Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT/GTV 1974 – 1986
Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT/GTV 1974 – 1986
The Alfetta saloon was the base for the Alfetta GT, a 2-door, 4-seater fastback coupé designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign. Introduced in 1974, similarly to the saloon it was initially available only with the 1.8-litre (1,779 cc) version of the Alfa DOHC four. These engines featured a chain driven 8-valve twin overhead cam cylinder head of cross-flow design. For 1976, with the final phasing out of the earlier 105 Series (GT 1300 Junior and GT 1600 Junior and 2000 GTV), the Alfetta GT became a range; the 1.8 was discontinued in favour of the 1.6-litre (1,570 cc) Alfetta GT 1.6 and 2.0-litre (1,962 cc) Alfetta GTV 2.0. At the same time some updates were introduced, such as a new front grille with horizontal slats and two series of vents beneath it. The GTV was distinguished from the 1.6 version by twin chrome whiskers in the grille and GTV scripts carved in the ventilation vents on the C-pillar.
In 1979, some minor revisions, including a revised engine with new camshaft profiles and a change to mechanical-and-vacuum ignition advance, saw the 2.0-litre redesignated the Alfetta GTV 2000L. Autodelta also introduced a limited edition 2.0-litre turbocharged model, named Turbodelta, of which 400 were made for FIA Group 4 homologation. This version used a KKK turbocharger which pushed power up to 175 PS (129 kW; 173 hp). The car also received a modified suspension layout. This was the first Italian petrol production car with a turbocharger. The styling of the GTV, while distinctive, can be seen to share many design features derived from the Montreal supercar, as translated down to a simpler and thus more marketable vehicle. Examples of this are the bonnet line, which while briefer, still has 'scallops' for the headlights, and the tail light clusters which resemble those of the Montreal. The door shape is similar, and in a sharing of parts, both vehicles employ the same door handles.