Alfa Romeo received a tremendous honor in late 1966 when it was selected to create a conceptual exhibit of man’s aspiration for the automobile at the 1967 International and Universal Exposition, held in Montreal. Alfa assigned coachwork duties to Bertone, and the project was spearheaded by Marcelo Gandini, the young designer who had leapt to the forefront of the automotive imagination with the Lamborghini Miura.

Two identical prototypes were prepared for the exhibition, and Gandini did not disappoint. Channelling many of the same cues that made the Miura so innovative, the new Alfa was wide and low with a shark-like nose extending through a curved fender and shoulder haunches into a truncated tail. The headlight “blinds” and stacked horizontal vents on the C-pillar were attractive, as well as futuristic in concept.

Strong customer interest prompted Alfa to develop a production version, which continued to be based on the respected 105 Series chassis, as with the Expo show cars. A new direction was taken for the model’s engine, however. Discarding the 105’s standard twin-cam inline-four, Alfa’s engineers installed a modified version of the competition-pedigreed V-8 from the Tipo 33 Stradale prototype race car. Featuring aluminium alloy construction, dual overhead-cam actuation, and a dry-sump lubrication system, the advanced racing engine provided the new production model with nearly unprecedented power for an Alfa road car.

Just 3,925 examples of the appropriately named Montreal were built between 1971 and 1975. The landmark design on the resume of the great Marcelo Gandini features one of Alfa Romeo’s most legendary motors, and the Montreal has arguably grown to be Milan’s most iconic road car of the 1970s.

This Montreal was manufactured on the 29th October 1973 and sold on the 6th November 1973 to Alfa Romeo Belgium, Brussels. In 2015, the Montreal was acquired by the consignor, who decided to have the car fully restored. The engine was entirely rebuilt by a French marque specialist, the body restored and repainted in the original AR 826 “Oro Metallizzato”. The brakes and suspension were also upgraded to Alfaholics fast road specifications with four-piston calipers in the front and a handling kit comprising bigger anti roll bar, specific springs and shock absorbers.

After being driven in for 2,000 km, the consignor entrusted the renown Alfa Romeo Montreal specialists at Super Engineering Ltd to further improve and correct all details to make this car near perfect. This Montreal is now ideally suited for driving pleasure, while still remaining show-worthy in presentation.