Our very own "barn find"...

[pancho]

Keep up the great work Evan!

[Evan Bottcher]

Another thread re-boot.  Bruno has been busy, with lots of work gone into the 1750GTV over the last few months.  The rear quarter windows are in with a myriad of little trim screws and bits and pieces, the rear seats, more dynamat, the rear trims inside.  Now ready for carpet to go in with an extra layer of glued underlay.  We looked at the black carpet set I ordered in 2011 (!) and decided that we could do better - have ordered from Classic Alfa what should be the correct dark grey for the 1750 GTV.

[Evan Bottcher]

More photos - quality isn't great, I need to drag the SLR down to the workshop again.

The centre consoles are together with new timbers and silver plastic edging.  The interior on the 1750GTV is one of my favourites of any car, so it's very nice to see these done.

[Paul Gulliver]

Evan , not sure on how slavishly you are following originality . One compromise on my 105 for 21 st century  usability  was fitting inertia reel seat belts for the front . The inertia reel part of the belt can be hidden in the rear side panel and then exit out the rear passenger ashtray ( whilst still retaining the ashtray fascia) . Vivian Hyrons @ the then 105 factory did mine and it is very neat. You forget how untidy and messy non inertia reel  seat belts are. 

[Evan Bottcher]

(Thanks Gully!  Sorry forgot to reply)

Here's the carpets fitted.  The steering wheel is just a placeholder.  The glass and lots of minor brightwork is fitted now.

Looking good to be driven this year, I'm finally able to say

The car turns 50 on 21st December, and I'm hoping Fi and I can take it for a drive to a nice winery and toast it's birthday 

[aggie57]

Very nice Evan.  Is it still at Bruno's?  I'm down in September, would be good to see progress first hand.

[Evan Bottcher]

Yep, still at Maranello - I think Bruno is enjoying putting it together very much! All clean parts...

[aggie57]

Yep, still at Maranello - I think Bruno is enjoying putting it together very much! All clean parts...

Ha ha!  It's about the same age as AROCA 😊

[Evan Bottcher]

Time to bring this thread up to date...

Okay so not a lot happened on the GTV project for a couple of years as we focused on other Alfa-related projects and life in general got busy.  The interior fit out slowly trickled along in the workshop in the background here and there during 2018 and 2019.

[Evan Bottcher]

Then suddenly 2020 and the global pandemic gripped the world, and Bruno suddenly had a bit more spare time and because I was locked inside I also wasn't distracting him with any of my other projects. The GTV project got a sudden acceleration.

[Evan Bottcher]

All those fiddly polished stainless bits!

[Evan Bottcher]

And so in September 2020, we brought our baby home – fully complete and on a club permit and ready to drive.

[Evan Bottcher]

It arrived with us during the 'ring of steel' lockdown here in Melbourne, and we've only done a few short jaunts out of town in that time. I haven't even managed to get it somewhere nice for a proper photo shoot. It is LOVELY to drive, everything I'd hoped for as everything is renewed and refreshed and tight.

Hopefully over the coming months things will return to more of a sense of normal, and we'll be out and about more in this car in club events and such.

This is the end of a long enjoyable chapter of restoration. Now we can enjoy the car in the next chapter of driving and exploring.

[bazzbazz]

Very "shmick" and a credit to all involved.

Just one thing, can anyone explain why they chose to have the tail pipe stick out at an angle like that? 

Just looks odd.

[GTV-074]

Nice work Evan, congrats on the resto and the journey.

Time to enjoy it now before the petrol runs out!

Cheers.