Tuesday 20th February 2018

Alfa Romeo GT V6: Spotted

A stunningly beautiful Alfa coupe that was actually a stop-gap

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The definition of the word stop-gap is: "a temporary way of dealing with a problem or satisfying a need." After the Alfa 147 was released in 2000, Alfa Romeo needed something to hold the fort until the 156 replacement arrived in 2005. With that the executives had to think quickly, to build something that would sell but not be expensive to develop. The answer? Look through the back catalogue.

Bertone, wanting to replace the soon to be defunct Punto cabriolet, came up with Alfa GT. Taking the 156's wheelbase provided enough room for five passengers and plenty of boot space, then costs were saved by fitting 147 components including the front wings from the GTA, the bonnet save for some detailing, the front bulkhead, the steering column, the pedal box, the heating ventilation system and most of the dashboard. Unfortunately for Bertone, Alfa Romeo decided to have the GT built at the Pomigliano plant alongside the 147 and 159. Now the result should have looked like something out of Dr Frankenstein's laboratory, but the Alfa Romeo GT was voted 'Most beautiful coupe' in the 2004 World's Most Beautiful Automobile awards.

The 3.2-litre Busso V6 engine was first introduced in the 156 GTA, finding its way into the 147 GTA and then to the GT as well (it stockpiled 5,000 engines to be used past 2005), before being replaced by a GM-designed V6 for 159 and Brera. Some journalists have said the V6 is a little too potent for the GT's chassis and, while certain later models were fitted with a Q2 differential, bizarrely Alfa opted not to fit any V6s with them from the factory . Fortunately, the owner of this car has retrofitted a Quaife limited-slip diff, which they say "totally transforms" the handling.

This model is only showing 60,000 miles, with a new cambelt and water pump fitted recently as a precaution (because there was some confusion about intervals once upon a time). Howmanyleft shows there are 314 V6 GTs in the UK and, while it might be outclassed dynamically on the road by a rival, surely the noise and enjoyment from that V6 will make up for it.

Speaking of rivals, there aren't many once you discount the obvious German alternatives from BMW and Audi. A Nissan 350Z is in budget with similar mileage, as is a VW Scirocco if you fancy something a bit newer. Both have their merits, certainly, but for something rare, distinctive and in possession of one of the world's great engines, the GT is definitely the one to go for.

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SPECIFICATION - ALFA ROMEO GT V6

Engine: 3,179cc, V6
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 243@6,200rpm
Torque (lb ft): 213@4,800rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 2005
Recorded mileage: 60,000 miles
Price new: £27,300
Price now: £8,500

See the full advert here

[Sources: Alfa Workshop]

[Dafuq]

Lovely, aging nicely like a fine wine.

[Krikkit]

A beautiful thing indeed. Not great to drive, but that V6 and those looks definitely make up for it.

[daveco]

I don't get the love for the design.

The rear end looks bloated and the doors look far too big; too much metal and not enough glass.

The 159 and Brera are far nicer shapes imo.

[rxe]

I have a 3.2 that I bought for £900 with a busted engine. Someone had run the cambelt for 7 years....with the inevitable results. The car had 35,000 miles on the clock and half of the engine was in the boot. £2000 in parts and 6 weekends later, it had an MOT again. I've hardly needed to do any work on it at all in the intervening 5 years, cam belt is now due again.

They're a fantastic drive, but they need modification away from factory to be good. Of course, if you're buying one now, then you'll have every excuse to modify as you replace suspension parts.

First up - Quaife LSD and Eibach ARBs. You do the two at the same time because the front ARB is buried in the subframe, which needs to come off to do the diff. The LSD will silence the traction control, and largely eliminate understeer. ARBs will make it corner very flat, much more controlled.

Secondly - springs and shocks. As with all Alfas of this vintage it is underdamped. KWV3s are waiting for a nice dry weekend to go on mine. I expect the results to be very similar to my 156, ie. epic.

If you like the engine noise, get a Wizard exhaust and an induction kit. Sounds great, booting it becomes addictive. .

[ChasW]

Dafuq said:

Lovely, aging nicely like a fine wine.

I am with you. I like the understated yet distinctive look. You don't see many on the road. I had a GTV6 and the engine sound is addictive.

[anonymous-user]

This is the last thing I need to see. I teetering on the edge of buying one and this might tip me over. There is one for sale elsewhere with 32k miles for a fraction less money though.

