This 1970 Alfa Romeo GTV 1750 Is an Alfaholics' Dream

Before we get to the car itself, it is important to take a look at what makes an Alfa the ultimate test for car enthusiasts. They are, let’s say, problematic. They seem to have a mind of their own when it comes to whether they want to work or not - at least, that’s what their reputation says.

Truth be told, they aren’t catastrophically unreliable. Yes, they are complicated, but they aren’t that much more prone to breaking than any other car out there. It’s just that they are a little quirky and have some particularities that will make you wonder what the heck was going on in their head.

And that’s why they have the reputation as a must-own car for petrolheads. It is sort of a test to see if you are ready or not to put up with the problems and headaches that come with owning a classic car. And if you are willing to do it, an Alfa Romeo will be more than rewarding when you get behind the wheel.

Over its illustrious history, the Italian manufacturer has given us a lot of interesting models. Cars like the 33 Stradale, the Duetto Spider, and the 8C are just a few of these amazing creations, but there is one that might be the best of them all - the GTV.

Calling this the GTV is a little wrong, as by its full name, it should be called the GT Veloce - but it is commonly known as a GTV, followed by the engine variant. In this case, we have a beautiful example with the 1750 designation.

The GTV was born in late 1967, and it was designed by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro when he was only 22 years old while working at Bertone. The GTV is a really simple, bare-bones car, but it is beautifully balanced and loves to eat up twisty roads.

You could get the GTV in a number of different configurations, but, to keep it simple, I'll just mention the main, road-going, engine options. You could opt for any of the three inline-four engines - a 1.6-liter, a 1.75-liter, and a two-liter.

They are essentially the same engines, with an aluminum block, aluminum heads, and dual overhead camshafts. Out of the three, the most sought after is the 1.75, as it is thought to be the most balanced between power and smoothness, but all of them will be rev-happy and offer you a pleasurable driving experience.

The car we are talking about today is the GTV 1750. The 1.75-liter engine in this produces 122 hp (124 ps), which might not seem like a lot, but in a light car that is made to tackle back roads, it is more than enough. To complement your driving experience, you have a 5-speed manual transmission sending power to the rear wheels and dual Weber carbs for all that induction noise goodness.

This GTV is a euro spec from 1970, and it has some pretty cool features. It has Veloce-style Alfaholics 15-inch alloy wheels with new tires, and behind those, we find disc brakes on all four corners. Making sure that cornering is bliss, it has new Bilstein shocks up front and recently changed upper control arms.

The car was delivered new to Sweden, and afterward it traveled over to the states. Here, it was fully refurbished before being acquired by the seller in 2015. It also had some work done to the engine in 2019, including a valve job and cylinder head restoration.

During that refurbishment, the color was changed from Ochre Yellow to the shade of red it is currently in. This color complements the black upholstery that was also refreshed by the previous owner.

Staying on the topic of the interior, we find a wooden steering wheel fronting a Jaeger tachometer, and a Veglia speedometer, complemented by a wooden shift knob and woodgrain trim.

During that overhaul, it lost its bumpers, giving a cool, retro-racer look, and gained an upgraded exhaust, making this little car look like it’s ready to hit the track.

This GTV is up at auction in Irvine, California. It currently sits at 20,001 dollars and comes with a clean California title, partial service records, and, bear with me here, correspondence from Automobilismo Storico Centro Documentazione. It also has the original owner's manual, which I find to be a pretty cool blast from the past, and the five-digit odometer shows 43,000 kilometers (27,000 miles), but who knows how high that number is?

The GTV might be the perfect retro experience. It is an Alfa, it has a screaming engine under the hood, and it is tossable on twisty roads, so a lot of fun is on the table.