Classic cars with history: Alfa Romeo Montreal

For some time I have wanted to tell you something about the Alfa Romeo Montreal, one of the most radical sports cars that the authentic Alfa Romeo (unlike today’s) put on sale. The Montreal was produced over a relatively long period, although curiously it was never redesigned and kept the same design and mechanics from 1970 to 1977, with very minor changes. The chrome trim, for example, was replaced by plastic well into the 1970s.

The Alfa Romeo Montreal had a 2,593 cc V8 engine with mechanical fuel injection, producing 200 horsepower and a five-speed ZF gearbox, reaching a top speed of around 220 km/h. The injection was Spica injection, which was certainly not one of the easiest to tune.

The Montreal had some curious details. One might think that over a seven-year lifespan the number of Alfa Montreals built would have been greater than it actually was, but it was no more than a limited edition. Alfa delivered 3,917 units of the Montreal, although curiously it never sold a single one in Canada, due to North American emissions control regulations. The lighting system was also striking, with lights covered by a retractable grille when switched on, and the bonnet air intakes that many cars of those years already simulated.

As for the design, it was the classic 2+2 coupé with the typical lines of the era, and although it seemed a little overwrought and heavy, it accelerated to acceptable figures thanks to the V8, provided the injection was correctly calibrated. For 1970, seven seconds to reach 100 km/h was not bad at all, but many Alfisti missed the early pre-production prototypes equipped with four-barrel carburettors from 1969/1970.

Want to know what it is like to drive a Montreal on a track? Just watch the following video from an Alfa Montreal gathering at the Adria circuit and enjoy it as if you were in 1970.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC6f_c5Q5uM

Source | Wikipedia, Alfa Romeo Montreal