Description
Alfa Romeo’s stylish Montreal was first shown at the World Expo in Montreal in 1967. Originally intended as nothing more than a show car, based on the existing Giulia GTV floorplan with a 1,779 cc twin cam four cylinder engine, it created such a stir and reaction was so positive that the possibility of putting it into production was investigated.
At the 1970 Geneva Motor Show, a production version was displayed. Installed in the engine bay was Alfa’s classic V8 quad cam racing engine with dry sump lubrication, taken from their Tipo 33 racing car, mated to a 5 speed ZF gearbox. This was an altogether much more appropriate power plant for such an exotic looking machine. With 200bhp, performance was brisk; near 140mph maximum speed and 0-60mph reached in 7.6 seconds.
The svelte Bertone coachwork incorporated many novel stylistic features, such as the headlamp “eyelids”, the NACA duct on the bonnet and the grilles which lined the rear quarters, intimating a mid-engine layout. The Giulia floorplan had been retained, with independent coil-sprung front suspension, live coil-sprung rear axle, limited slip differential and ventilated discs. This all added up to handling and road holding in keeping with the car’s high performance.
Offered from the current owner of 30 years, the Montreal on offer with Coys today has covered just 4,000 miles since being purchased in 1990. This was due to being dry stored from 1998 to 2018. Following this, the car underwent an extensive recommissioning at a cost of £10,000 by a Montreal Specialist. There is an extensive history file with the car and we do advise making time to have a look at this at the auction. Showing an incredibly low original 43,000 miles confirmed by paperwork, this is a remarkable opportunity to purchase a rarely seen, well looked after classic with detailed history.
