Italian Icon, Reengineered: Alfa Romeo GTV Restomod
The Alfa Romeo GTV is widely regarded as one of the most iconic Italian sports coupes of the 1960s and 1970s. Developed as part of Alfa Romeo’s celebrated 105/115 series, the GTV combined elegant Bertone styling with advanced engineering, making it instantly recognisable decades after its release. The lightweight construction and agile handling made it a formidable competitor in motorsports, particularly in touring car racing. Today, the Alfa Romeo GTV has become a natural choice for restomod projects. Thanks to its balance of timeless design and driver-focused engineering, it can seamlessly blend Alfa Romeo styling with modern performance, reliability, and driveability. Our client wanted to upgrade their GTV whilst maintaining its original character. This article will provide a deep dive into the restomod process and outline the work carried out by our specialist restoration technicians.
This 1975 Alfa Romeo GTV typically houses a 2.0-litre twin-cam inline-four engine, constructed from aluminium and featuring twin overhead camshafts. It produces 130 bhp, reaches a top speed of around 120mph and goes from 0-60 mph in 9.0 seconds. To improve the GTV’s power, responsiveness, and overall driving character, we upgraded to a high-performance engine. The engine was stripped down and fully rebuilt to the client’s specifications. This includes high-compression pistons, which increase the engine’s efficiency and power output by allowing a more forceful combustion process. The new pistons were added along with performance camshafts to optimise valve timing to improve airflow. The cylinder head has also been ported and refined, allowing the engine to breathe more effectively and deliver improved power and throttle response. To further enhance the engine’s character, a lightened flywheel has been fitted, which allows the engine to rev more freely and respond more sharply to driver inputs. Together, these upgrades transform the GTV's performance, with the new high-performance engine and fuel injection system producing an impressive 185 bhp, an increase of more than 40% over the original factory output.
Along with upgrading to a high-performance engine, we fully redesigned the engine bay. This redesign provides our client with a more functional and visually appealing engine bay. This was achieved by hiding the wiring, which was done by routing them through the inner panels, along with relocating the battery, washer bottle and fuel components to the boot. This also provides better weight distribution. Furthermore, we removed any visual clutter with minimal hoses and exposed wiring. This redesign provides our client with many other benefits, such as providing cleaner airflow around the engine, easier maintenance access and a show-quality finish.
In addition, as the Alfa Romeo GTV is now 60 years old, some of the features need updating to remain reliable on the road. To achieve this, we removed the carburettors and replaced them with a modern fuel injection system controlled by an ECU. This improves cold starting, fuel efficiency and easier tuning & mapping. A fully custom wiring loom was installed, designed for modern load demand, increasing reliability, easier diagnostics and cleaner installation. Some other upgrades include the installation of a stainless-steel exhaust system to complement the upgraded intake system and improve exhaust gas flow efficiency. This increases power, especially at higher RPM and enhanced engine efficiency. The upgraded exhaust system will also produce a sharper, more aggressive tone, which helps retain the Alfa’s character.
Additionally, we fully rebuilt the original 5-speed gearbox. This involved installing new synchros, replacing all the bearings and seals and refining the linkage for smoother gear changes and improved reliability under increased power. We also installed a 2-litre rear axle with Quaife LSD with a limited-slip disc to help prevent one wheel spinning on low-grip surfaces. Some of the benefits include stronger traction out of corners, more predictable handling under acceleration and better use of increased engine power. Another way we transformed this restomod to improve corner stability was by lowering the ride height to reduce the centre of gravity. This means the GTV will have sharper turn-in, a more planted feel at speed and a visually more aggressive stance.
To further improve this Alfa Romeo GTV’s engineering, we installed Bilstein dampers and uprated springs to reduce body roll, better weight transfer control and improved damping consistency. Additionally, we installed larger, lightweight alloy wheels to increase grip and improve braking and cornering.
Another key upgrade we undertook on this Alfa Romeo restomod restoration was the installation of a big brake kit. This includes larger diameter discs, ventilated discs and modern multi-piston callipers offering increased thermal capacity, reduced brake fade under repeated use, and more consistent braking performance. Overall, this provides the driver with more confidence at higher speeds, better pedal modulation and a stronger initial bite.
In addition to the engineering upgrades, we carefully selected a range of exterior and interior design modifications to further enhance this Alfa Romeo GTV. One of the exterior design modifications was custom lighting on the front indicators and rear reversing lights. Along with this exterior design modification, the interior had a dashboard conversion, backdating the dashboard to an earlier-style GT dash to create that period-correct feel and to add more character and charm to the restomod.
Overall, the final result of this Alfa Romeo restomod build is a meticulously crafted GTV with modern engineering enhancements to improve reliability, drivability and handling whilst staying true to its original, iconic aesthetic. If you are looking to upgrade your Alfa Romeo, please contact us with confidence. Call us on 0115 926 2266 or email us at info@alficina.com.