1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV Series 1 Coupe

Description

The 105-Series Alfa Romeo GTV drove into the consciousness of Australian automotive enthusiasts at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, in 1967 when these lion-hearted little sports cars almost eclipsed the V8 might of the Falcon GTs. Had those cars been equipped with the later 1750cc engine rather than the 1.6, they may well have won! In 1969, the Alfa GTV 1750 was pretty much the height of Italian sports car flair. The sublime Bertone design with its perfect curves and lovely interior with timber highlights combined with the classic twin overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine beneath gorgeous alloy rocker covers to spell automotive joy. Naturally, a 5-speed all-synchromesh gearbox with a knife-through-hot-butter shift was standard in an era when Holdens mostly had three-on-the-tree! For many enthusiasts the 1750 version is more attractive than either its less powerful predecessor or its 2000 GTV successor, which was perhaps a little less stylish as well as being less revvable. The 1750s were the last to feature the characterful speedometer and tachometer where zero is at four or five o’clock, meaning the twin needles are near vertical when the car is being driven close to its 120-mph maximum!