2002 Alfa Romeo GTV T Spark Lusso *Sold £2,850*

Description

• 2.0-litre 16 valve Twin Spark 
• Superb Italian sports car 
• Good condition 
• MOT’d to February 2024
• Great value in the market right now 

Some cars you just know you’re going to enjoy. An Alfa Romeo GTV is one of them. Open the door and it is pure Italian indulgence. Drop yourself down into the superb tan coloured leather seats and naturally everything is just there. The gear knob of the five-speed gearbox, the steering wheel, the pedals, all just right. Just give yourself a couple of minutes to soak it all up.  

Then fire it up. At idle it’s as smooth as satin. Blip the throttle and an orchestra of mechanical components operating in perfect harmony burst out from under the bonnet.  

Alfa teased the public by showing the 916 at the Paris motor show in 1994. Everyone loved it. Alfa officially launched the GTV at the Geneva show in 1995 and sales began the same year. It was a great success from the off. 

A facelift came along in 1998 and in 2000 a further revamp took place. The GTVs were the last Alfa Romeo cars made at the Arese plant, which closed moving production to Pininfarina, at its Giorgio Canavese plant in Turin, in October 2000. This is one of those last GTVs. 

Outside 

One of the best looking sportscars, surely? The GTV styling is unmistakably Alfa Romeo. That trademark triangular grille. Those distinctive twin circular headlamps. The stubby, dynamic tail, all unquestionably an Italian sports car. 

• Impressive Red paintwork (what else on an Alfa) in good condition 
• Light signs of wear, in keeping with the car’s low mileage & age 
• The glasswork, lamps, badges etc, are in good condition  
• The car is sitting on its original five-pot alloys 
• Colour coded bumpers 

Mechanicals 

Alfas are all about the driving experience. The Alfa GTV delivers that experience in spades. There are no viscous couplings, limited-slip diffs, or clever electronics to control or dull the driver inputs. The only traction control is you and your right foot. 

Twist the key and listen as the crisp 2.0-litre 16v Twin Spark crackles into life.  

• Cam belt replaced “less than 3,000 miles ago” – invoice is in the gallery
• With our vendor since 2014 
• A nice tidy handful of invoices for various works done 
• Both of the above are really good signs 
• In the last decade the GTV has being doing only 1,000 miles per year 
• New exhaust at just under £400 fitted recently 

Don’t let the ‘pub bore’ tell you the 2.0-litre Twin Spark isn’t the one to buy. Fire up the Twin Spark and its crackle is exactly what you’d expect from a car wearing the famous Alfa badge. Alfa Romeo upgrades to the Fiat designed engine included: 

• Variable-length inlet tract to maximise both high-speed power and low-speed torque 
• A pair of counter-rotating balance shafts to counteract secondary vibrations 
• The Press commented at the time that these mods made it as smooth as a comparable six-cylinder unit 
• Max power: 150 bhp at 6400 rpm 
• 0-62 mph: 8.4 secs 
• Max speed: 131 mph 

Our vendor tells us this Alfa GTV drives “perfectly”. He has also advised that the balance shaft belt was checked and replaced this month too.

Interior 

Open the door and the kick-plate bears the legend ‘Alfa Romeo’. The cowled instruments are a throwback to the 105-Series GTVs of the 1960s. The angled dials in the centre console all point at the driver. The overall impression is terrific. The offset driving position is all retro and harks back to Alfas of old. A great touch. 

• Lusso spec trim 
• Two keys – including Red Master keys 
• Both sure signs of good ownership 
• Front electric windows 
• Power assisted steering 
• Steering wheel rake and reach adjustment 
• CD changer in the boot 
• Face-off radio 
• Alfa Book Pack 
• Air Conditioning

Our view 

Recent sales of Alfa GTVs suggest the market is turning and now recognising the value of these classics.  

• Long term ownership 
• Good condition 
• Good history/invoice 

To quote the vendor: “it drives perfectly”.  

To quote CAR magazine from the time; “It’s a precise driver’s car this Alfa. Slice into a turn and the nose goes precisely where you want it to. Pour on the power and it simply hauls itself out on the exact line. Next corner, try even harder, get on the power sooner…. but the line stays the same. Back off now and the GTV tucks in neatly and benignly. And if you brake when cornering, it’ll drift its tail round like a Clio Williams” 

We’re not sure how much more fun a classic car can be, to be honest. Grab one of these great value Alfa GTVs whilst you still can.