1986 Alfa Romeo GTV Reviews, Pricing & Specs

This Alfa Romeo GTV-6 is the last model of the 116 series before they moved to the 75 platform. At first glance, you appreciate the styling. The flared wheel arches, the sleek lines and of course, the bulge on the bonnet which instantly suggest that the car has the 2.5 litre V6 engine which produces 160 BHP at 5600 rpm. And when you look on the inside, the style continues with leather seats that hug you as you recline and dials that are easy to read and use. But the magic really begins with the ignition. Turn on the motor, you get blessed a sound that's crisp and raspy as an Italian engine should sound. What's more incredible is the way the delivers the power. Now, I know that 160 horse power may not seem much in todays standards, and it's not especially fast in the straights either. 0-100 takes about 8 seconds. But when you need to turn in a corner, this thing handles like nothing else. with a near 50-50 weight distribution, torsion bars, stiffened supension, ventillated brakes and the 16x7 tyres as standard, the car carves its way through corners while keeping all the power on the road. The key to the weight distribution is the placement of the gearbox, which is placed between the two rear wheels. The result is full confidence in any corner that the car encounters, Minimal body roll from the chassis and instant response from the engine. So are there any foyables with this car?? I am afraid to say, yes there is. A big one. It comes in the from of rust. Alfa Romeo always had a reputation of building beatiful cars which ended up as a heap of rotted sheets of metal. And none more eager to rust more than the Alfetta's. The problem was during the production. Alfa Romeos built the car then painted it without applying the primer and base coat first in effort to save time and cost. And the problems didn't stop there. The electrics also had a tendancy to play up leaving a lot of Alfa customers unsatisfied to say the least. Fortunately for me, The car that I have hasn't had a lot of rust and the electrics hasn't played up. If you are looking for A Alfetta, its a good idea to look at areas that aren't easily seen or looked at often. I've seen Alfa's that looked good at first, but upon closer inspection at the window frames and engine bay - especially where the bonnet is hinged, there was rust. Those negatives aside, It's hard to hate this car. Sure there were cars at the same time with similar design, but none captured the style quite as well as the Italians. Nor can they match the aural extacy that the engine produces. If you are looking for a car that sounds awesome, handles excellently and most importantly, turns heads, this is the one to own. When properly maintained, this car will always make you smile =)Dec 26, 2007