Martin