We love our GTV and she loves us back

So we don't get out much with our cars- too many things going on in the past, and now not many places to go.  So our Alfa GTV has been sitting for a while not doing anything.  I started it and drove her probably two years ago, while I was arranging my garage for the Miata reconditioning project.  

But my wife asked what it would take to get it running, so we can go for a weekend drive.  Which I was thinking about too, recently.  Something we can do as the travel restrictions lighten.

Went out, had a nice fresh battery to put it, then turned it on to get fuel flowing.  Check over the car to find any leaks.  Nope.

Cool.

Try to start it- first try, sticky starter does not engage the flywheel...  happens all the time.  Second try, first time the car cranked in two years, and after a few cranks to get fuel into the injectors, it fired right up.

Very cool.

So I keep her running and start wandering around with a flashlight.  Normal light oil gets on the manifolds, and slowly smokes away.  No big deal.  Then I pump up the tires while she warms up.  Keep checking everything, find nothing.

So very cool.

Still have to arrange the driveway to get her out, and make sure all of the correct stickers are on her, but I suspect we go for a spin soon.

What an amazing car, and we love her so much.  And based on her consistent response over the last 24 years we've had her, she loves us right back.  (only twice we've had major issues- one was a bad exhaust the tore up the manifolds, the other was not paying attention to some melted evap lines, and she had a small fire on the track- both I really put to my fault).  Hours and hours of autocrossing and track time- I'm quite confident that if we added up all the time we've sat in her, the gross majority would have been driving as hard as we possibly could.  And she just delivers.

What an amazing car, our GTV is.  She's a keeper.

24 years? It is unusual to keep a car that long in this age of three year leases. 

In reply to alfadriver (Forum Supporter) :

this is the gold car, yes?  such a beautiful car, really well built and well driven as i recall.

also, this thread is severely lacking in pixxors.

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

also, this thread is severely lacking in pixxors.

Can't disagree, but the garage is a mess. So when I pull her out, I'll take plenty of pics.  

Snowdoggie said:

24 years? It is unusual to keep a car that long in this age of three year leases. 

Since '98 we've had one or two lease cars in our fleet. But in addition to the '73 GTV, I also have a 99 Miata that I'm the only owner for. It's the one getting refreshed- I have a build thread for it. 

alfadriver (Forum Supporter) said:

Snowdoggie said:

24 years? It is unusual to keep a car that long in this age of three year leases. 

Since '98 we've had one or two lease cars in our fleet. But in addition to the '73 GTV, I also have a 99 Miata that I'm the only owner for. It's the one getting refreshed- I have a build thread for it. 

I have had my 914 since 1995. Nobody believes I have had her that long. The new Mustang has been getting more attention lately and I feel bad about the Porsche. I was going to make the 914 the track car but people in the PCA told me that a 1.8 litre running with all the newer stuff and the non factory 911 powered 914-6s, I would end up as a back marker. I finally decided the Miata will be the track car. Parts are cheaper and I will have more people to race with. But I am so attached to the 914. We have been through a lot together. I need to get her out this weekend. 

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to alfadriver (Forum Supporter) :

this is the gold car, yes?  such a beautiful car, really well built and well driven as i recall.

Aye, she's a beauty. Eric used to whip my ass in it when I had my RX-7. 

What happened to the old red one you autocrossed before building the gold one?

Ice

Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:

What happened to the old red one you autocrossed before building the gold one?

Wow, if you are talking about my Alfetta, that was a LONG time ago.  So we got the gold GTV in Columbus Feb of '96, and IIRC, I kept the Alfetta for almost a year to make sure the GTV was the right car.  My Alfetta GT being my first car- mom & dad bought it for me for college back in '88.  Did some track events, did some autocrosses, but desired a GTV.  We sold the Alfetta in the spring of '97.  Hadn't heard about the car.

If you are thinking of the red GTV I had, I got that one in '06 to be a vintage race car.  Took me many years to get it going again- autocrossed it once in '12, and by then the fire had gone.  And we managed to sell the car 2 years ago.  To a good onwer who has taken it vintage racing.

For the most part, there hasn't been a build for the gold one- just some upgrades.  The biggest build was a new motor for it back in '98 or '99 (I can't remember when), and she's had that very stout motor ever since.  That's the motor where I question the sanity of most engine swaps into Alfas- as they don't make any sense to me.  The next biggest was the trans when it failed in '96.   But the trans is largely stock, the engine looks stock (cams, pistons/rods, and fuel pump are modified), and suspension.  The suspension will probalby be set back to stock, soon. 

Ines is telling me to take it out tomorrow to fully check it out.  I'll update more then.

If you're looking for a local-ish destination, I'll send you my address.

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

LOL.  (for some reason, when you reply, none of the format features are available, like the emojis.)

We'll probably head west into farm land.

I hate Alfa GTVs. Sure they have understated good looks, fantastic engine, great handling but they always finish in front of me at vintage race weekends. 

OK being serious they are fantastic cars, I remember the first time I saw one on the road and thinking "wow what a fantastic looking car".

At some point you have a car for so long you know you'll never sell it. We've had the Datsun for 36 years now, pretty sure it's staying.

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

also, this thread is severely lacking in pixxors.

plus one here too

Whenever I think of GTVs, I think of this car...

And the under 2.5 litre Trans Am series...

Throw in a 2002 and other good stuff...

let Ines take a spin. 

I've never seen it without the panasports. 

Years ago I used to take my Mk3 Jetta to a foreign car specialist shop when I lived in Regina Saskatchewan (the city that rhymes with fun...) when it needed something I didn't feel like doing myself.  The owner of the shop had a very clean GTV that he had restored and owned for many years.  He said it was a very well built and mostly trouble free car and in the summer it was his daily driver.  I loved the looks of that car and it had a really nice snarl.  Made me a bit of a fan, even though I've never owned one.

When I win the lottery, I'm going to build a collection of late 60s early 70s Trans Am cars.  Big ones as well as little.

GTV will be at the top of the list.

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

I've never seen it without the panasports. 

Not many have.   But between hard and old racing tires, and old softer tires, well...  I really need to get some new tires.