Alfa Romeo Montreal

[Chris71]

Does anyone on here own the example that was displayed at the Autosport/PH show?

I don't think I've ever seen one in the flesh before and it looked superb! Pure retro Italia. I presume ownership would be a potentially painful, expensive, labour of love?

[pixelpimp]

It belongs to a very nice man at Black and White Garage near Newbury.
It looks (right) because it's been improved by Alfaholics, they really know what they're about.
It's a shame there was not much else to look at on the Alfa/Autodelta stand (excluding the yellow 8C)

[RicksAlfas]

Good article in this month's Classic & Sportscar mag comparing it to a Citroen SM.
Both mad and cool cars in equal measures. I love the Montreal but go a bit light headed everytime I look under the bonnet of one...

[Chris71]

RicksAlfas said:

I love the Montreal but go a bit light headed everytime I look under the bonnet of one...

How 'bespoke' is the V8? I can imagine that could cause a few sleepless nights if it went pop.

pixelpimp said:

It looks (right) because it's been improved by Alfaholics, they really know what they're about.

Has it been slightly lowered by any chance? It did seem to look an awful lot more 'right' than those I've seen on the net, which appeared a bit squat in comparison. I assumed that was just one of those cars that worked better in the flesh.

[pixelpimp]

Yes lowered and made to handle.
As they are 105 series based all of the suspension components are easily sourced and plenty of uprated goodies on offer.
I shot this one a few years back. The guy had taken off the fuel injection and fitted carbs. It sounded great.

[RicksAlfas]

Chris71 said:

RicksAlfas said:

I love the Montreal but go a bit light headed everytime I look under the bonnet of one...

How 'bespoke' is the V8? I can imagine that could cause a few sleepless nights if it went pop.

Oh it's not bespoke at all.
It was also used in the 33.




Parts are available and like all Alfa engines of that era it's beautifully made and strong. A full crank up rebuild would be expensive though! Uprating the water pump seems to be the critical thing, and most will have had it done by now. The fuel injection looks daunting and I think needs expertly setting up. I've seen one that was running quad Webers and it sounded like a Nascar on steroids!

Check out the Montreal parts section at ClassicAlfa to get an idea of what's available:
http://www.classicalfa.com/montrealparts.htm

The chassis is essentially 105 and shares some parts. Body, interior and engine are pretty much unique!

[Chris71]

I've never heard one, but knowing Alfa's reputation for sonorous engines and the aural pleasure of multiple carburettors I can imagine it's sublime.

This is pure curiosity, but how much would a well sorted one go for?

On a slightly more realistic note, it did get me thinking about a (classic) Spider as a fun car at some point. Gotta tick the Alfa box before too long.

[Mound Dawg]

Black and White's Montreal sounds better than a standard one because it's got one of our exhasuts on it. And yes, it is a big woofly V8 noise but with added high revs mayhem.

The suspension kit lowers the car, not by much but enough to stop it looking like it's on stilts. What's more important is that it cuts out the understeer and general wallowyness that Montreals suffer.

[Stealth-wagon]

Check out the "The Marseille contract", it had a great car chase between a Montreal and a 911. Ok, it was made in 1974 with Michael Caine - but he did like his cars back then !

Shows the Montreal wallowing all over the place, but enchanting none the less.

Heres a 3min clip :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80ecPj1TkYo

[Chris71]

Stealth-wagon said:

Check out the "The Marseille contract" ... Heres a 3min clip :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80ecPj1TkYo

What a truly hideous colour. It still looks superb though. Do they sound like that out of the box or is there the usual '70s over-dubbing going on? I'll never forgive the fact that James Bond's 6-cylinder Aston DBS had a V8 soundtrack and tyres that screeched on sand...

[Stealth-wagon]

Short clip capturing the Alfa 2.6L V8 clearing its throat !!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoCIk0L6inQ


Remember, this is a 1974 car that was 'nippy' for the day, 0-60s in about 7.0 and top of 140mph. Weighted 1,300 kg, and had 200 BHP (that’s Italian BHP …)

[Chris71]

Stealth-wagon said:

various good stuff

On a completely unrelated note, just being very nosey and saw your car history.

