1982-1986 Alfa Romeo GTV6
Average asking price*: $9,300
Collector status: Buy and drive
alfa_gtv6
Photo by Jay Ramey – originally published Autoweek August 5, 2014

As anticipation builds for Alfa Romeo’s return to the US in 2015 with its sensational 4C, there’s a renewed allure for the legendary marque. When Alfa Romeo pulled out of the US in 1995 as part of parent company Fiat’s exodus, it’s only offering was the 164, which simply could not compete with Mercedes-Benz, BMW and the Japanese luxury brands, despite what may be one of the best V6 engines ever made. The Spider left a couple years earlier and with that, Alfa’s sports car presence in the US came to an end. When journalists and others say that to be a true petrolhead, one must own or have at some point owned an Alfa Romeo, they’re likely referring to the Alfas that came before this. A shining example is the GTV6. An evolution of the Alfetta GTV—which itself was the successor to the now iconic 105/115 Series GTV—the GTV6 is pure Alfa. At its heart is a sublime Busso V6 wrapped in a Giugiaro-designed body that, despite nearing its 10th year at the GTV6’s introduction, still looked fresh and continues to have a timeless Italian aesthetic today. A buffalo-hide Recaro interior, silky gearbox, and nicely balanced suspension make for a drive that evokes passion beyond the sum of its parts. And then there’s the sound. A glorious note that makes a 2.5-litre V-6 crescendo to an oratorio akin to anything coming from Maranello at the time. As a whole, the Alfa Romeo GTV6 feels like it should cost a lot more. In the almost 30 years since they were last sold in the States, rust, mechanical breakdown and other forms of decay have created a natural selection. For the most part, the fittest have survived and values today range from around $2,000 for a restorable project to the low teens for a properly maintained, well-sorted example. Long term, there were too many produced to have E30 M3-type collectibility (with the exception of the limited-production Balocco and Maratona editions), but they will continue to gain in value—particularly as the return of Alfa Romeo creates more mindshare—whilst being thoroughly enjoyed.