• Stunning V6 GTV

• Recent cambelt

• Suspension overhaul

• Clean, original and unmodified car in lovely order

As good-looking cars on the 1990s go, the Alfa Romeo GTV must be up there with te absolute best of them. 

Styled by Pininfarina’s Enrico Fulmia, the ‘Type 916’ appeared in 1993 and was offered as both a coupé and a cabriolet, powered by either a four-pot ‘Twin Spark’ engine or Alfa’s legendary ‘Busso’ V6. 

It was a truly striking car, whether it came with a roof or not, carrying over the one-piece rear taillight from the 163 into a wedge-shaped body that tapered towards the famous Alfa shield at the front. Whichever angle you viewed it from, it was just right. 

The GTV's name (Gran Turismo Veloce—  or in English: Fast Grand Touring) placed it as the successor to the long-discontinued Alfetta GTV6 coupé, whereas the Spider was effectively the replacement for the then 30-year-old 105-series Giulia Spider. The GTV was available until the launch of the Brera in 2005, while the Spider lasted another year until the launch of its Brera-based successor in 2006.

This example has been owned by its current keeper since 2017 and he has loved and cherished in that time, but his transport needs have changed and he’s recently bought a modern compact executive car for work. 

He kept the Alfa for a while in his father’s garage as he didn’t want to part with it, but the garage is now needed for an alternative purpose and the Alfa has barely been driven in the past 18 months, so he has made the difficult decision to part with it. 

There’s a reasonable amount of paperwork with the Alfa including an owners’ manual and some historic receipts. 

Of more importance to its next owner will be the bill for a recent cambelt replacement (a major and essential job on the Busso engine), and further receipts documenting the replacement of suspension bushes and ball joints, which was carried out by a local garage at the owner’s request, along with replacement of the flexi hoses on the front brakes.

It also comes with a UK V5C and an MOT valid until April 2022. 

As with all GTVs, this is a fine-looking car and the metallic blue paintwork is unusual but really suits it. 

The underside is superb with no signs of any serious corrosion visible, while on top it presents very well indeed, with only a few minor flaws. 

There are a handful of surface scratches around the boot lid and on the doors, but these are very shallow and easily fixed, along with another small scratch on one of the car’s flanks, but most of the paintwork is original and the condition is astonishing given its age. 

The bonnet has recently been repainted as it was suffering with lacquer peel, and while it has a sleek and deep shine, the finish is a little mottled in places. It’s still very smart, but in certain lights it catches odd reflections. According to the vendor, it had to be resprayed after using a proprietary plastic primer (it’s a plastic panel) and while it’s a decent job it’s not perfect. Few people will notice it, though. 

If anything will sell this car, it’s the astonishing cabin. Tan leather and one of the most stylish dashboards in the business will always do that, and it’s absolutely wonderful inside, with only a small amount of wear from where the seatbelt has rubbed the driver’s seat bolster. Otherwise, it’s superb and looks absolutely fantastic, while the rear seats appear to have never been used.

All of the dials work as they should, as do the electrical switches, windows and other components. 

The boot, accessed via a flip-out Alfa Romeo badge, is clean and smart – and also surprisingly spacious for a coupé. 

Named after legendary Alfa Romeo engineer Giuseppe Busso, the V6 engine can trace its roots back to the 1970s – but that’s no bad thing at all. 

The engine sounds absolutely wonderful and runs perfectly, maintaining a steady idle and sounding wonderfully fruity when revved. It’s been well serviced and has benefitted from a recent cambelt change, which any GTV owner will tell you is the ‘big bill’ with one of these. 

In this application, it has the later 24-valve head and is coupled with a six-speed manual transmission, which is the ultimate perfect combination. 

The vendor reports that it drives absolutely brilliantly, while the recent brake and suspension work adds further to both its appeal and the peace of mind offered to the next owner. 

It’s a wonderful car and appears to be in superb mechanical health, ready to use and enjoy. It also comes with a good set of Pirelli Cinturato tyres all round, suggesting a decent level of prior care and maintenance. 

This is a fabulous and wonderfully original version of the V6 GTV, with some nice attractive options such as the desirable Lusso pack, which added the tan leather trim and the subtle but distinctive boot spoiler. 

It’s a great colour and looks fantastic, is mechanically spot on and has an interior to die for. If you want a great example of one of the absolute best classic 1990s Alfas, with the optimal engine and transmission combination and in a wonderful colour scheme, here it is.