1967 Alfa Romeo GTV review from Australia and New Zealand

Gearbox worn, body seals perished, compression down, interior tatty, boot leaked, rear quarter windows fell out, suspension bushes worn, electrical fires...

I bought my beautiful white 1967 Alfa Giulia Sprint GT Veloce for $2000 in 1978, from a chemist.

Five speeds, twin overhead cams, four wheel disc brakes, all alloy, hemi-head motor with twin sidedraft Webers – who cared if it jumped out of second gear, if the papier mache dashboard was falling apart and that the car was subject to random small electrical fires? It did 120 miles per hour, and passengers were impressed by the big ‘Alfa Romeo’ script on the door sill plate as they climbed in.

Little did they know an awful truth, which over the months I began to discover: this little rocket was past its best!

Though somewhat challenged for cash, I managed to replace the worn piston rings, and I re-bushed the rear trailing link system to stop the weird shimmying on rough roads. I still had to hold the gear lever in second, and never did fix the loose boots around the floor mounted pedals, which allowed unexpected drenchings.

The occasional fires continued, but ever alert for the slightest smell of melting wiring, I continued on my rapid way.

But once I’d spent the purchase price on the maintaining the car, it was time to say goodbye.

I sold the Italian dream for $2000 to a friend who sold it again, after he’d spent the same on keeping it going.

A couple of years on, I saw the car for sale in a nearby suburb.

‘Two grand, mate,’ said the seller. ‘And I’ve spent that much on her.’

‘Anything wrong with it?’ I asked.

‘Well, it jumps out of second, but other than that…’

A decade later, I sat next to the chemist’s wife at dinner. We reminisced about the little white Alfa. She told me that once she realised how much her husband had spent on maintaining his Italian transportation, she had nagged him to sell it.