[Pereldh]

I'm putting that engine in my 75 - less torquesteer!
Far from done yet tho..

[ManOpener]

I nearly bought one of these (a very cheap one at circa £4k) about 5 years ago but the running costs put me off. In hindsight I genuinely wish I had, though I'd have probably been living in a skip and scrounging from bins to keep it running.

[Cold]

Looks like a slightly melted Astra.

[Funkstar De Luxe]

Surely not worth anywhere near that kind of money.

[AmosMoses]

Funkstar De Luxe said:

Surely not worth anywhere near that kind of money.

I agree, seems very pricey for what it is? Its 147 GTA money.

[Plug Life]

A FWD munter.

[Ransoman]

Bought one of these 2 years ago for £4700. Spend at least £4k getting it up to spec (Quaiffe, Wizard Catless manifolds, Complete suspension refresh, timing belt, scorpion exhaust and many more). Don't regret it for a second. The best car i have ever owned and never fails to put a smile on my face.

The values are climbing for sure. They are mechanically identical to the 147 and 156 GTA's and they are creeping over £10k. If they had an "A" on the badge at the back they would already match their values.

[unsprung]

rxe said:

I have a 3.2 that I bought for £900 with a busted engine. Someone had run the cambelt for 7 years....with the inevitable results. The car had 35,000 miles on the clock and half of the engine was in the boot. £2000 in parts and 6 weekends later, it had an MOT again. I've hardly needed to do any work on it at all in the intervening 5 years, cam belt is now due again.

They're a fantastic drive, but they need modification away from factory to be good. Of course, if you're buying one now, then you'll have every excuse to modify as you replace suspension parts.

First up - Quaife LSD and Eibach ARBs. You do the two at the same time because the front ARB is buried in the subframe, which needs to come off to do the diff. The LSD will silence the traction control, and largely eliminate understeer. ARBs will make it corner very flat, much more controlled.

Secondly - springs and shocks. As with all Alfas of this vintage it is underdamped. KWV3s are waiting for a nice dry weekend to go on mine. I expect the results to be very similar to my 156, ie. epic.

If you like the engine noise, get a Wizard exhaust and an induction kit. Sounds great, booting it becomes addictive. .

A great story. And a lot of value in that car, now. Inspiring.

[CanoeSniffer]

I didn't like the styling of these when they were new, but over time they're looking better and better. So good in fact that they drove me to this-



Only a dirty diesel so not comparable to the Busso, but the handling for a FWD car with a big tractor engine up front is sublime.

I think the modern trend of angular overstyled chintzy design is what's making these look so much more attractive as time goes on, a very simple and clean design with unfussy lines. Not as mouth-meltingly gorgeous as the 159, or the Brera from the front- but the arse end of the Brera was what drove me towards the GT, I couldn't live with that rump

[rxe]

unsprung said:

A great story. And a lot of value in that car, now. Inspiring.

Have some pictures:


The car as it arrived:


It had been sitting for 2 years:


Looks good from the front, but it had been towed to its place of rest:


Adult jigsaw puzzle in the boot:


Fairly fearsome sight under the bonnet:
|https://thumbsnap.com/qrhZyZTX[/url]

Interior was partially stripped when I got hold of it:


The engine needed some new valves as expected. It also needed new pistons and liners because the pistons had been exposed (albeit with the bonnet closed) for so long - that was harder, removing the sump from one of these with the engine in place is not easy. Ebay delivered a tan leather interior for £200, went straight in. The hardest bit about the engine rebuild was sorting out a bucket of bolts and getting them all back in the right place. [url]

[Chris Type R]

I prefer the handling of mine to the GTV 3.0 which I had before. Mine has had suspension and diff upgrades done by the previous owner though. Surprisingly practical, and a comfortable environment if driving for long periods.

The prices have gradually been increasing. You can get a 2005 model which is in the lower VED bracket as well.

EDIT : Mine's lowered - the wheel arch gaps in the advert above look really large compared to what I'm used to seeing

Edited by Chris Type R on Tuesday 20th February 13:30

[acealfa]

They should have done the blackline edition in a V6.

[Baddie]

Prefer these to the GTV

[sr.guiri]

RXE had the right idea, buy one with a busted engine for peanuts and have loads of fun fixing and upgrading it. Respect, Dude!!

Why's it always someone else that finds these little treasures

What a gorgeous looking thing, and with an Alfa V6, LOVELY!!