FROM DREAM TO REALITY, THE ALFA ROMEO MONTREAL

While leafing through an old book I came across in a shared exterior bookcase, I discovered the mythical Alfa Romeo MONTREAL, prior to which I had no clue existed until that moment. I placed a call to a good friend who then put me in touch with Mr. Germain Cornet; a passionate European car enthusiast and owner of a pristine example of the iconic Alfa Romeo MONTREAL. As I was learning about a car named after the city that I have been calling home for more than twenty years, a new world opened up to me, a microcosm of the Alfistis; those inveterate followers of the Milanese brand.

As a loyal ambassador for Alfa Romeo, Germain Cornet, a vintage car enthusiast and automobile collector, has owned 16 of the brand’s models, with the MONTREAL being the 14th Alfa in his care.  Germain had been dreaming about this model for a long time. “It’s nostalgia. This car came out when I was 18 years old. At that age, it was a car that was out of reach for me, like a Ferrari or Lamborghini at the time. It’s a dream that has always stayed with me.”

His desire to own one resurfaced while he was working on a contract in the United States.   There in a parking lot stood a red MONTREAL, and one glance was all it took to rekindle his youthful dream.  Two years would go by before lady luck would smile down on him, when in 2005 ownership would become a reality.  This particular MONTREAL which was located in North Carolina, was not only priced correctly and in acceptable condition, it was an unmolested original example from 1971; one of the 3925 examples manufactured from 1970 to 1977. Keep in mind that the total number of cars produced varies from one source to another. Although it bears the name of an North American Metropolis, the MONTREAL would never be sold in the New World, as it did not meet the emission controls set by the US and Canada.

 MUSCLE CAR À L’ITALIENNE

Designed by Marcello Gandini, the renowned designer of the iconic Lamborghini Miura, the MONTREAL is best described as an Italian muscle car “a racing engine in an evening gown.” Refined and less rudimentary than its American contemporaries, it is equipped with “extremely sophisticated mechanics for the time. Its small 2.6l V8 220hp engine must be well tuned. It takes good specialized mechanics.” But this unique knowledge is slowly disappearing. These artisans; the mechanics, painters, coach-builders, metalworkers and other craftsmen skilled in the methods of the Italian workshops of the 1950s, are becoming increasingly scarce.  “My car wouldn’t be on the road today without the internet” said Germain Cornet. “The parts were sourced from England, New Zealand and Germany, everywhere but Italy.” Cornet’s MONTREAL took nine months to restore, as he insisted on perfection and nothing less.

His efforts were rewarded in 2007, when he was invited by Alfa Romeo to enter his car at the Concours d’Elegance in Meadowbrook, Michigan. There he obtained a score of 94.6 and took first place in his class. The MONTREAL was honored at the event, as it was the first Alfa Romeo model to be powered by an 8-cylinder engine, making it the precursor of the 8C Competizione. When the 8C was first unveiled as a concept car in 2003, it was inspired by the 1948 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Competizione, which won the prestigious Mille Miglia race twice. Officially launched in 2007, the 8C produced in only 500 units marked the return of the italian brand into the North American market.

 EXPO 67

At the 1967 World’s Fair in Montreal (Expo 67), the Milan-based company was the only automobile manufacturer to present a prototype. With barely 9 months to design, develop and build a new model to illustrate man’s progress in engineering during the 20th century, the Italian constructor created a dream car adapted to everyday driving. With its Bertone-signed body sitting on a Giulia Sprint GT chassis and originally equipped with a 4-cylinder engine borrowed from the Giulia 1600TI, the result was a car graced with a sleek, elegant and sporty line. A masterpiece of design signed Marcello Gandini, then only 29 years old.  The two pearl white prototypes, whose image is endlessly reflected in the mirrors of the “Man at Work” Pavilion, became so popular that Alfa Romeo decided to mass-produce the car under the name MONTREAL, in honor of the booming Quebec metropolis that unveiled it to the world.