Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0 is quite a man

Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0 – Fun with four

If you sketch the ideal GTV picture, then it is acclaimed Busho V6 present. However? According to the Flemish radio presenter Guy De Pré it is, who exchanged a 2.0 for a '6'. Knowing that Alfa Romeo had a damn nice Nord four-cylinder engine in the range for decades, his cast-off piques our curiosity. Will it make do with this one Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0 or unexpected enjoyment?

Text & photography: Aart van der Haagen

De Alfa Romeo GTV, born in 1974 as Alfetta GT and thoroughly overhauled six years later, is nothing like it. That doesn't sound very diplomatic. But we mean it purely positively. Because at a time when fastback coupés were starting to set the standard, Giorgetto Giugiaro came up with a very own plan with this creation. Yes, here too clearly that elongated roofline and with that the conformity immediately stopped. Because who else dared to work so explicitly with trapezoidal shapes? Meanwhile, this one does Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0 virtually nothing reminds you of the Alfetta. Yet the basis for this enticing gran turismo. Only when you would place both on a garage bridge would you notice that they are based on exactly the same pattern, with noteworthy solutions for the benefit of the driving quality.

Totally delighted

With a number of practical shortcomings, the Alfa Romeo GTV to the masses, but it delights passionate asphalt addicts. Do you have a sense of style? Then try to stay cool at the sight of the inviting sports seats in a beige pinstripe design, very fashionable in the eighties. They grab you by the throat. Get ready for the attack. While you glance with pleasure at the wealth of meters, divided into two sections. Pure nostalgia breathes the wood of the thick sports steering wheel and gear lever. A desirable exception in the plastic era that continues to this day.

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Shorter garage visits

Forget that V6 idea, enjoy the energetic two-liter Nord engine in the front, powered by two double Weber carburetors and with that a generous 130 hp. It only needs to drag 1107 kilograms. And does it with verve, early active and almost cheering when the speed exceeds 4000. We effortlessly suppress the thought of the V6. And when that thought comes up, chilly figures make the difference negligible: ten kilometers more top speed, one second less sprint time from 0 to 100 km / h. The Nord compensates for this difference through shorter garage visits, because its distribution chain lasts forever, where the toothed belt of the six-cylinder engine has a strict replacement period.

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It already slightly shakes the position of the stronger brother, and we haven't even mentioned the handling yet. The Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0 is considerably lighter in the nose and that does not miss its effect. Ridiculously neutral and with the smooth accuracy of an ice dancer, it devours corners, with wonderfully pure and sharp steering that gives you complete confidence. So much grip, such a nice balance, what else can his heavier one do?