.....

[Stealth-wagon]

Chris71 said:

Stealth-wagon said:

various good stuff

On a completely unrelated note, just being very nosey and saw your car history.

.....

Thanks !!

Just updated the 'fantasy garage' section with some pics... Really wish I'd bought an EB110SS when I had the opportunity 8 or 9 yrs ago. Values have doubled since, even if the car does cost a fortune to run. Few people realise how advanced the chassis and design was and the similarities shared only with the Mclaren F1. One is worth 5 times the other though. But I'd still prefer an EB110SS over the F1. EVO rated it as top of their list of forgotten superhypercars and well ahead of its time, just that it was launched in the depths of the last recession.

And just to wrap this thread up, I've got a picture somewhere of an ALfa Montreal and an EB110 in the same shot. What are the odds of that happening very often ?!

[Twincam16]

I love the Montreal, but I can't help but shake the notion that an Alfetta GTV6 does everything just as well (and somethings better) without threatening to drain not only your wallet, but also whatever's left in the reserves of your local bank if it goes wrong.

I remember reading somewhere that the engine needed a race-spec rebuild every 30,000 miles, that the Spica fuel injection needed its own little service schedule that can make grown men weep (hence why a lot of owners seem to be converting them to carbs), and to add to that, it was nowhere near as fast as it looked.

Can't help but think that it's ripe for the 'Cobra' treatment - a fibreglass-bodied kit, with a galvanised backbone chassis and a modern Alfa 3.2-litre V6 up front. Original brightwork would still fit.

And obviously, it'd have to have that interior:

[Chris71]

Yep, the GTV was in the back of my mind too.

Ironically, for someone not usually that fussed with aesthetics, I think the look of the dashboard (and the gerneral environment inside the car) is hugely important. The Alfetta was indeed gorgeous and it's still a highlight of the modern(ish) Alfas - the recent GTV bears more than a little similarity to an F355 inside, and a 156 in red leather looks better than a repmobile has any right too.

I've said this many times before on PH, but my earliest memory genuinely is of an Alfetta GTV (owned by my parents) and I'll always be tempted to buy one. The problem is they seem to be a bit fragile for everyday use and as long as I can only afford two cars I slightly resent having a 4 door fixed head as the 'fun car'. It feels like I'd be wasting the opportunity to own something more extreme.

[sumlin]

Edited by sumlin on Tuesday 6th April 12:53

[pixelpimp]

Just perfect.

[paulqv]

I really NEED a Montreal for the Scottish Italian Car and bike day on 15th August in Hopetoun House as part of a Gandini central dispaly

www.italiancarandbikeday.co.uk

If anyone could bring at least one I would but them coffee and cake and promise not to droll too much over their cars bodywork!

Paul
xxx

[Carparticus]

Stealth-wagon said:

... I've got a picture somewhere of an ALfa Montreal and an EB110 in the same shot. What are the odds of that happening very often ?!

Heres a pic of a montreal with some other exotic car in foreground. In an ideal world, I'd like both.

[andy97]

There is a Montreal currently racing in New Zealand, I think. Chris Snowdon Racing built the car up in the UK a few years ago. I am fairly sure that it was raced in the Alfa championship here in the UK once after it was built, before being shipped to the S hemisphere.

Look here: http://www.cs-racing.co.uk/ under the race car preparation button.

There is a thread here (about a V8 in an Alfa Sud, believe it or not! but that aside, racing Montreals feature in the thread):

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-33-sud-and-spr...

Autodelta also built some Montreal V8 engined Alfetta GTV V8s for racing/ rallying:

http://www.users.on.net/~mstreet/cars/alfa/montrea...

Edited by andy97 on Tuesday 20th April 09:34

Edited by andy97 on Tuesday 20th April 09:39