1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal

In 1967, Alfa Romeo dipped its toe into the Supercar sector by launching the Montreal, named after the Montreal Expo where it made its debut. It was powered by an all-new V8 quad-cam competition-derived power unit with dry-sump lubrication taken from the successful Type 33 sports racer and mated to a 5-speed ZF gearbox. With a capacity of 2,593cc, the V8 featured twin overhead camshafts per bank and produced, via Alfa Romeo/Spica fuel injection and Bosch electronic ignition, 200bhp at 6,500rpm. This provided excellent performance with a top speed of 137mph and 0-60mph in just 7.6 seconds. Under the exotic Bertone designed 2+2 coupé coachwork, the Montreal incorporated many stylish features, such as the headlamp eyelids and the NACA duct on the bonnet.

Offered here is a left-hand drive Montreal that was built on 5th July 1973 and sold new on 10th July 1973 to the UK. Originally finished in Arancio Metallizzato (Orange Metallic) with Nero (Black) interior and was first registered as UPA 8M, as it is today. The car was acquired by its current owner in the spring of 2018 from an Englishman living in France after an advertisement for its sale had been seen describing it as a part-completed restoration project. Upon purchase, our private, knowledgeable and enthusiastic vendor set about a complete restoration to his exacting standards. He has worked with cars and in Motorsport for over 45 years, including a stint as Chief Mechanic under Ross Brawn at TWR for the Jaguar Endurance Racing team, so he really knows his stuff.

There is a large file accompanying the car which the seller has kindly catalogued and presented with pictures, invoices and correspondence on what exactly was done during the restoration, including addressing some known reliability elements on these cars. The restoration encompassed every aspect of the car and where new parts were required, these were sourced either from Classic Alfa or other recognised specialists. Bills relating to the surface preparation of the body shell by SPL in 2018 and its subsequent re-cleaning and electrophoretic coating in October 2019 are also on file.

Our vendor conservatively estimates that at least 900-1,000 of his own man-hours have gone into the car over the past four years and the results are clear to see. Having bought the car whilst it was painted red, the decision was made during the restoration to take back to its original colour of Arancio Metallizzato, using cellulose rather than a water-based paint. Prior to his ownership, the engine had been rebuilt by Rob Thompson and again, this is documented in the file. There is simply far too much information to list here so we encourage interested parties to inspect all the relevant documents, and the car itself, to fully take in and understand the level of detail and expertise that’s gone into presenting this fabulous Alfa in its current stunning condition.

Showing an odometer reading of just over 11,500km (which cannot be verified) the Montreal is also accompanied by an official Alfa Romeo Authenticity Certificate dated 31st January 2019 together with the Alfa Romeo Museum Curator's signed Statement of Fact confirming the Montreal's original provenance and its delivery to the UK.

Coming to auction at a very competitive estimate, when you consider the rarity and the level of recent expenditure, this landmark Alfa is now ready for its next lucky owner to use and enjoy as originally intended.