By Pete Vack
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Muscular in shape as well as horsepower, the Alfa Romeo GTV6 was a mature
and successful Gran Turismo
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The Big Alfas
Alfa's attempts at a larger engine postwar car began with the introduction of the 2600, a 2.6 liter straight six which was essentially the classic Alfa four with two more cylinders. The 140 hp 2600 was introduced in 1962 and lasted until 1968. It was used in a large Berlina (sedan), a very attractive Bertone coupe, a strange looking Zagato, and the 2600 Spider.
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Earlier "big" Alfas included this 2600 Bertone Sprint. It was extremely well
made, fast, and popular in Europe. John Lennon bought one in the 1960s.
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Aside from the use of the T33 V-8 engine in the Montreal, (1970-1977) from 1968 to the late 1970s, Alfa concentrated on the smaller range of models, including the AlfaSud. As the four cylinder had been stretched to capacity at just under 2 liters, something new was needed to power a top of the line model. The answer was, surprisingly, not the development of the DOHC V-8, but an entirely new V-6 engine of 2500 cc.
The Alfa V-6 Engine
Surprisingly, Alfa reverted to an old, and somewhat less efficient method of valve operation for the new V6. Gone was the twin cam arrangement, and in its place was a sohc head, which operated the inlet valves directly, via inverted buckets, while the exhaust valves were operated via a short, horizontal pushrod arrangement. Both cams were run by the same timing belt; gone too were the noisy but reliable chains of the early Alfas. Gone forever were the beautiful Weber carbs, replaced by an optional Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection system. Standard carburation offered no fewer than six Dell' Orto FRPA40 carbs for the European market. The alloy block retained the steel liners and pistons. But compared to the straight DOHC 6 of the 1950s, the new V6 easily pushed out 155 hp in standard tune. Despite the compromises, the new V6 was a winner from the start, and opened to rave reviews.
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Based on the Alfetta, the Alfa 6 was to be the top of the line product,
but failed in the marketplace. The engine, however, did not.
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Alfa 6
The new engine was originally intended--and installed--in the new Alfa 6 sedan, a large, ungainly, and cumbersome effort which although aimed at the U.S., did so poorly in Europe, it was never sold stateside. The Alfa 6 was introduced in 1979, and with it the now famous V-6.
This rare beast, so important in the chain of events which led to the GTV6,
deserves a closer look. The Alfa 6 was based on the Alfetta sedan, with a longer front end and larger trunk. But for this model, for some reason, Alfa discarded the transaxle concept, and offered a 5 speed manual gearbox or the ZF 3 speed automatic fixed to the engine, rather than at the rear. The de Dion rear suspension with coil spring, however, was retained and the differential was limited slip. Up front, the 6 utilized the Alfetta double wishbone suspension with longitudinal torsion bars (first used on the unraced rear engined 512 Grand Prix car designed by Wilfredo Ricart in 1941-2). The Alfa 6, unlike the smaller Alfettas, featured progressive power assisted steering via the rack and pinion box. It was slow (0-60 took 11 seconds), it was not great on gas, and it was costly. But, if you should ever come upon a large Alfetta sedan without a transaxle, you'll know what it is!
The Nuova Giulietta
Another link to the GTV6 was the Giulietta, another model never imported to the U.S. The "nuova" Giulietta was a smaller wider sedan introduced in 1977, and made use of the various sizes of the four cylinder engines and later included a diesel.
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Reviving the Giulietta model name, Alfa introduced this four cylinder
sedan with the Alfetta front and rear suspension. Never imported to the U.S.
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The Giulietta also used the transaxle de Dion rear suspension and torsion bar front suspension of the Alfetta.
Alfetta GTV2000 Turbodelta
In May of 1979, the Turbodelta was introduced as a step toward injecting new life into the four cylinder Alfetta GTV. Alfa appointed their racing arm, AutoDelta, to create a turbo charged version of the 2000cc four cylinder. The single turbo boosted the horsepower from 122 to 150, giving the car a top speed of 130 mph. Enough were built to homologate them for Group 4 international rallying. These models had a matt black hood, with multicolor stripes on the body sides.
Unfortunately it was never imported to the U.S.
Alfa Romeo GTV6
In 1981, the V6 was installed into the aging and now underpowered Alfa GTV (now called the Sprint Veloce), instantly transforming the Giugiaro coupe into a competitive GT car.
If anything gave new life to a great car, this was it. The old Alfetta had been gradually refined from 1974 to 1979, culminating in the Sprint Veloce, which had already addressed many of the quality issues of the first Alfettas. Alfa Romeo worked hard to make the new model even more successful. Unlike many other manufacturers, Alfa beefed up the chassis to accommodate the extra power and torque of the V-6. Brake size went from 10.2 inches in front to 10.5, from 9.4 to 9.8 in the rear. The old single plate clutch was replaced with a twin disc unit, and the entire drivetrain was given a thorough redesign--even the new Campy wheels were updated to beefy 15x6 inch alloys.
Inside, the dashboard was redesigned; gone was the single tach in front of the driver. Fit and finish was worthy of, if not better than, the German competition, and as with the later four cylinder Sprint Veloces, most models destined for the U.S. featured the optional leather covered seats. A sunroof was also an option.
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The difference in quality between the early Alfettas and the
GTV6 is astounding. Note the revised dashboard.
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Outside, the original crisp Giugiaro design suffered from increased bumper size front and rear, and the once-clean hoodline was somewhat marred by a power bulge made necessary by the increased height of the V-6. Overall, the body now exhibited a more massive, muscular style which went well with the extra power now available. The rust problems which plagued the Alfetta were, amazingly, gone. Even today, many GTV6s are entirely rust free.
Performance? There was no comparison. At 2885 lbs, and 154 hp, the GTV6 could do the quarter mile in 16 seconds, 0-60 in 8.2 seconds, and would top 130 mph, all while pulling smoothly from 1000 rpm in 5th.
For a while, maybe 6 years, the Alfa GTV6 offered a combination of advanced Italian engineering, quality workmanship and materials, and above par performance to the select few (22,381) who chose Alfa Romeo. And yet, the GTV6 was to mark the end of one era and the beginning of another.
