1972 Alfa Romeo Montreal

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We love Montreals here and will tell anyone who will listen how great and undervalued they are at the moment. This is no exception. it is a 1972 Alfa Romeo Montreal. Left Hand Drive. UK Registered. Historic Tax and finished in the perfect and rare Black with Black interior. You will see very few Black cars. it was a special order only colour and. in fact. our car was Orange new.

It is important to understand how the Alfa Romeo Montreal came about as its design and power plant are was something to behold. Montreal. Canada. the setting for the 1967 World's Fair; the International and Universal Exposition or 'Expo 67' as it was known. Alfa Romeo was asked to provide an exhibit that would be representative of the automotive industry. The result was a fabulous prototype designed by Marcello Gandini of the Bertone styling house and named Montreal in honour of the event. The 105 series chassis and components were used as a basis. designed with ease of future production in mind. When the first production model was revealed in 1970 the styling was virtually identical to the World's Fair prototype but the biggest surprise was the power plant under the bonnet. Alfa Romeo used a detuned Type 33 racing car's V8 engine of 2. 93cc capacity which produced over 200bhp. Regrettably. the Type 33 six-speed transmission and transaxle were not used. however; a ZF gearbox five-speed gearbox and modified 105 series rear axle were incorporated to good effect.

This lefthand drive Montreal was spotted for sale in Renens. Lausanne. Switzerland on the drive of a private residence by a John Hartland. a classic car dealer. John immediately stopped and after a detailed negotiation. a deal was agreed and he promptly drove her back to UK. She ran perfectly on the return journey and was first registered in the UK on 26th May 1989. The intention was always to sell the car on and it was advertised in Motorsport Magazine which is where the next owner. David Eaton. spotted her. David had recently bought an Espada which needed a partial restoration and engine rebuild. but he wanted a car to use while he rebuilt it. He had always liked the Montreal's excessive Italian styling and they also came with that fabulous race bred 2. 6 litre. quad-cam. V8. David had watched the Alfa 33 spiders win at Brands Hatch in 1971 and was aware that the Montreal's engine was a detuned version of this.

So over to Surrey he went and after one walk around the car. decided to buy. That was the 30th June 1989 and he has owned this car until we purchased it. It was used regularly between 1989 and 1996 until. that is. the Espada was back on the road. At the first MoT test in 1989. she had 77. 11km recorded which rose to 86. 51km on 12th October. 1998 and. as of April 28th. 2015. the mileage is now ony 88. 37km which translates to just 2. 00km added in the last 17 years. She was rolled out several times in the year to keep everything in running order and. of course. (apart from a couple of times) off to the annual MoT testing station.

One of the first things that did need attention back in 1989 was the fuel tank as it was showing signs of porosity and these were virtually impossible to locate. even in Italy. So a local company in Essex. Hayward and Scott. were commissioned to manufacture an aluminium one. With the complex Spica mechanical injection system. no chances can be taken. Also at the time of purchase. she had a plastic rear screen. Again finding a rear screen for a Montreal in 1989 was very difficult but the long-time secretary of the Montreal registry. Chris Slade. managed to find one in Italy which he brought back. Over the years. all the brakes have been rebuilt. new clutch fitted. wheels refurbished and. recently. new tyres. The chassis is completely rust-free and has never had any welding since arriving in the UK and looks completely original underneath.

It has a full years MoT test certificate and benefits from all new lower ball joints and front brake hoses. She runs really well and represents an honest. solid and regularly used example. a proper driver's car in an unrepeatable colour. With the market moving constantly you need to make a quick decision to own a Montreal at the moment!

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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