1974 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000

This car spent its entire life in southern California and Arizona until I purchased it last June. My brother John and I drove it back from Phoenix taking the long way (through Canada!), and the trip is chronicled as Dave and John's Great Alfa Romeo Foray on this web site. There are lots more pictures of the car there (getting dirtier as we go), although none of these pictures do the car justice.

As you can see, my GTV is a beautiful dark green (with a hint of blue) over a tan interior - a gorgeous combination on a gorgeous body style. The body and undercarriage have never had rust. The car received an excellent bare metal respray in the original color. Most of the restoration work was done in 1997 and 1998 by a professional restoration shop in Phoenix. The interior was completely redone - seats, door panels, headliner, carpets, and the installer did an excellent job. The dashboard wood was replaced and there is no radio cutout. There are no cracks in the dashboard. Virtually everything is new - glass, weather-stripping, etc. Many of the trim pieces were brought back from Italy by the previous owner. It has European side marker and tail lights. When I got the car, it had BWA mags, which I thought were a bit overstated for the car, so I replaced them with good Campagnolo Turbinas, and added a new set of Yokohama AVSi's, and the car looks wonderful, very original, and drives great.

The engine was rebuilt with 10.1 pistons and Euro cams (by the Alfa mechanic who originally prepped the car for delivery in 1974!). The Spica fuel injection pump was rebuilt and works fine. Everything else is new or rebuilt - engine mounts, water pump, thermostatic actuator, clutch, etc. The original Spica air filter was replaced with a Shankle Quadraflow (bottom right picture) which results in a wonderful sound and adds a couple of horsepower. (This sound file was done by sticking a microphone under the hood and taking it up through the gears.) The exhaust system is by Abarth - noticeable but by no means overwhelming.

The previous owner had over $14,000 in restoration receipts (which I have).  Ignored in the restoration, however, was the suspension, and I spent another $4,300 with Paul Glynn of Glynn Motorsports completely rebuilding the suspension (including all new bushings, new Shankle street springs, Koni street shocks, adjustable control arms) and having some final work done to make it mechanically perfect.

 The front ride height, which you may have noticed as too high in on the Foray, was corrected. The car is practically as new - the only flaws I can think of are that the trunk mats could be replaced (I think Re-Originals sells sets), and the rear deck material is new but should be pulled tighter. The transmission has not been recently rebuilt and the synchros are a bit worn, but the car shifts quite smoothly once it's warmed up.

How much? I'm afraid I wouldn't part with this baby for under $13,500 - it's considerably less than what's invested and these cars are slowly getting more and more scarce, and prices should creep up. There are GTVs around for less money, but if you want THE BEST, then my '74 is the one for you. (I've also seen them advertised for quite a bit more money - I can't imagine how they could be any better than mine.) And you could spend the same kind of money on, say, a five-year-old Miata or something and continue to watch it depreciate while you're driving a nondescript me-too type of car. But if you've read this far, you don't need me to convince you of that.

Why would I part with it? Partly because my '74 Spider is mechanically similar and provides a similar driving experience, but also because I have this chronic affliction - kind of a perpetual itch - I'm always looking for the next car. I'm told there is no cure . . .

I'm sure I've left out some of the info that you're interested in, so please feel free to contact me by email at dave@dvpratt.com or by phone at 781-320-8208.

Thanks -

 

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