Rare 1971 Alfa Romeo GTV Spent 40 Years in a Barn, Gets Rescued for Restoration

Uncovered by YouTube's "RC Classic Garage," this Italian coupe spent a whopping 40 years in storage. The vehicle was driven into the barn in the mid-1980s, and the owner moved abroad. As a result, it hasn't been touched ever since. Sadly, the GTV is in an advanced state of decay after four decades of neglect, but our host is confident that it can be brought back to its former glory.

Fortunately, even though the body is covered in moss and grime, there's no catastrophic rust in sight. Our host also says the structure seems solid, which is great news for a vehicle that sat for this long. The interior is actually surprisingly nice, with no signs of severe damage. It looks like the two-tone upholstery will spring back to life with a deep cleaning.

The odometer shows 69,000 miles (111,045 km), which isn't a lot for a car that spent some 15 years on the road. Moreover, the existing documentation states the engine was rebuilt at 53,000 miles (85,295 km). It's practically brand-new, though it may be locked up after four decades without a sip of gasoline. The troublesome five-speed manual was also rebuilt at 44,000 miles (70,811 km).

This Alfa is also a somewhat rare classic. The Italian company introduced the 105/155 series in 1963, while the 1750 GT Veloce version arrived in 1967. A replacement for the Giulia Sprint GT Veloce, the 1750 GTV's main highlight was the bigger 1.8-liter twin-cam inline-four engine. The unit was rated 120 horsepower and 137 pound-feet (186 Nm) of torque.

A revised chassis with new geometry, an anti-roll bar, and bigger disc brakes improved the GTV's handling. Autodelta, Alfa Romeo's racing department, produced a race-spec GTAm version based on the 1750 GTV (with up to 237 horsepower).

Although Alfa Romeo introduced the revised 2000 GTV in 1971, the 1975 GTV remained in production through 1972. The company sold 44,269 units in six years. It's unclear how many were built in 1971, but there can't be too many right-hand-drive units out there.

Fortunately, the GTV is now in good hands. Our host is a big Alfa Romeo guy and has already restored a 1969 GTV and a 1967 Duetto Spider. Both were initially found in similar conditions.

The 1750 GTV is a sought-after classic nowadays. According to classic.com, restored 1967-to-1972 examples have sold for an average of $48,391 in recent years. Highly original 1971 coupes can fetch over $50,000 at public auction. Hit the play button below to see this one emerge out of the barn after 40 years.