1975 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV

Sitting four-square and finished in the classic colour scheme of red over black, this fantastic right-hand-drive, South African Alfa Romeo GTV is fitted with the powerful and much-prized two-litre engine. Coming from such a dry country, it needed only light refurbishment to bring it to the condition you see today, which is quite remarkable when you’ve seen as many rusty and rotten examples as we have...

Fitted with a useful ‘Weathershields’ fabric sliding sunroof (made in Birmingham, England, no less!) and wearing a wonderful period ‘Alfa Romeo Club South Africa’ badge on the grille, it has been in the UK for only a few months and has yet to be registered here.

Offered with a very sensible reserve price, this is your chance to get your hands on a solid, largely rust-free Alfa Romeo GTV that needs nothing more than some sympathetic refurbishment to bring it back to its former glory.

Red is a classic colour to finish an Alfa Romeo in for a reason. Vibrant and cheery, the paint shows off the car’s ripple-free flanks and ultra-straight panels to great effect.

Clearly the recipient of some fresh paint in its not-too-distant past, there are some good shutlines on it too, plus well-aligned trim. It also sits right; whereas many owners go for a slammed look that’s at odds with the car’s correct stance, this one looks terrific on those tall tyres.

The 14-inch Momo alloy wheels are in great shape too, being straight and free of damage even if they do look a little tired. As for the tyres, they are all 185/70R14 Michelins that still show good tread.

However, while those expensive and (almost matching) tyres hint at a mechanically sympathetic owner, they look a bit old so we can see the new owner might like to spring for a new set – and to refinish the alloy wheels while they’re faffing around down there.

The chromework is straight and mostly pretty darned good. Sure, there is some light pitting here and there but it looks to be honest and the gradual accumulation of some much-prized patina after years baking under the hot South African sun.

Aside from the usual stonechips, scratches and minor marks that any car will accumulate over the years (most notably photo numbers #54, #98, #101 and #115) if we’re being pernickety then the nearside door would benefit from being painted to match the rest of the car as the shade is just a little off. That done, a machine polish would then remove most of the swirl marks the paint shows, after which the Alfa would look terrific.

Oh, and the roof material is coming away from one end of the metal bars but that looks like it should be a straightforward repair.

The seats are lovely; not perfect but very useable and anyway, if you’re going to drive an old car then shouldn’t it wear it years with pride? Just like the three-spoke, deep-dish steering wheel in fact which is perfectly fine and in good shape but is lightly patinated.

Or the door cards, which are good but not perfect, something that accurately reflects the wooden trim and the carpets, too. The top of the dashboard, which is prone to cracking in the sun, is free of damage and sun-fading, which further hints at a life lived under cover. (Which is very different from a life lived undercover, obviously…)

There’s a terrific twin-spindle period Sanyo radio in there (untested) as well as the usual Alfa GTV staples such as cowled instruments, chromed sill plates with ‘Alfa Romeo’ in a wonderfully flowing typeface, and the wonderfully slim and elegantly curved accelerator pedal.

The boot might be a bit scruffy but it is utterly solid, so you can forgive the need for some slight prettification.

Other problems? Well, problems might be a bit harsh but the rubber mat in the boot has split (photo #238), the headlining around the sunroof could do with some attention, there is a cigarette burn in one of the seats (#218) and a split in the veneer (#224), plus a piece of the cover for the reclining mechanism on the nearside front seat has been broken and lost (#112).

The engine number is AR00512*58148*, which we think indicates that it has the 1962cc engine under the bonnet, something the ‘2000’ badging hints at being true.

Fresh fuel allowed the GTV to fire straight up, so you know the engine is fine and, as you can hear in the video, it isn’t making any funny noises or emitting black or blue smoke. That said, it would benefit from a service and tuning after properly draining the old petrol out of the tank. (You’ll need to source a new fuel filler cap too, by the way.)

But, it drives pretty well, with good brakes and clutch. Heck, it even allows you to access 2nd gear when the gearbox oil is still cold, which isn’t something that can be said of every 105…

The brakes seem fine too, and the lights and wipers work as they should.

The engine bay is neat without being obsessive. Mind you, if you’re anything like us you’ll be itching to get the rattle can out to refinish the radiator and air filter housing off in a fresh coat of satin black.

The underside of the car has been freshly undersealed. It looks solid though, which makes us think this was work of maintenance rather than a bodge of convenience.

The GTV’s MOT certificate is valid until December 2021. Put on even though it’s old enough now not to need one, the car also comes with a letter from HMRC confirming that the appropriate UK duty and VAT has been paid.

As with so many imported cars, there is no paperwork from its time abroad other than its South African vehicle licence document, so potential bidders will need to set their budget based on its current condition rather than relying on an extensive paper trail.

Even though the vendor imported the car from South Africa, he is unsure exactly its year of manufacture (we have used 1975 in the heading as an approximation as the model was available from 1971 to 1977 in South Africa), however he has paid and applied for a heritage certificate from Italy which should clarify when it arrives.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

The 105-series Alfa GTV has made significant waves among classic car enthusiasts thanks to its winning combination of good looks, ease of repair, and winning dynamic ability. Of course, your biggest worry should be rust – unless, that is, you buy a car like this that doesn’t have any thanks to the country’s car-friendly climate and complete absence of salty winter roads.

The GTV’s new-found popularity has also facilitated the emergence of a large number of specialist, almost all of whom will help you on your journey to restoring it to its former glory.

Or not. You see, few cars are better suited to retro-modding than this, so you could leave it looking stock and fit a variety of upgrades to the oily bits, all the way up to a more modern drivetrain and engine. Even converting it into a GTa lookalike wouldn’t be prohibitively expensive if race-replicas are your bag.

And while they used to go for silly money, we’ve seen an easing of prices in the past year making them more affordable than ever – and while we don’t have second-sight, we’d be amazed if this one’s price tag of somewhere between £10,000 and £20,000 dropped significantly in the future.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.