1972 Alfa Romeo Montreal

Bertone was contracted by Alfa Romeo to design an innovative new sports car to be revealed to the world at the Expo 67 World's Fair in Montreal (the International and Universal Exposition). Its design was courtesy of Marcello Gandini, who created the Miura the previous year, endowing the Montreal with a sleek and flowing shape with innovative side gills and retractable slotted headlight shades. It was wide and low with a shark-inspired nose extending through a curved fender and shoulder haunches into a truncated tail.

Two identical prototypes were prepared for the exhibition and both were powered by inline four-cylinder engines. The unnamed prototypes received much acclaim and began to be colloquially referred to as the Alfa Romeo Montreal.

When the production model was introduced three years later at the 1970 Geneva Auto Salon, it was dubbed the Montreal. Its design was strikingly similar to the Expo 67 concept, but the Giulia's four-cylinder engine had been replaced by a high-revving quad-cam V8 based on the 2.0 liter Tipo 33 Stradale engine. This 90-degree dry-sump V8 redlined at 7,000 and could carry the Montreal from zero-to-sixty mph in 7.1 seconds, and a top speed of nearly 140 mph. Its four-seat arrangement, complete with a trunk, made it quite a practical and usable sports car.

The Montreal used the 105 series chassis and components as a basis, designed with ease of future production in mind. The 2,593cc V8 engine used aluminum alloy construction, dual overhead-cams actuation, and dry-sump lubrication. It produced over 200 horsepower and was backed by a ZF gearbox five-speed gearbox and modified 105 series rear axle. The front suspension was independent with the back employing a live axle with coil springs. Four-wheel disc brakes provided the stopping power for the 92.5-inch wheelbase vehicle. A wide variety of paint color schemes, not previously available for other Alfa Romeo models, were applied to the Montreal.

If the Montreal had an Achilles Heel, it would have been its sticker price, higher than a Porsche 911 and a Jaguar XKE. The convenience of its four seats, stunning good looks, and blistering performance were not enough to attract many buyers, and just 3,925 examples were produced by 1977.

by Dan Vaughan

Fastback Coupe
Chassis number: 1426423
Engine number: 15426378

Bertone was contracted by Alfa Romeo to design an innovative new sports car concept in 1967. It was unveiled to the world at the Expo 67 World's Fair in Montreal. It wore styling by Marcello Gandini, whose resume included the iconic Lamborghini Miura just one year before. At the time, the unnamed coupe was given innovative side gills and retractable slotted headlight shades. It later began to be colloquially referred to as the Alfa Romeo Montreal. Three years later, Alfa Romeo debuted the Montreal as a production model at the 1970 Geneva Auto Salon.

The production version of the Montreal was strikingly similar to the Expo 67 Concept. The Giulia's four-cylinder engine was abandoned for a high-revving quad-cam V8 unit based on the 2.0 liter Tipo 33 Stradale engine. This 90° dry-sump V8 redlined at 7,000 rpm and gave the coupe a Zero-to-Sixty MPH time of just 7.1 seconds while on its way to a top speed of nearly 140 mph.

The Montreal had seating for four and a trunk, making it a practical and usable sports car. Production continued until 1977, with just 3,925 examples built.

This particular example was purchased new in 1972 by Luigino Neri of Terni, Italy. It was specified with factory air-condoning and an exterior color of Gold over a tan interior. The car was in Sig. Neri's care for forty-two years. The original owner showed the car in 1986 San Marcello Pistoiese Car Show where it won Best in Class. It won another Best in Class from the ASI (Automotoclub Storico Italiano) in 1994.

After four decades, the car was repainted in its original color. It was sold to another caretaker in 2013. The current owner then imported the Montreal into the US in 2015, the first time this car left Italy.

This car is powered by a 2593cc dual overhead cam V8 engine fitted with a SPICA mechanical fuel injection system. The 200 horsepower is sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission.

by Dan Vaughan

Fastback Coupe
Chassis number: AR 1427863
Engine number: AR00564 S0634

Alfa Romeo built two identical prototypes for the 1967 1967 International and Universal Exposition, held in Montreal. The coachwork duties had been assigned to Bertone, and the project was spearheaded by Marcelo Gandini, a young designer whose resume included the Lamborghini Miura. The design was inspired by some of the same cues that made the Miura so innovative. It was wide and low with a shark-like nose extending through a curved fender and shoulder haunches into a truncated tail. There were stacked horizontal vents on the C-pillar and unique headlight 'blinds.'

After the prototypes received strong customer interest, Alfa decided to develop a production version, which continued to be based on the 105 Series chassis, as with the Expo show cars. The production car engine, however, was different. Instead of the 105's standard twin-cam inline-four, Alfa engineers selected a competition-pedigreed V-8 from the Tipo 33 prototype race car. It had an aluminum alloy construction, dual overhead-cam actuation, and a dry-sump lubrication system. The potent engine installed in the aerodynamic body gave the Montreal a top speed of nearly 140 mph.

Between 1971 and 1975, approximately 3,925 examples of the Montreal were built.

This particular example was built in late 1972 but was first registered in France in 1974. It remained in a large collection in France until 2000, when it was imported stateside to California in 2002 and subsequently acquired by Steven Bonney in 2005 with only 26,000 original kilometers. In 2007, it was sold to Roy Dryer, who retained it for another six years, at which point it was acquired by a French individual in the Bay Area. In 2014, it was acquired by the former owner, a resident of Michigan.

