• Comprehensively restored

• Subtly upgraded with fast road engine and suspension

• Lovely condition

• Ready to go

Alfa’s pretty 105 series coupe was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Bertone and to our eyes looks better with every passing year. In GTV (for “Gran Turismo Veloce”) specification, they employ Alfa’s renowned light alloy twin cam engine to drive the rear wheels via a five speed manual gearbox and, back in the day, they sold well to enthusiastic drivers around the world. However, in the USA, tightening emissions legislation meant that the carburettors used everywhere else were swapped for fuel injection units made by SPICA, then a subsidiary of Alfa Romeo.

Today the GTV’s continue to have an enthusiast-led band of supporters and are popular targets for resto-modding. With the base car providing a talented starting point, ongoing development by various specialists has sought to improve further the way that they drive. Well supported with good parts availability, the GTV is a perfect classic for those looking for a rewarding drive.

A previous owner’s research indicates that this car was initially sold in Newark, New Jersey on March 31, 1969 and was supplied in the Rosso Amaranto colour that it wears today. It is a Series 1 type 51, which also formed the basis for the GTAm racing car, and it is thought that just 787 were produced in this US specification vs a total of over 20,000 other Series 1 1750 GTVs, making it a rare find. 

The car had reportedly covered 65,000 miles by the time it was in need of restoration and a gentleman in New York started a restoration which was never finished and involved changing the colour to cellulose red and the interior from Cinghiale (“wild boar”, a tan colour) to black. It was put into storage in the late Eighties.

Restoration work continued under a different owner in 2003 who intended to use it as a track car. However, having returned it to the original colour, he felt it too nice to abuse on the track and set about building it to a fast road specification. This included, according to his notes that accompany the car, a full engine rebuild with 8000rpm valve springs, the largest valves he could find, a knife edge crank sourced from a race shop in Italy and a windage tray to keep the oil in the bottom. The fuel injection unit, described as ‘troublesome’ in the notes, was replaced by Weber 45’s with a ported and polished 1600 carb manifold and ported and polished head to match, resulting in a rolling road printout that shows max power increased from 128.5 to 156.5PS.

The gearbox was also rebuilt, with lightened gears and new synchros, and the limited slip differential was refreshed. An oil cooler was also added. The interior was fully refurbished, keeping the black upholstery. Finally, the suspension was changed for a Ron Simons Nurburgring-tuned set up and the front brakes were upgraded. Thereafter it enjoyed 12,500km trouble-free miles on various road trips in Europe before being sold to an enthusiast in Sweden in 2013, as far as we can discern from the paperwork.

The current owner acquired the car in April 2019 and was intending to return it back to its stock specification. Although the respray was holding up well, he decided it would be best to commission another one and to make it look its best and to deal with a few small bodywork imperfections. He also attended to some details such as re-fitting an original set of badges, but ultimately determined that the car was in such good order as it was that it didn’t make sense to return it fully to the historically correct spec. However, he has not used it much of late and is now offering it for sale.

A variety of documents accompany the car in three languages: English, Swedish and Italian. The US owner who restored the car from 2003 has provided a summary of the work done and an extensive set of photographs. The Swedish documentation appears to be insurance and government test related and it is currently registered back in its native Italy.

A certificate of authenticity from Alfa Romeo is provided, as are FIA papers indicating that it is eligible for historic regularity events from 2017. There are two sets of keys, both with Alfa Romeo key-rings, naturally.

One of the big changes made to the car is change of interior colour from tan to black but with the black upholstery still looking in fine fettle, it’s easy to see why the current owner didn’t regard it as necessary to switch it back. While the driver’s seat has some patina, the others still look very fresh and the carpets are similarly unworn. The dash, meanwhile, is all in very good order, as is the delicate three-spoked steering wheel.

In the boot, it’s all clean and tidy and the original tool kit is included.
 

The recent respray has left the paintwork in pristine condition. The bodywork is very straight and polishes up to a deep shine. The chrome work is all in very good order too. All four wheels are in excellent condition with no kerbing, shiny hubcaps and tyres which all have good tread. Underneath also looks very clean and sound.

In all, it looks stunning and is very much a ‘sleeper’; with a fairly plain set of wheels and, with no obvious clues as to its increased performance or suspension upgrades, it will surely surprise a few people. 

At the rear, the original badges include ‘Iniezione’ (Injection) which, while true when the car was new, is obviously no longer the case. However the original injection unit is included in the sale, should the next owner want to restore the engine to its original specification.

As it is, the engine bay is very well presented and the motor fires first time. It revs keenly and is a lively performer, producing a lovely noise. On the move there are no untoward noises; it’s ready to go.

The best examples of Alfa GTV’s have been steadily increasing in value over recent years and it’s easy to see why. The combination of a pretty design, great driveability and a dedicated band of enthusiasts mean that they are highly sought after.

With its subtle and reversible modifications and lovely condition, this one could be for the collector or the driver. As a left hand drive car, it’s ideally suited to touring the continent or competing in historic regularity events. And, if you really wanted to, you could reinstall the fuel injection. You win, you choose, so get bidding!