1967 Alfa Romeo Series One Duetto

This splendid and rare RHD Series 1 ‘Boat-Tail’ Spider was exported new to South Africa in 1967, eventually making its way to these shores on 30th October 1990.

The car arrived with the ‘wrong’ engine in situ (a 2-litre unit) and, in 1994, Labinjoh (reputed Scottish marque specialists) were entrusted to replace it with the correct 1600cc unit and recondition the gearbox. The car’s current mileage of 31,000 dates from this time.

A new hood and refurbished, powder-coated frame were fitted in 2000.

The car’s penultimate owner purchased the car from Labinjohs in 2009, commissioning them to carry out work that included restoration of the rear end, an engine-out respray, the fitting of new lower wing panels, and minor repairs to the outer sills.

The original steel wheels were refurbished and fitted with new chrome hubcaps at this time. The brakes were also refurbished during the penultimate owner’s tenure, the exhaust system replaced, and a new clutch fitted in 2014.

That owner reported taking the car on a 2,000-mile round-trip to Italy for the 2010 Alfa Centenary celebrations and noted that it didn’t miss a beat at any point on the journey.

The vendor bought the car in 2017 and promptly set about spending lots of money with all the right people.

In 2017, the car was the recipient of an engine rebuild and gearbox overhaul, plus a bare-metal rear-end restoration – all courtesy of Alfa specialist Autostilo and a bill in excess of £15,000.

The vendor tells us that he has done everything needed to get this car into the best mechanical condition and ensure that it is as good to drive as it is to look at.

Having driven it ourselves, we can affirm that he has succeeded handsomely in this ambition.
 

You really can’t blame Mrs Robinson for taking a shine to a young man who drove one of these utterly charming cars – it’s a joy to behold and a feast for the senses.

The bodywork is in very good order and is free of any dinks, dents, creases or ripples of any consequence that we can see.

The vibrant ‘514 Farina Red’ paintwork has retained plenty of shine and lustre, too, but it’s not without minor flaws.

There are light, swirly scratches to be found (on close inspection) on most panels and there are some more noticeable paint chips and scuffs on the rear edges of the doors.

Aside from that, there’s just the usual number and distribution of small stone chips in the usual places – front valance, bonnet and the tops of the front wings.

The wheels are in strong condition. A couple of the hub caps have very small dents in them but, fear not, there are spares included with the car.

The black fabric hood fits snugly, goes up and down with a minimum of dissent or argument, and is in very decent overall condition.

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings are all in good order.

There is a little light foxing in evidence in places on the chrome but, overall, it’s all pretty good.

Some of the chrome has flaked away on the trim surrounding the n/s/r light cluster.

The headlight cover clip on the driver’s side has snapped and, consequently, the cover doesn’t quite fit as it should. 
 

The interior oozes period charm and looks as if it’s driven straight out of a scene from La Dolce Vita.

The grey cloth and black vinyl seats look to be in decent condition, save for a separation between the side of the seat and the back board on the inside shoulder of the driver’s seat.

The red carpeting along the transmission tunnel is fine, although the collar of carpet beneath the gear lever gaiter looks a little faded and worn.

The dashboard trim above and below the instrument binnacle has started to lift a little in places, but the dashboard itself looks fine and, as far as we’re aware, the instruments, dials, knobs, buttons and switches all do what they’re supposed to do without hesitation, repetition or deviation

The correct, Alfa-branded rubber mats are in fine fettle, as are the door cards and the lining of the folding roof.

The fabric trim on top of both rear wings (where it meets the roof) is rather ragged and scruffy, particularly on the passenger side.

The boot looks solid and intact. It contains a spare wheel, a few tools and some spares including two hub caps, a door mirror, a Nardi steering wheel, and a car cover.
 

The engine bay is reassuringly fresh, dry and tidy.

It’s always good to see, as here, that the engine bay has been painted as thoroughly as the rest of it.

The gleaming rocker covers and squeaky-clean Weber carbs are a delight.

The car’s undersides appear to be possessed of plenty of structural integrity.

Nothing we’ve seen has given us any reason to tut or frown.
 

This car comes with a comprehensive history file containing various bills, invoices and receipts attesting to work carried out after it came to the UK.

Little is known of its earlier life in South Africa.  We can safely assume, however, that its time there wasn’t spent ploughing though slush on salted roads.

It is accompanied by a V5C, copies of its original South African documents, and a recent HPI report.
 

People often bemoan the look of the later Alfa Spiders – the ones with big rubber bumpers and other stuck-on safety paraphernalia.

And it’s very easy to see why when you look at this car.

It is simple, elegant, uncluttered, analogue and just very, very pretty.

And this particular example has got far more than mere good looks going for it.

It’s a properly sorted and fettled car and is ready to give its next owner/curator many joyous years of pedigree Italian motoring pleasure.

Bellissimo!

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £35,000 - £40,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.