Alfa Romeo has produced a great number of very special cars during its 105-plus years of existence. Most of them, though, started life as bare chassis, where coachbuilders like Touring, Ghia, Zagato, and Vignale put incredible bodies on them. Once in a while, Alfa did a special limited production model. Most recently, it was the 8C Competizione. Almost 50 years ago, Alfa answered the call to interpret the theme of the Montreal Expo 67—“man’s highest aspiration” for automobiles. Alfa’s answer was the Montreal.
The task to design the car for the Expo went to Marcello Gandini, at Bertone. The prototype car has been described as “provocative,” with a “heavily lidded, sexy look” because of the partially covered headlights, smooth hood, and pointed nose. Two identical cars, both with Alfa’s dual-overhead-cam, 1600-cc engine from the Giulia series, appeared in the Expo.
The Montreal prototype received such glowing reviews at the Expo that Alfa was moved to consider a production version. The Tipo 33 V8 engine had just appeared in 1967, and it was compact enough to fit into the prototype Montreal with only minor changes, so Alfa decided to make the car a grand tourer using the small-displacement V8 engine. The result was a luxurious car that enjoyed considerable mechanical sophistication.
Delmas Greene is a true Alfista. He has had numerous Alfas and currently has three, including a very rare Vignale-bodied 2000 coupe (Vintage Roadcar Profile, April 2016). Another member of Greene’s Florida Alfa Romeo Owners Club chapter had a Montreal, and Greene got to drive it in the early 1990s. “I was quite impressed with it, and decided I’d like to own one. Finally, in the late ’90s, I found one in North Carolina owned by Peter Kraus—a red one—in my price range, but it didn’t have air conditioning. A friend in Atlanta, Ward Witkowski, had this blue one with air conditioning. Ward was sort of a track guy, and he said he really liked red and hated the blue, and he didn’t care if it had AC or not. And I said, ‘I love the blue, I’m not that crazy about red, and I have to have AC.’” The end result was that Greene bought Witkowski’s blue car, and Wikowski bought Kraus’s red one. “I went to Atlanta and drove it home. I’ve had it for nearly 20 years.”
It really was that first drive in a Montreal that sold Greene on the cars. “I’ve had many, many Alfas, and I like the uniqueness of how (the Montreal) drives. The Montreal with the ZF transmission, gear ratios, and revvy engine is what caught my attention. It is very long-legged in first and second gears, then the remaining gears are very close-ratio.” In his other Alfas, when he accelerates from a stop, about halfway through an intersection he shifts into second gear. “The first thing I noticed about the Montreal was that I wasn’t ready to shift until I was (through) the intersection. And I noticed that it didn’t matter if I started in first gear or second gear, it ran like a scalded rabbit either way. The other thing that got me was that the design of the car was just phenomenal, and it’s a surprisingly comfortable touring car.”
Driving the car was a pleasure. The only thing someone familiar with other Alfas has to adapt to is the shift pattern. The ZF box has a 1 + 4 pattern where other Alfas typically have a 4 + 1 pattern. As Greene mentioned, first and second gear are quite long-legged. As you accelerate in first and second, you tend to glance at the tach because it seems that you must be near the redline. Once into the higher gears, you could almost lose track of which gear you’re in, they’re quite close.
The 2.6-liter V8 is a very smooth engine, and it works well with the ZF transmission. It’s fun to work the gears, even though you really don’t have to. Even with an aluminum engine, however, the car is a bit heavy up front, so it has noticeable understeer when pushed. I can only imagine what it’s like to drive this car in the North Carolina mountains, where Greene occasionally takes it. A beautiful car that’s fun to drive, it just doesn’t get any better than that.
The Alfa Romeo Owners Club national meeting will be in Montreal in 2017, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Alfa Montreal. Greene and his wife Polly have attended three International Montreal Meetings, and Greene is encouraging Montreal owners from around the world to attend. He has also approached the Alfa Romeo museum about having one of the prototypes in Montreal, in 2017. This could be one exceptional meet.
Specifications
Engine: 90-degree V8 Valvetrain: DOHC, 2 valves per cylinder Displacement: 2593 cc (158.2 cid) Bore/Stroke 80.0/64.5 cc (3.15/2.54 inches) Compression Ratio: 9.3:1 Horsepower: 200 bhp @ 6500 rpm Torque: 173.3 lbs-ft @4750 rpm Induction: Twin Spica Fuel Injection Transmission: ZF 5-speed Drive: Front engine, rear-wheel drive Wheelbase: 2527 mm (99.5 inches) Length: 3962 mm (156.0 inches) Width: 1676 mm (66.0 inches) Height: 1312 mm (51.7 inches) Curb Weight: 1312 kg (2892 pounds) Front Brakes: Vented discs with vacuum assist Rear Brakes: Discs Wheels: 14.0×6.5 Tires: 195/70VR-14
Performance
Top speed 138 mph; 0-60 mph 8.0 seconds; Fuel Consumption 19.4 mpg
