1974 Alfa Romeo GTV

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For sale by its second owner since new, this 1974 GTV has been in the process of a careful restoration over the past 4 years and is now reluctantly offered for sale in order to help pull funds together for the purchase of a new house. The GTV wasn’t exactly a ‘barn find’, but it had been languishing in indoor storage for several years following the death of the original owner before I acquired it. I was very pleased to discover that it was in surprisingly good condition as found (new calipers and rotors all round prior to being put away, for example), so comparatively little would have to be done to bring it up to daily-driver condition mechanically. The body was in basically good condition: all the jacking points were sound, and there was no rust around the base of either the windshield or rear window. There was some deterioration in the quarter panels behind the front and rear wheels on both sides, so the whole body was stripped to bare metal to make a thorough examination and repair possible. Any rusted or dented sheet metal was cut out and replaced with new panels from Classic Alfa, seams were resealed where necessary, and the whole car was professionally prepped and painted in Alfa Red (Sikkens 2-part RM TopCoat). The original owner had had the car repainted at some point in Alfa Red in preference over the original Persian Yellow (see photo of VIN plate). The accompanying photos show that this was not a bad decision, I think. These cars look so good in red! The original magnesium 'turbine' wheels were stripped and refinished and new BF Goodrich Advantage tires were mounted all round (including the steel-rimmed spare in the trunk). The seats were removed and reupholstered and interior has been completely re-carpeted. Luckily, the original ‘snake-bite’ headliner was still in excellent condition so that was left in place. In order to get the GTV running, the first order of business was to remove the gas tank and have it cleaned out, relined with POR15 tank sealant and repainted. The fuel pump and hard fuel lines were in good condition, but the rubber fuel hoses were all replaced, as well as both fuel filters. Once the cleanliness of the fuel supply was assured, a new battery and electronic distributor from Centerline was fitted (as well as new plugs and leads). With clean oil in the sump and fresh gas in the tank, it started right up and settled down quickly to a steady idle with no adjustment to the SPICA pump needed at all. Try that with Webers that had been sitting for several years! The radiator looked pretty suspect and, after a brief run, a bit of coolant was seen on the driveway under the front fascia, so the rad was removed and re-cored, and the top and bottom tanks were stripped to bare brass and repainted with POR15. The old water pump was a bit noisy, so a new water pump was installed, along with new rad hoses top and bottom. Once warmed up a bit, the engine pulls well in all five gears and all the synchros synch, including first to second gear. It doesn’t jump out of reverse, or drop out of third, so the gearbox is in better shape than those found in many Alfas of this vintage. My intention for this car was not to create a museum piece. I had a near-concourse Aston Martin for number a few years, but sold it a few years ago because, to my mind, it was just too nice to take on the road. I wanted the Alfa to be a driveable real-world classic: a solid, good-looking car that I would feel proud to be seen in anywhere — but also one in which I would feel comfortable and confident going on extended back-road weekend trips. At the moment, I’ve reached about 95% of that goal. It doesn’t have a stereo. There is no carpet in the trunk. The alloy front grill has a bit of acne. There are a few minor crumples in the stainless bumpers front and rear (see pictures). It’s definitely not a 100-points concourse car, but it was never intended to be — and the reserve price reflects this fact. To see a very brief video demonstration of this car being started and driven, please do an internet search for ‘GTV Demo November 2017’. Before bidding, please make sure you understand that if you win the auction you must: a) pay the deposit of $1000US by PayPal within 48 hours of the auction ending; b) pay the remaining balance of the purchase price by bank draft/funds transfer, or by cash in person – and not by PayPal — within 7 days of the auction ending. Note: This car is located in Canada and carries a current Canadian ownership (clean title). Shipping costs are the buyer’s responsibility, but I’ll be more than happy to help the buyer get competitive quotes and make all necessary arrangements for shipping, including getting it imported into the US if necessary.