1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal

As stated above this Alfa Romeo Montreal is in original condition, but it’s also a very nicely sorted and well-kept example. It’s located in Sweden an hour from Stockholm and according to the government’s motoring department it was imported to Sweden in 1975 and has resided there since.

The vendor himself has owned the vehicle since 2011. “Prior to that, it was owned and pampered for many years (from 1990) by a major figure of the Swedish car scene where he was chairman of the board of the Swedish Ferrari club. His collection included a Ferrari 330GT 2+2, a Lancia Aurelia and a Mercedes-Benz 280SL Pagoda, to mention just a few.”

Their paths would collide at a track day in Anderstorp in 1984. “I was driving a Dino 246 GT and was about to overtake him in his 330GT 2+2, when his car spilled oil on my windscreen. I had to drive slowly back to the pits, unable to see anything – furious. I walked angrily to his car to ask what it was about and there was this very nice man, and my anger just disappeared! We’ve been friends ever since.”

The current owner had owned a Montreal in his younger days and desperately missed having one. At a 2011 Ferrari club dinner – knowing that he loved the model – his friend asked if he’d like to buy his. “It was in a very much better condition than the car I had in the Eighties, so naturally I did!”

The seller himself is one of Sweden’s top classic car restorers, who produces world-class level restorations and has maintained many such cars to the highest standards. He has therefore, been the ideal caretaker for this Montreal.

The Alfa now shows just 57,021 kilometres on the clock and has always been meticulously maintained. “It’s highly original, unmolested and has never been rusty or neglected, so it has never needed restoration, only normal maintenance and servicing. I’m selling as I’m reorganising my life, having recently retired and closed my workshop – my classic motorcycles are staying, but not the cars.”

It’s just sailed through a very strict MOT (government technical control in Sweden, document included in the photo gallery) with zero advisories, so this lovely example is ready to use immediately.

There’s no doubt that an Alfa Romeo Montreal is an arresting sight. Viewed head on, it has a malevolent and brooding presence matched only perhaps by an Aston Martin V8. However it’s no one-trick visual pony, as each perspective reveals yet another flourish of Gandini’s pen – we certainly would never tire of looking at it.

“It received a new coat of paint in the late Eighties. There are no blemishes, other than a very small nick on the right front wing – hard to see as it hasn’t damaged the paint,” explains the vendor. The finish is still holding up very nicely with a deep gloss, and orange is a period perfect hue for this car (or indeed any Seventies performance car).

Restored vehicles are all very well, but there’s just a certain something about the way that the panels on an original car sit. This example exemplifies that. It looks just great. The deep front spoiler is fairly free from marks, and the chrome presents well but could be further enhanced with some elbow grease and polish; it’s worth noting that there is the smallest of cracks in the centre of the front bumper, but it’s so insignificant that it took the owner himself years to spot.

The turbine style alloy wheels are in good condition; centre caps are a touch faded, but only add to the car’s gentle patina. And they wear a new set of correct Michelin XWX tyres.

The cabin has a nice contrasting pattern of black upholstery and white carpets piped grey. It’s in very smart condition. The upholstery on the front seats is free from sagging with relatively little wear; the outer bolster on the driver’s seat does have a touch of discoloration, but this process has been alleviated by the protective seat cover employed by the vendor. The +2 seats in the rear look as though they haven’t seen much action since new.

It’s worth noting that there are a couple of small cracks atop the dashboard around the vents, but also that they are discreet and not obvious.

Best of all is the driving position; that large dished Hellebore wooden steering wheel and the stubby gear lever both fall perfectly to hand, with both being nice and tactile in feel. They’re aided and abetted by large dished instrument cowls, housing the Jaeger dials on which you’ll watch the engine work its magic.

“The previous owner did have an alternative, more user-friendly accelerator pedal fitted,” explains the vendor. “I note this only for transparency in terms of originality and can confirm that it does not affect the driving experience itself.”

The boot trim is in good shape and you’ll find a matching spare alloy wheel lurking underneath. Up front, the engine bay is spotless, and a thing of glory bearing its original Iniezone Sistema Alfa Romeo Spica badges.

Let’s talk about that rather special engine. The 2593cc V8 makes the Alfa Montreal unique, as it’s the only model in the company’s back catalogue to feature it. “It sounds absolutely fabulous, luscious,” states the vendor.

“The car has also recently had new Michelin XWX tyres fitted, as well as new fuel pumps and lines, brake hoses and brake pads. The engine has also just had an oil and oil filter change less than 150 kilometres ago.”

All of the above ensures that it drives perfectly; the ZF gearbox shifts sweetly and the brakes are sharp, but it all comes back to that V8. What. An. Engine.

The underside is often a good indicator of just how hard a life a classic car has led and, as the photographs in our Gallery below shows, this one’s is in superlative condition; clean, solid and debris-free. Although it’s not the original, the exhaust system remains in very good condition, as do all drive train, suspension and braking system components.

In terms of documentation, the Montreal comes with an owner’s manual, a spare parts catalogue, a period brochure and a magazine article featuring this very car. In addition to this, an amusing touch is the included flag (currently residing on the car’s dashboard top) for the 1967 Montreal expo where the car made its world premiere and after which Alfa Romeo named it.

It is of course, a classic car that will be bought because of its superb original condition, unmolested nature and low mileage.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to the highest of standards.

You can’t buy originality… wait, that’s incorrect, because you can: here! What I should have said is that you can’t recreate originality. Once the restoration process begins (no matter how small), all is lost.

That’s why cars like this are so sought after. With a limited mileage since new and a number of fastidious owners who’ve fettled, cared for and enjoyed it, this is a very rare opportunity to buy a Montreal that still presents in original condition.

As such, we think it’ll sell for somewhere between €50,000 and €65,000. For that the next owner will be entrusted to take on the important role as this car’s custodian.

The best bit is that, that includes exercising that glorious race-derived V8 regularly to ensure that this example of Gandini’s formidable Seventies GT remains every bit as good as it currently is.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located at the owner’s home in Sweden an hour from Stockholm and Arlanda International airport; to arrange an appointment or for further information please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. The seller will gladly help arrange transportation to the buyer’s country at his or her own expense. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

EU & BREXIT – Sweden is part of the EU and thus there are no import taxes to other EU countries. Taxes would apply for any UK based buyer. If you are bidding from overseas & planning to export your vehicle abroad, you should be aware of two important things: 1) There is no VAT on used cars in the UK. 2) After Brexit, you might have to pay import tax in your country.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and an array of regional providers for transporting it.