1971 Alfa Romeo Montreal Looks Like a Muscle Car, Falls Short

Others in other parts of the world have tried the recipe over the years, though, by accident or less so. This is how we ended up with the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3, the Jensen Interceptor or even the Opel Diplomat V8. But even if the size of the engines under the hood matched the idea of a muscle car, they lacked the visual appeal these cars usually have.

In the case of the Alfa Romeo Montreal it’s the other way around. The Italian car popped up under the spotlight in 1970 as a crazy proposition, styled not unlike the American giants of the era, but with enough Latin genes in there to make it incredibly alluring.

Under the hood it packed an engine in the right configuration, a V8, but small enough in displacement to disqualify it from becoming a muscle car: 2.6 liters, developing a flimsy troop of just under 200 hp.

At the time, the car was not as appreciated as it should have been. Low demand caused it to be discontinued just seven years after its introduction, but we can’t help wondering where a longer production run would have taken it.

Because its life was cut short, these cars are pretty rare today. We found the one depicted in the gallery above on Bring a Trailer, selling as the Italian muscle car that could have been but never was.

This example was imported to the U.S. from Italy, it comes in an Orange body over a black and orange Alcantara interior, and packs the original engine. Not many parts of the car are in its original form, though, as a major three-year overhaul was conducted not long ago.

Just to give you an idea of the opportunity the Italians missed with this one there’s a 5-minute video attached below.