This Montreal is in highly original condition and is finished in the Metallic Gold paint it wore when it left Bertone in 1972. Currently it has less than 80,000 kilometers on its odometer.

by Dan Vaughan

Fastback Coupe

The Montreal debuted at the 1967 Expo in Montreal, Canada, as a design exercise by Alfa Romeo and Marcello Gandini / Bertone. Signature styling elements such as the louvered headlights and side gills were retained for the 1971 to 1977 production version, with each having a functional purpose. The Montreal's 2.6-liter V8 was race car derived, while the Spica fuel injection was chosen to permit the wedge hood profile. Despite this, no official sales were planned for North America, as the car would not meet emissions or bumper impact regulations (though Alfa would have welcomed the extra sales).

This Bertone designed coupe was imported from Italy in 2013. Alfa built 3,917 copies of the Montreal, however, safety and emission regulations prevented the luxury coupe designed by Bertone's Marcello Gandini from being sold in the United States. Gandini designed the first mid-engine supercar, the Lamborghini Miura, as well as the Countach and Lancia Stratos. He carried the 'eye lash' theme from the Miura to the Montreal, a car that was only identified by its name in one location, the ashtray.

The Montreal is powered by a detuned version of the V-8 found in the rare 33 Stradale and the Tipo 33 race car, with different heads and a different bore and stroke, taking the displacement from 2.0 to 2.6 liters. The four cams in the DOHC V-8 are each unique and not interchangeable. The oil pan and cam covers are magnesium and the distributor is a two-in-one style.

Fastback Coupe
Chassis number: AR142 6432

Designed by Gandini, who also designed the Lamborghini Miura and Countach, and the Lancia Stratos. It was owned/restored by AI (Strictly Ferraris in Florida) and was recently acquired by its current owners. Power is from a front-mounted 2.6-liter V8 engine that draws its lineage back to the Tipo 33 Stradale, and has dry sump lubrication and Spica mechanical fuel injection. It produces 200 horsepower at 6,500 RPM and is paired with a five-speed ZF manual gearbox.

Alfa Romeo's latest rock star, the overwhelmingly charismatic 8C, seemed to come out of the blue. While Alfa has always been known for building passionate vehicles that were first rolling works of art and second devices of transportation, their recent model line-up has consisted primarily of rather tame, front-wheel-drive cars for those looking to try out something other than a BMW. The introduction of this new exotic, though, is no break from tradition. Nearly 40 years ago, Alfa Romeo did the exact same thing with their potent Montreal.

Introduced for 1970 after appearing as a prototype in 1967, the Alfa Montreal was a technological flagship. It was innovative, impressive, and expensive. While Alfa's pre-war offerings had often been built to the standards of those three words just mentioned, the company's model line consisted of decidedly tamer cars when the Montreal arrived on the scene. Alfa's other sports cars of 1970 were the Spider and the GTV. Both were stylish, sleek, and athletic, but neither were as race-bred and uncompromising as the Montreal.

Predating the Montreal was Alfa's successful racecar, the Tipo 33/2. This model combined fantastic styling with excellent engineering. One of its key features was an easy-revving, small-displacement gem of a V8. A detuned version of the 33/2's brilliant engine was dropped into the front of Alfa's Montreal. This motor, with its tidy alloy construction and SPICA mechanical fuel injection, was far ahead of its time. It made 200hp out of just 2.6 liters, a very respectable specific output for a naturally aspirated car. Its high redline and small displacement made it one of the most lively powerhouses of its day.

Not all of the Montreal's mechanicals could match the standards of the car's 2.6-liter heart. The suspension, with a live rear axle and soft springs, let the car lean into corners too much for many enthusiasts. Its unassisted, recirculating ball steering required a slow ratio to be manageable at low speeds, so the car wasn't as agile as many contemporary sports cars. Harping over these shortcomings would be missing the point, though. The Montreal was a Grand Tourer. It was about style, and about the presence of arriving with a trumpeted V8 roar emanating from a voluptuous Italian form.

No analysis of an Alfa could ever be complete without some comments on its design. After all, Alfa Romeo has been working with prestigious designers, coachbuilders, and Italian carrozzeria almost since the company's inception.

Marcello Gandini, the innovative stylist who went on to pen the lines of the influential Lamborghini Countach, designed the Montreal while he was working at Bertone. Nuccio Bertone and the accomplished design house he established had a strong relationship with Alfa, and the choice to go with Bertone was a safe one. But safety aside, the Montreal's design was anything but conservative. The car featured radical details that separated it from its more pedestrian stable mates. Among these were headlight eyebrows that pivoted down only when needed to give the car a clean, menacing look with its headlights off, and a series of horizontal vents in the c-pillar that gave the illusion of a mid-engined car. These vents were, in reality, used for cabin ventilation.

The Montreal sparked new life into Alfa's production cars. Though Alfa had a history of producing drool-worthy driveway ornaments with a magnificent pedigree, the company hadn't put out any thoroughly dramatic automotive sculptures for quite some time. What the Montreal did for the company then is just what the 8C is doing now. These cars are spokespeople for Alfa Romeo, announcing to the world in perfect Italian: 'We've still got it.'

For more information on Alfa Romeo's striking Montreal, visit Bruce Taylor's comprehensive website at http://www.alfamontreal.info/.

by Evan Acuña

The Bertone-styled Alfa Romeo Montreal was unveiled as a 'styling exercise' at the 1967 Expo in Montreal. The response was phenomenal, which drove Alfa Romeo to quickly create the production version which was introduced in 1970. The vehicle featured a V8, similar to the one used in the Type 33, and a top speed in the neighborhood of 130 mph. The chassis was from the 1750 touring car. A five-speed manual gearbox and ventilated disc brakes were also used.

The way the vehicle's name was derived should be fairly obvious; after the location where it was initially introduced.

This was the fastest production vehicle Alfa had produced to date.

by Dan Vaughan