Hopefully our loyal readers are aware by now that our 1970s Gandani preferences lie with the Lamborghini Urraco. Gandani did not limit himself to a single wedge, though. His preferred form appeared in not only in the mid-engined Miura, Urraco, and Dino GT4, but also, to a lesser extent in front-engined GTs, such as today's Montreal.

We've touched before on the fact that the 2.6L V8 in the Montreal makes use of some proven engine development from the Nord 4-cylinder cars from Alfa Romeo. Compared to the later Busso V6, the Montreal's V8 features two camshafts per cylinder head, and benefits from the port angles that made the 1300cc Alfa Nord engines so successful. 197hp out of a 2.6L is very impressive for Montreal's era.

Year: 1973
Model:  Alfa Romeo Montreal
Engine: 2.6L V8
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage:  57,553
Price: $98,500
Location: Huntington Station, NY

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal

1973 ALFA ROMEO MONTREAL: --Orange, Black interior with Beige cloth inserts, Black dashboard, Grey carpeting, Restored, Serviced, 92,000Km/57,000 miles, 2.6 Liter V8 engine, 5-speed manual gearbox.

The Montreal is one of the most sophisticated and striking post-war Alfa Romeo production cars. It uses a detuned version of the quad-cam, fuel-injected, dry sump V8 used in the legendary Tipo 33 prototype racecar. The Montreal has a Spica mechanical fuel injection system, a five-speed ZF manual gearbox, front independent suspension, a live rear axle with coil-spring suspension, four-wheel disc brakes and a chassis derived from the iconic 105-series cars. Designed by Bertone, the Montreal was wide and low with a shark-like nose extending through a curved fender and shoulder haunches into a truncated tail. The headlight “blinds” and stacked horizontal vents on the C-pillar were rather attractive and very futuristic at the time. The V8 produces 200bhp taking only 7.1 seconds to get to 60mph and reaching 140mph back in 1971! Besides its stunning looks, the Montreal is practical with a 2+2 seating configuration and a full trunk enclosed by a glass hatchback.

This Montreal was sold new to its first owner in The Netherlands in February 1973. It was reportedly with the original owner until 1989 when sold to its second owner also in The Netherlands. History resumes in 2017 when acquired by its next custodian. This owner entrusted Italclassic of Alicante, Spain to carry out restoration work. This included refinishing the exterior in orange, refreshing the interior, tuning the fuel-injection system, and installing a new exhaust system and jacking points. In 2018 Alfa Romeo specialist, Sam Van Lingen of the Netherlands, installed new fuel injectors and set the valve clearance. The Montreal also received new fluids, filters, and hoses along with an upgraded water pump.

The Montreal was then sold in 2019 and imported to its previous owner in California.

A truly iconic sports car, this Alfa is comfortable, yet dialed in for around-town or long highway cruising. A recent road test attests to the car performing excellent in every way and it is ready for immediate use and enjoyment. The engine pulls extremely well with plenty of horsepower and torque, the mechanical injection is set up properly and the gearbox and clutch feel as new. Over the years we have owned several Montreal’s, this is one of the finest in all areas.

With just 3,925 examples built between 1971 and 1977, this Montreal is both rare, exotic and a lot of fun to drive and worthy of a place in any collection. This Montreal is complete with its original service book, original Netherlands registrations, spare tire and recent service records.

The tidiness of this car is pretty appealing. With so many risky design concepts in the interior, any deterioration can lend to a really sad state of health, which this car seems to avoid well. The very 1970s design of the cockpit shows well and loses very little fidelity in transmitting the designer's original vision.

At the almost $100,000 asking price, we start to lose interest in the Montreal. Our money would go to something from Lamborghini, were we shopping GTs from this era. As far as Montreals go, though, this looks like a good buy.

-Graham