The current owner Mario Renato was forced to wait for a long time to truly call the 1971 Montreal “his”, but as his story proves, anticipation makes the heart grow fonder.
Photo by Fabio Fiorentino (IG: @fast_fabio) - English version by Sean Campbel
Mario Renato’s uncle bought this model (Chassis number AR 1425490) in 2001 from a dealership in Turin, with the car only having one previous owner, but this is where the saga begins. Despite paying in advance for the change of ownership paperwork, the particulars were never completed at the time. Alas, Mario’s uncle never took the car further than the garage.
Renato’s uncle grew disillusioned over time, as five years after purchase, still the ownership hadn’t been changed. Tired of the whole affair, he’d decided to sell it, but in order to do so, he requested Renato’s help. The case was brought to an agency in Rome, who promised to register the vehicle and its ownership properly, then sell it on. Alas, yet more setbacks arose around CDPs and annotations in the vehicle registration documents, and they were never able to complete any deal.
Throughout this time, Renato grew more than just fond of the car. He was already a passionate Alfista, but had always refrained from buying one – certain that the restoration needed would be trouble than it was worth.
But this Montreal was a different story. He’d come to know the car inside out, and recognized a health in it that not many of its kind had. Sure, it would need plenty of work, but it was free of rust or any other decay, and had all original parts. To put it simple, this Montreal would scrub up nicely.
In May 2010, Renato’s uncle finally became the car’s official owner, 9 years after buying it. A seemingly endless series of paperwork between the PRA and the DMV eventually got the deal over the line. Still keen to sell, the uncle found the perfect buyer within his own family – Mario Renato.
So began a long and meticulous search for expert restorers, mechanics, bodyworkers, and interior specialists. This car deserved the very best, and it got it. In 2013, it was dispatched to a specialist in Modena’s fabled Motor Valley – Terra dei Motori. A fitting place for the resurrection of a legendary car.
It took two years, but as of 2015, 14 long years after it first entered his family, the completely restored, rejuvenated, resplendent ‘71 Montreal was back where it belonged – in the possession of Mario Renato, with all original parts and that mighty eight cylinder engine intact.
Was it worth the effort? Worth the wait? Worth the pain? Just take a look and try to say no.
1971 Alfa Romeo Montreal
Chassis number: AR 1425490
Color Code: Green AR223
Engine number: AR00564 * 00740
Production date: October 26, 1971
Date of first sale: February 22, 1972 in Como.
R.I.A.R. order number: 1415
Registration A.S.I. Type A group 3 order number 43169.
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