Mileage: 97,647 KMs (60,675 miles)
I continue on my quest to try out as many interesting cars as I can find. After 2 years of ownership I have decided to sell the Montreal to make room for a Lancia Fulvia Zagato I am buying in Italy.
The Alfa Romeo Montreal is often referred to as the concept car that became reality. Alfa Romeo displayed a prototype of a beautiful Gandini designed model during the 1967 World Expo in ... you guessed it ... Montreal, Canada. The design was an instant hit and Alfa decided to put it into production. Of course they were years away from having a real car as they didn't even have an engine for it. The engine was as much as a departure for Alfa as was the rest of the car. A V8 engine was chosen using a Spica fuel injection. Somehow they were able to stuff it in the engine compartment! It took Alfa four years to get the car into the market, but they did. Interesting that the car was never sold in the USA or Canada.
I love driving this Montreal ! The V8 engine is very smooth and the 5-speed ZF gearbox is super light. My particular Montreal came from a Florida Alfa aficionado that babied the car. Stay away from ratty Montreals as these cars are not easy to work on! A well sorted Montreal is reliable and trouble free. My car has the optional AC but I never got around to install the belts after the previous owner had to cut them in order to replace the alternator belt. New belts come with the car.
Seats are very comfortable and the instrument gauges are cool and quite interesting. It is unfortunate that so many of the trim pieces are plastic, which is a reflection of this being a more inexpensive Alfa and not a Lamborghini or Maserati. Body construction was very good and they tend to rust a lot less than similar Italian cars of the era. This particular Montreal is rust free and straight. The engine compartment is very original as so many cars have modifications to the injection and ignition systems. The interior is mostly original with the exception of the cloth seat covers that were redone as per original. This is not a show car as it shows signs of use, but a very honest "no stories" car that looks very good and drives excellent.
The photos below were taken when I bought the car two years ago. It still looks the same. I just took a fresh set of more detailed photos, including the undercarriage. These photos can be found by going to this location: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7cvf1cljztnvjcl/AAAACc6noQ4YkXNMJM-DGYXXa?dl=0
Feel free to contact me if this car is of interest.
SOLD