1974 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000 Is Our Bring a Trailer Auction Pick of the Day
It was already one of the most desirable Alfa Romeos, but this GTV 2000 has also received a full overhaul from U.K. specialist Alfaholics.
Its fuel-injected engine produces 230 horsepower, paired with a five-speed manual transmission, lightweight suspension and bodywork, and upgraded brakes.Nearly $240,000 was spent by the previous owner to create one of the best driving restomods out there, and some lucky bidder can get it on auction from Bring a Trailer.In the old days, the stopwatch made the rules: whichever sports car was fastest to 60 mph or around a circuit was the best. QED. Yet, even in that time, many enthusiasts waxed romantic about the appeal of an Alfa Romeo, not just performance but an experience. In an age when dollars equals speed, that appeal hasn’t gone away. If anything, as in the case of this special little Alfa, the romance is even more concentrated.
Up for auction on the website Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—is this gorgeous confection of motoring con brio. Based on a 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000, one of the prettiest coupes to issue from a Milanese factory, this one has been treated to a full workup from U.K.-based firm Alfaholics. With a week left to go until the auction ends on Wednesday, November 30, bidding sits at $110,000.
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If paying new 911 money for an old Alfa sounds crazy, it’s not.
First, take the GTV 2000 itself. 1974 was the last year of these cars for the U.S. market, and they had everything necessary to provide a special driving feel. With a frothy 130-hp twin-cam engine, a nimble chassis tipping the scales at just over 2200 pounds, and gorgeous styling, the Gran Turismo Veloce was everything that Alfisti could want. If the internal combustion wasn’t always internal, that was just some added Alfa zest. A life without even a little drama is not worth living, right?
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In 1977, Richard Banks bought the first Alfa Romeo Alfetta 2.0L GTV in the U.K., for competition in the British Production Saloon Car Championship. The car was very competitive. As a sideline to help pay for the racing, he bought and refreshed a secondhand 2000 GTV. It sold the same day his ad ran in the local paper.
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Art and Science
More than four decades later, Banks and his two sons—both trained as lawyers, but also involved in racing—run a family firm dedicated to creating the finest Alfa Romeos around. There’s a temptation here to compare Alfaholics to California-based Singer and that company’s reimagined 911s, but there are differences. Much of Singer’s work is pure artistry, but the cars that emerge from the Alfaholics workshop are more an organic result of one family’s Alfa racing obsession.
However, a 911 restored by Singer and an Alfaholics-fettled machine are both idealized experiences of what you hope either a Porsche or Alfa Romeo will be. They are both a sort of cask-strength distillation of the essence of the brand, the meet-your-heroes moment that doesn’t disappoint.
This 1974 GTV2000 was purchased through Bring a Trailer two years ago and promptly sent to Somerset for the full Alfaholics treatment with the company’s GTA-R Upgraded package. The list of modifications is too exhaustive to relay in its entirety, but highlights include a handbuilt 2.1L twin-cam four-cylinder engine good for roughly 230 hp, a close-ratio five-speed manual transmission, comprehensive lightweighting from lighter glass to carbon-fiber bodywork, six-piston front brakes, and a suspension that contains more titanium than your average space rocket.
If You Remember the ’70s You Weren’t There
And, because this car was bound for Texas, it also has air conditioning. While born from lessons learned on the racing circuit, this GTV is meant for drivers. Indeed, close-up inspection of the undercarriage shows some oxidation of the titanium pieces, and the paintwork on the undercarriage has a blemish or two.
All of which underlines the emphasis that this is a car to be driven. Whatever the final hammer price happens to be, it will likely be enough to buy a seat in some pretty high-test modern machinery, but that’s not the point. An Alfaholics GTA-R provides the sort of drive that transcends the stopwatch and the skidpad. For one very lucky bidder, it’s a bucket-list driving experience.
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