Lot 129 - 1975 Alfa Romeo Montreal

• UK supplied right hand drive car (one of only 155)
• Perfect restoration candidate

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 five-speed ZF gearbox. With a capacity of 2593cc, the V8 featured twin overhead camshafts per bank and produced, via Alfa Romeo/Spica fuel injection and Bosch electronic ignition, 200bhp at 6500rpm. 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.

One of only 155 right hand drive, UK supplied cars, this wonderful Montreal offers a rare opportunity as the perfect candidate for restoration. Photos in the accompanying history file show it being repainted some time ago by the previous owner; however, it was repainted in red, when its original colour was the much more desirable metallic orange, (AR 602). The letter in the file from Centro Documentazione Alfa Romeo confirms this and also that the car was manufactured on 21^st February 1975 before being sold on 26^th February 1975 to Alfa Romeo London. The vendor purchased the car in 2008 in its current condition having been dry stored for the previous twenty years. He bought it with the intention of restoring the car himself to enjoy it with his wife, who had given her blessing to the project! Sadly, she died shortly afterwards in a tragic accident and, whilst he made efforts to check the electrics and make sure the engine turned over, (which it does), ultimately, he lost the motivation for the restoration. He has kept the car in dry storage ever since and it is only being sold now to fund a trip to New Zealand with his son to scatter his wife’s ashes. Upon inspection, it appears the car is solid and almost all the parts are with it. The vendor however, has tracked down the missing few parts and is happy to pass the contact information onto any new owner.

The car comes supplied with a UK V5C registration document, the letter from Alfa Romeo and photos of the previous paint job. Whilst the vendor never got to restore the car himself, the new owner can confidently undertake what should be a fairly straightforward restoration. Having been dry stored for the past 33 years and, incredibly, still having almost all the parts to complete the project, this is a unique opportunity to restore one of these rare right hand drive, UK supplied Montreals – an opportunity not to be missed.