So often it’s the open-topped cars that we cast in our road-trip fantasies. And why not? It’s hard to imagine a better metaphor for the freedom and romance of the open highway than a convertible with its top down, inviting the wind to blow through our hair and the sun to caress our skin.
In many ca…
In the early 1970's my buddy's wife (now long time ex) was driving across Canada in a 1750 GTV with the twin webers. It broke down in some out of the way hick town on the prairies along the trans Canada highway. Local mechanic told her that it would take several days to get parts shipped in from Calgary. She was in a hurry to get to Vancouver so told the mechanic "give me $400. and its yours". He paid and she caught a bus.
My '73 remains one of my favorite cars I've owned. What a sweet car and in my opinion, a much better driver than any of my Spiders. Once the Spica was sorted and an electronic distributor added, it was fairly reliable too. So much fun to throw around and drive sideways. 
racerdave600 wrote: My '73 remains one of my favorite cars I've owned. What a sweet car and in my opinion, a much better driver than any of my Spiders. Once the Spica was sorted and an electronic distributor added, it was fairly reliable too. So much fun to throw around and drive sideways.
+1, and we have no plans on getting rid of my Gold car. One of the most fun cars I've ever owned.
But if anyone is interested in racing one of these, I have a race car for sale.
It's a '74.
Alfadriver, tell me more about the race car you have for sale.
Tim Suddard wrote: Alfadriver, tell me more about the race car you have for sale.
It's a '74 GTV that was previously used as a ITB car in Pennsylvania, and I bought it back in 2005. It was not as nice as I hoped, and it took quite a few years to work through it. Almost got done for the 2007 Convention here in Detroit, but didn't. Finally finished the work in 2012 enough to autocross it once.
Then minor skin cancer was the beginning of the end of my racing.
The engine is a well warmed over ITB motor- with cams and intake from an Alfa specialist in Florida. I've never tuned it or dyno'd it, but it's considerably faster than my gold car- between the higher power and lighter weight. The trans is a semi-close box with lightened gears, which is a pretty popular conversion.
Suspension is Orion Engineering- extended front spindles, rear mounted sway bar, springs all around. Rear is stock geometry, but I have fabricated a panhard bar + a new trailing link set up.
The rear axle is an odd ball 4.78 ratio. And I have a 4.10 to go with it.
Since it's been a while, the issues list has grown a little- the clutch needs redone, and I'm sure the safety items have dated out- fuel cell bladder and harness.
I have many spares to go along with it- enough to make another powertrain.
I have a soft spot for these cars; beyond the obvious good looks I had one of my favorite race battles with a driver of one during a Alfa Datsun Porsche shootout race. Great sound from the twin cam coupled with excellent handling made it pretty hard not to admire. I still had the 1171cc in the Datsun at that time so was pretty much a lost cause on my part. I actually like these more than any spider.
Perhaps we'll see a GTV race car project in a future issue.......ring ring Hello Tim it's your addiction calling.
I've always loved these coupes, especially the early step-noses. From what I've seen, they seem to be more reliable under track conditions than the 2002tii
In reply to Tom1200:
That future can be sooner rather than later. 
had one way back in 1977-78... mine was a 1971, the fuel injection having been replaced with a set of Webers.... the car had worn out valve seals.... any time you took a left hand sweeper... the cloud behind the car was impenetrable 
It got rear ended by a 73 Impala, and the whole trunk folded under the car 
Driving position was not the best.....
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