Alfa Romeo GTV Cup | Spotted
The Cup was pretty special in its day; in 2020 it's almost otherworldly. In a good way
Even on the Alfa Romeo scale, the GTV Cup is a jaw dropper. Alfa's designers have created some special cars over the years, but a GTV draped in Cup bodywork has to be up there. What a beauty. There's more to the Cup than its pretty face, of course, with Alfa's enchanting Busso V6 under the bonnet and an infusion of genuine racing pedigree to boot. It's got all the makings of a modern Italian legend. Which is the best kind.
True enough, this is a GTV in top spec with a few bespoke features - but they do genuinely link it to Alfa's GTV Cup racing series, which ran in 1999 and 2000. The series was unique because it featured only novice racers who were Alfa customers, with training provided by former Alfa F1 driver Andrea De Adamich to each of the 160 budding racers. For £4,000 apiece, they gained access to a Group N specification GTV Cup and were let loose on circuit. It was immensely popular, obviously.
Not wanting to leave showroom sales unaffected by the prospect of a racing GTV, a roadgoing version was launched in 2001. Make no mistake, this was very much a road car created to honour the motorsport version, but Alfa knew how to turn up the dial without drastically altering the technical makeup. Naturally, the work centred around heating up the GTV's design, something that had already won it plenty of fans against the subtler E36 BMW 3 Series.
The Cup gained a set of brighter 17-inch teledial wheels, bumpers sporting lower sections and a rear wing with an integrated brake light. There were also brake cooling vents on the front wings, and each UK car was finished in 130 Rosso Alfa paintwork. Inside, there were part leather sports seats and the plastic trim was of darker shade, and each car was given a build number plaque, with UK right-hooker models limited to 155 examples. The number was said to be a link to the BTCC title-winnig Alfa 155, although it was never officially announced as such.
British Cups also came as standard with the 24v V6 powerplant (the T-Spark four-pot was also offered on the continent), but power remained as before with peaks of 220hp and 199lb ft of torque. The drivetrain was the same, 155-related front-wheel drive setup with a six-speed manual gearbox, enabling a 0-62mph time of 6.7 seconds and a top speed of 155mph. For a hot Alfa in 2001, that was certainly plenty quick enough, and it was accentuated by the car's eager front end and balanced chassis.
It was certainly an appealing package, hailed amongst enthusiasts as an Alfa you can subject to regular, reliable usage- although actually owning one still requires heightened levels of commitment and patience. Take the parts supply, for example. Alfa doesn't tend to cater to its older models, so on a specialist car like the GTV Cup, sourcing genuine replacement bits isn't always easy. Or, indeed, possible. And then there's the challenges of servicing a car with an engine that really shouldn't fit under its bonnet. Best not to consider the labour charge on a belt change.
For anyone looking for a cheap, exotic Alfa, this is not going to be it. But no Alfa ever is. From this era of the marque's back catalogue, the GTV Cup is proper - and its prices reflect that. Rough four-pot GTVs can be had for three-figure money; great condition Busso cars can be had for under five grand. But the Cups, they require something closer to £15k, confirming a lasting enthusiasm for Alfa's turned-up two-door. To some, that'll be too hard a hard pill to swallow (especially since six-pot E36s can be had for much less), but for those lusting after a usable Busso Alfa with racing in its veins, a GTV is virtually irresistible.
SPECIFICATION | ALFA ROMEO GTV CUP
Engine: 2,959cc V6
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 220@6,300rpm
Torque (lb ft): 199@5,000rpm
MPG: 24.1
CO2: N/A
Recorded mileage: 60,000
First registered: 2001
Price new: £26,995
Yours for: 13,995
The TS spider was by far the best to own; lighter, had far more steering feel and did about 30mpg;
I found my 3.2 to be a bit of a disappointment. It rarely did anything more than 20mpg and was really nose heavy round the corners even with a Q2 fitted. For all the busso engine is lauded, on the standard exhaust it didn't sound that amazing although if you get one with the wizard exhaust fitted they sound like a mini Ferrari
I don't think there's anything different with the Cups mechanically compared to a 3.0 so you'd have to really want that body kit to pay the massive premium.
At the cheaper end, can get some of what that has for much less.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alfa-Romeo-916-GTV-2-0-...
I drove a mates 16 valve non turbo Fiat coupe, a very nice example and it just felt old, slow and a bit woolly after modern stuff, be interested to see how one of these drove nowadays, was the 2.0TS quicker than the Fiat 16 valve 2 litre, it really did feel gutless.
He fitted AP brakes, Bilsteins and other mods from Autodelta.
I remember he saw it for sale a couple of years later after owning an E46 M3 and bought it back. Sadly, it showed time had moved on. As soon as we drove it away it didn't sound as good as we remembered, and the handling was... well... dated.
I love the look of them, but you have to be kidding yourself if you think they are in any way a sports car these days.
They are generally pretty reliable, the problem comes from the fact that they aren't cheap to run. Parts and servicing are in line with much faster and more exotic cars.
They are great fun to drive but you do have to manhandle them a bit as they are understeer biased. Parts did become a serious concern towards the end of ownership for me, but I seem to recall seeing that Alfa had included the GTV in their 'classic' support and were going to start making bits again a few months back, not sure whether that lead anywhere...
The Italian perspective is that you have to shrug if it has a quirk or two... Something weird might happen, foibles, minor issues like springs in door handles going, the odd air bag warning light... Not being able to open the door when it's freezing out... It's all part of the fun of ownership. Some can never get on board with that whilst others find it quite endearing... Somehow with Italian cars the little glitches are like personality, it makes it all the more special...
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