1974 Alfa Romeo Montreal

ALFA (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili) was founded in 1910 in Italy. After Nicola Romeo took control in 1915, his name was added. The company quickly established a reputation for performance, with Alfas racing as far back as the 1911 Targa Florio.

In late 1966, Alfa Romeo was selected to create a conceptual exhibit of man's aspiration for the automobile at the 1967 International and Universal Exposition, held in Montreal. Coachwork duties were assigned to Bertone, and the project was spearheaded by Marcello Gandini, the young designer who was catapulted to the forefront of the automotive imagination with the Lamborghini Miura. Design cues included shrouded twin headlamps, NACA duct, and lateral rear slots. The interior accommodated enough space for two small rear seats and was very well specified, resulting in a very comfortable and practical grand touring coupe.

The Alfa Romeo vehicles arrived without any model name, and after the adoring public called it the Montreal, the name stuck. Receiving a swell of positive feedback, Alfa decided to put the well-received prototype into production. The production version was ready by 1971 and was one of the very few shows that were subsequently built and then sold to the public. Although little had changed from concept to production, the standard four-cylinder engine with 110 horsepower was replaced by a version of their racing V-8 engine that now delivered 230 horsepower. The Montreal had been transformed into a high-performance Italian sports car.

The Tipo 105.64 production version was displayed at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show. Its 2,593cc, aluminum alloy, 90-degree, dry-sump lubricated, cross-plane V-8 engine had a stroke of 64.5mm and a bore of 80mm. It used SPICA (Società Pompe Iniezione Cassani & Affini) fuel injection to help deliver approximately 197 horsepower and was equipped with a five-speed ZF manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential. It was derived from the 2-liter V8 used in the 33 Stradale and in the Tipo 33 sports prototype racer.

Alfa Romeo endowed the Montreal with the chassis and running gear of the Giulia GTV coupe, with a live rear axle with a limited-slip differential, and a front suspension comprised of double wishbones, coil springs, and dampers.

The aerodynamic body gave the Montreal a top speed of nearly 140 mph.

Sale of the Montreal lasted from 1970 through 1977 with approximately 3,925 examples built. Alfa Romeo officially stopped offering the Montreal in 1977, but by that point, production had long ceased and the company struggled to sell their remaining stock. The production was handled at the Alfa Romeo plant in Arese and Carrozzeria Bertone's plants in Caselle and Grugliasco outside Turin. The chassis, engine, and mechanicals were produced by Alfa Romeo, with the chassis sent to Caselle where Bertone fitted the body. After the body was fitted, it was sent to Grugliasco to be degreased, partly zinc coated, manually spray painted and the interior fitted. The car then returned to Arese to have the engine and mechanicals installed.

Since the Montreal did not comply with emission control requirements, the Montreal was not sold in the United States or Canada.

by Dan Vaughan

Fastback Coupe
Chassis number: 1427671

The two-seater Alfa Romeo Montreal Coupe, designed by Marcello Gandini, made its debut at the Geneva Salon in 1970. Unlike the four-cylinder prototype, the production Montreal used a version of the T33 sports-racing prototype's four-cam V8 engine, which had first appeared in a road car in the T33 Stradale of 1967 and in 3.0-liter form would be used by McLaren in Formula 1. The V8 in its original 2.0-liter capacity was used in the limited edition Stradale but the Montreal's version was enlarged to 2,593cc. The front-mounted engine had a dry-sump lubrication system and offered 200 horsepower. The power was sent to the rear wheels via a ZF five-speed gearbox.

The Montreal had an aerodynamic body that helped the V8 carry it to a top speed of 140 mph.

Production ceased in 1977 after 3,925 examples had been built.

The Alfa Romeo Montreal was never originally sold in the United States. This particular example left the factory finished in a color scheme of Argento Silver Metallic with a red leather interior. When new, it was delivered to France, a popular destination for Montreals. Its first known owner was Xavier Blanchard of Campiegne, a commune along the Oise River in northern France. Mr. Blanchard acquired the car in 1985 and retained it until 2012 when it was sold to an American enthusiast.

The current owner had the car repainted in correct silver and the interior renewed in the red hides it wears today.

Currently, there are fewer than 100 examples residing in the United States.

by Dan Vaughan

Fastback Coupe

ALFA - Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili - was founded in 1910 in Italy. Nicola Romeo added his name when he took control in 1915. Performance has long been part of the Alfa Romeo DNA; with Alfas racing as far back as the 1911 Targa Florio. United States imports ended in 1995 but resumed in 2008. The storied brand became part of Fiat in 1986 and today is owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

The Montreal was introduced as a 2+2 concept car at the Expo 67, in Montreal, Canada. The concept car was displayed without a model name and the public took to calling it The Montreal. When it went into production in 1970, the name stuck. The production version featured a Bertone-designed body and a 2593cc 90-degree dry-sump, fuel-injected V8 engine producing 197 horsepower. It mated to a five-speed ZF manual gearbox. There is no doubt that the Montreal is one of the most exotic series production cars ever produced by Alfa Romeo. It combines a race-bred V8 engine with Bertone coachwork designed by Marcello Gandini creating a beautiful and unique automobile.

The engine redlined at 7000 RPM, unheard of for a V8 of that era. The grill featured four headlights along with a menacing-looking NACA duct in the center of the hood, though it is actually blocked off and not intended to draw air into the engine, but to optically hide the power bulge. A total of 3,917 were built, though none were actually sold in Montreal as Alfa had not developed a North American version that would meet emission control specs.

This car was originally delivered to Australia and it has been used throughout Europe and for numerous long-distance events including the 1,000 mile Michigan Mille and more recently, the 1,000 kilometer Hagerty Maple Mille through Canada. It is an all-original and numbers-matching car. A total of 3,917 Montreals were built, with just 104 built with the right-hand drive configuration. It is believed that this is the one and only right-hand drive Montreal currently in North America. It has been with the current owners for over 35 years.

Fastback Coupe
Chassis number: AR 1428175
Engine number: AR00564 S0785

This Alfa Romeo Montreal is believed to have been delivered new to the home market in 1974, remaining in the care of its first owner until 1985, when a Mr. Zeta of Cottage Grove in Oregon bought the car and shipped it stateside. Mr. Zeta would own the car for the next two decades. It was then sold to a Mr. Govansmith of San Francisco, California before it went to what is believed to be the third American owner.

The car has had one exterior re-painted in the original orange color.

by Dan Vaughan

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