Alfa Romeo Montreal

 Alfa Romeo Owners Club Magazine, August 2008
UK
 
Until now English speaking Montreal enthusiasts have had to make do with magazine articles and mention of the Montreal in more general works of reference. Now, at last, we have an English-language book devoted to this head-turning classic.  Given that slightly fewer than 4000 Montreals were produced between 1970 and 1977, we might have expected a modestly slim volume devoted to this single model which underwent relatively few changes during its production life. Instead, the author Dr Bruce Taylor has come up with an extraordinarily comprehensive tome running to 320 pages. A chartered engineer with 40 years experience in research and development, Bruce Taylor is known to fellow Montreal enthusiasts through his website and forum. He writes with passion, clarity and expert knowledge of his subject.  Laid out clearly and boldly in a style that has become something of a hallmark of Veloce Publishing, the coverage is truly comprehensive, combining the model’s history with everything one might expect to find in a Buyers’ Guide and Maintenance Manual. The story of the car from its birth as a prototype at Montreal’s Expo ‘67 to production, factory manufacturing records and the Montreal’s competition history are fully covered. In addition there are chapters devoted to Buying and Tuning, Mechanical, Electrical and Bodywork maintenance and sorting out known weaknesses. Improving and upgrading the Montreal is also covered.  More surprising but nonetheless welcome are chapters on the Montreal Register Europa and each of the annual gatherings held since 1998, on Montreal books, magazines and models, drawings, art and advertising. In other words this exceptional book is a bible not just for the owner and restorer but for the collector of associated ephemera. There is even a chapter on joining and using the forum. The book rounds off with almost fifty pages of Appendices covering technical characteristics, paint codes, diagrams showing all the necessary tools in use, a Directory of Service Providers and price guide.  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.

VeloceToday.com, August 2008
USA magazine and website
Circulation: 10,000

Who could ask for anything more?  If you owned an Alfa Montreal, you would need only three documents to completely restore the fabled Alfa V8; the factory technical publications, the factory parts book, and 'Alfa Romeo Montreal; The Essential Companion.' In fact, most owners could get away with just the last, as it is one of the most complete, compelling, engaging, colorful and informative books ever published on a single make.  The sheer size and weight induced by a hard cover and 320 glossy color pages was impressive and it was obvious that this was a different kind of companion book. Richly illustrated is an understatement. Well written is taken for granted. Immense depth, covering virtually every single point of the car, is illustrated with both excellent color photos and diagrams as necessary in chapter after chapter. Only suspension and differential are given short shrift, probably because they are typical Alfa parts and extremely robust.  As with most guides, the first chapters deal with the history of the model, and this is done with considerable detail. The author found a shot of one of the Alfa 1967 Montreal cars with its hood open revealing the standard Alfa four cylinders which initially powered the prototypes. The engine, derived from the Alfa 33/2 racing power plant, was so heavily modified for production, “almost no component parts of the Montreal engine are common to the original 33/2 V8.” And, not being able to make a concrete decision on which engine to use, Alfa management told Bertone to change the design in order to accommodate both the four and the much larger and heavier V8. (In the same chapter, the name of Prince Rainier is misspelled; it’s the only error we could find).  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. A full list of Montreal toy models constitutes chapter 12, Montreal advertising and literature, page 249; CD systems, under electrical maintenance, chapter 7; Spica Fuel injection, and oh, there are several types for the Montreal, the CSS, page 92, the BC, page 93, the TC, page 93.  Alfas began to use a greater number of special tools in the seventies, fourteen for the engine, nine for the fuel injection system, and twenty two for the ZF gearbox; for the Montreal the full list is on page 281. 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. Taylor is a Chartered Engineer with a PhD from Edinburgh University. He recently retired from CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva. (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire). CERN’s main area of research is particle physics — the study of the fundamental constituents of matter and the forces acting between them. For Taylor, then, delving into the complexities of the Spica Fuel injection is mere child’s play. The fact that he can write so

Review from Classic & Sports Car, November 2008
UK magazine
 
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 Cars, October 2008
UK magazine
 
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.