Alfa Romeo Montreal - (Essential Companion) by Bruce Taylor (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Classic Reprint of 500 copies

Almost 4000 Alfa Romeo Montreals were produced between 1970 and 1977, and sound cars are readily available today at very affordable prices. It is a powerful car that can be immensely enjoyable to drive and that turns heads wherever it appears. But up to now, the lack of detailed information about the Montreal has frustrated many owners and discouraged others from purchasing the car. This book provides detailed technical information and practical tips to help owners with maintenance, tuning and upgrading the performance of this unique vehicle. It explains how the car's specific weaknesses can be rectified so that it can realise its full potential. It also contains information about Montreal history, production, racing, meetings, reviews, drawings, art, special tools, paint finishes, models, prices and service providers. This comprehensive book can help present owners enjoy the Alfa Romeo Montreal to the fullest, and it shows other discerning car enthusiasts that this beautiful and potent classic GT is a hidden treasure that is well worth seeking.

Review Quotes

Montreal enthusiasts are lucky to have an owner as dedicated as Bruce Taylor. His remarkable 318-page work covers every aspect of Alfa's exotic '70s V8 coupé, from the show car launch to a comprehensive list of worldwide specialists. If you own or are thinking of buying one of these Bertone-styled budget supercars then this book is an essential purchase. In-depth chapters include buying tips, tuning, maintenance and bodywork, plus the car's Achilles' heels, such as weak water-pump bearings, steering-box problems and the fuel-injection system's thermostatic actuator. Taylor's writing is clear and thorough as he guides readers through the design, its problems and improvements. A wealth of photographs superbly illustrates all points. To balance the technical section, Taylor also looks at Montreals in motor sport, including the wild Autodelta Group 4 car, the Bobcar IMSA racer, a Dutch dirt-track machine and even powerboats with Montreal power. Capping it all are the final chapters covering miniatures, printed memorabilia, factory tools and the original styling drawings. A staggering effort born of the obsessive author's pioneering website and the assistance of fellow Montreal owners. " Classic Sports Car

A useful but rather pricey reference book for anyone wanting to know all things Montreal, this 315-page volume does its best to cover model history, buying, maintaining, improving and even racing this exotic machine. All the photography is in color and you're left in no doubt as to what should go where or how a Montreal should look. A good starting point for anyone wanting to familiarize themselves with one of Alfa's most distinctive cars. " Classic Cars

The more we read of the book, the deeper it went. The author appears to have missed nothing; Paint codes, Appendix II; injection tune up, a full chapter; weak spots, how to spot and correct, in full color, chapter 5. Rocker switches, how to repair, page 136. Mechanical maintenance is given its own long and profusely illustrated chapter, written by someone who has been there and done that more than once. The author also provides great photos ... to give an idea of how functionally equivalent substitute tools can be fabricated ... This is followed by 24 pages of factory tool drawings! Now that's the kind of information we like to read about!!! Just a cursory glance told us this was a very special book. Who was the Merlin that put all of this together? The photographs, though many are obvious home brewed, are excellent throughout no matter what the source. The author explains clearly the foibles of the V8, how to do everything from set the valve clearances to replace bad bearings in the timing cover. He does it all while covering Montreals made for Europe, Great Britain and the US. It was time to read the back flap.Author Bruce Taylor lives in Switzerland. He devotes a large part of his time helping Montreal owners get the most from their cars. The fact that he can write so to make others understand is an added pleasure. Don't be put off, or on, by the cover. It's a bit of a fooler; an attractive model with mesh stockings sits provocatively on the hood of a Montreal. We didn't mind this, but the complexities, depth, and sheer intensity of the material behind the cover is betrayed by the lightness of the cover material. In short, a detailed cutaway of the Alfa V8 engine would have been more in keeping with the book's depth and excellence. Alas, far less attractive. There are two downsides to this incredible book; one is the cost, about $130 US. The other is that if you buy the book without already owning a Montreal, you may be very tempted, encouraged and excited about going out and finding a good Montreal. And that, my friend, will cost you a great deal more than just the book. " VeloceToday.com

The whole book is very comprehensively illustrated with 950 color and monochrome pictures, the vast majority of which will be unfamiliar to UK readers. It is nice to see pictures of the interior of the prototype courtesy of Alfa Romeo and Bertone, pictures which fail to make most other books and articles. There are relatively few pictures of UK registered cars which may disappoint some of our own Register owners but I did spot a whole page devoted to the restoration of Phil Robinson's MFK 592P and a photo of the car elsewhere, taken at Goodwood by Ken Carrington. The Racing Chapter shows a black and white picture of Jon Dooley punishing the Alfa GB demonstrator at Silverstone and rare shots of the prototype Montreal-engined Alfetta GT which had an engine stretched to 3.0 liters, along with a 2.6-litre production engined version of which a handful were marketed in Germany. Interesting stuff. A really decent Montreal book has been a long time coming but not only is this one well worth the wait, it's in English. Perhaps the greatest compliment one can pay this book is that it may finally lay to rest the myth that the Montreal is a temperamental beast which is expensive and difficult to maintain. The Montreal has long suffered an undervalued reputation. This book may go a long way to right the balance. " Alfa Romeo Owners Club Magazine

About the Author

Bruce Taylor is a Chartered Engineer with a PhD from Edinburgh University, and has 40 years of practical experience in research and development work. Since retiring from CERN (The European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva, Switzerland), he has devoted his experience and energy to helping owners of the Alfa Romeo Montreal get the most from their cars. In addition to a Montreal website, he runs a forum which has handled over 32,000 messages from Montreal owners. Bruce is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and also authored the Montreal technical bible Alfa Romeo Montreal. He writes with clarity, enthusiasm and expert knowledge about all the major aspects of this elegant, powerful, and yet very affordable, classic GT. He lives in Chardonne, Switzerland.