1971 Alfa Romeo Montreal - Jay Leno’s Garage

[@pspiegel2]

This car was displayed in Montreal in 1967 at Expo 67, the Montreal World's Fair. I saw it there. I was 11. I fell in love!

[@steveprudell9976]

Yes my fav Alltime looks better than anyother

[@matthewgodwin3050]

This isn't a Supercar, it a piece of pure Art. It's beautiful, utterly beautiful.

[@danilo16410]

It represents the beauty of an era. Look at the depressing roads of today, all the car are gloomy gray, black or at best white, with all the passengers prisoners in them.

[@danielj1063]

Such a treat to "put through the curves"

[@astropilotred]

Nothing like a 70’s US Muscle car seems so much more

[@philhawley1219]

I had an Alfa in 1971.I was 9years old and my birthday cake was in the shape of a Montreal! British Racing Green icing. At that time my family owned three Alfa's so I grew up loving those beautiful little rust buckets.

[@MegaSLIPKNOTMASTER]

That front end is astonishing and that sound is just awesome. Alfa Romeo has made many magical cars and this is one of them.

[@benitomgomez3290]

Before Fiat,, !

[@WarriorsPhoto]

I agree with your wording, "magical". Yes this car was that.

[@madoxmad]

@@asr1143 fiat kind of screwed the alfas in terms of development after buying the company. they've become a little dull and unreliable. so they say

[@WITTYFAM]

This is a perfect example of an older car with weird styling that is now excepted as very awesome. I love the weird ones and that goes for people too -As long as they love to work good.

[@cristca-221]

Benito M Gómez The new Giulia (952) is an amazing car too.

[@flymdjets]

Love it when it's just Jay by himself in the car.

[@itsallcrook6309]

I agree. It's much more focused on the car without the extra waffling. My first recollection of the Montreal was watching Michael Caine driving one around in 'The Marseilles Contract'. The stunt driving sequences were actually by Remy Julienne along with a Porsche 911...

[@fiouable]

It'sall Crook I doubt it . He was never sober.

[@thom-mark6443]

I know Jay has the ultimate collection, but this is the one I'm truly envious of.

[@giandomenicoriggi2528]

he doesnt own this one! this car belong to a collector club rental

[@andykerr3803]

There is a stolen one in Russia... The legal owner is Mr Quinto in Montréal. Go for it! It's orange also... Bit of history there. I'm sure you could get it shipped back with minimal purchase, if it is possible.

[@GoredonTheDestroyer]

Easily one of the nicest sounding V8s ever constructed. Alfa Romeo knocked it out of the park with the Montreal.

[@danielwetzel3272]

GoredonTheDestroyer and to think it’s only 2.6L

[@madchad77]

sounds amazing

[@dazaspc]

They sound great but are a genuine night mare. I have done a water pump on one once and swore I would only ever do another if I owned the car.

[@nickvanwijk1055]

@RJ mi That is the worst thing you can do. It's like castrating a prize bull

[@tonybooth4]

@RJ mi lol, thank god I read that

[@musiccylinderK6]

Since I know a bit about the Montreal, having been lucky enough to drive one for a while, I'll correct a few minor things that Mr. Leno said in this video and add a few bits of info. As usual: great content, it's a pleasure to listen to him talk, he is very knowledgeable but one can't expect anyone to know every detail of every car he gets to talk about and drive! So here goes. The engine is not a 3.0L, it's a 2.6L (Jay said it correctly in the video, but the video description is wrong), producing around 200hp, a little less than what was claimed. It is a bespoke engine, derived from the 2.0L V8 in the 33 (check out the 33 Stradale, arguably one of the most beautiful cars ever made, extremely rare as only about 17 were ever produced) with higher capacity, lower compression and crossplane instead of flatplane crankshaft, amongst other things. Although it does rev relatively high (not as high as the 33 one), it's a very elastic and quite torque-y engine (not american V8 muscle big displacement torque, of course). The wheel are not original, although the design of these ones is somewhat reminiscent of the original "Millerighe" ( = thousand lines) they are very different and, I suspect, a little smaller in radius. The car appears to sit a bit lower than a stock one, it does look mean and purposeful! Probably something was done to the suspension set-up, making it less wallowy than a stock version. The front splitter shouldn't have that cutout in the middle, the lower lip should be straight. Of course, many/most of the things Mr. Leno talked about are correct. Concerning the SPICA (pronounced "speeka") fuel injection, Jay is absolutely spot on: they work fantastically when properly tuned, but few people back then, and even fewer people today, knew how to properly work on them. The NACA duct is fake, as he mentioned, but there is an additional reason other than the stylistic one for it to be there. The prototype presented in 1967 at the Montréal Expo had the classic DOHC I4 (I think 1600cc), in fact it was a 105 series Giulia GT chassis/suspension/drivetrain with the Gandini designed Bertone "dress" on top. The prototype was slimmer, especially in the hood area, and it garnered a lot of attention. Alfa Romeo was the only car maker at the Expo: they were explicitly and exclusively invited by the organizers to present the most desirable product (concept) by man in terms of cars. Following the public success, it was decided to be put into production, and the execs opted for a larger, more powerful engine to make it more supercar-like. This required the design to be modified to allow the much more voluminous V8 to fit under the hood (Gandini and Bertone were NOT happy about this), and that fake NACA duct sits on top of a bulge of the hood, making a little extra headroom for the intake. With this big engine on the chassis from lighter and less powerful cars, it's not quite balanced correctly (a bit front heavy and light in the rear, don't give it too much gas on low traction surfaces while turning or you are never getting that thing back under control with that huge wheel until you hit a tree) and the brakes are a bit under-performing, but not insanely so given it's an early-70s car, and brakes+suspensions could be upgraded by the enthusiast. I am fascinated by the apparently original period-correct Italian licence plate from the Treviso (near Venice) province, I didn't know it is allowed to leave them on in the USA. Radio was an optional, most of the Montreals I saw had radioes. The dog-leg ZF gearbox is glorious, in my opinion. It's true that many cars back then had four gears, but many Italian cars, even affordable sporty units like the GT1300 Junior, Lancia Fulvia 1.3S, Fiat 124, etc. had 5 gears in them. Alfa Romeo chose the ZF gearbox because the in-house gearboxes they produced for their other cars couldn't quite handle this engine's power and torque, and rather than engineering a new box they got it from the renown German company. The side-panel turning signals on this car are much bulkier than the stock ones: the original ones are small and round, I think these do a disservice to the sleek design but I suspect they were required upon import. Warming the engine is of course of paramount importance, but the ideal way is to let gearbox oil warm as well before setting off, so the arguably most correct procedure is to turn the engine on, give it maybe 30 seconds to a minute and then set off with calm and grace. Once it's up to temp (engine oil takes a bit longer to get the gauge moving, but it's there to be checked) you can start stretching its legs. Sorry for the wall of text, got excited to see the Montreal on this channel! Thank you for the great video!

[@musiccylinderK6]

@@aldo6192 Sure! I have no clue how I could have missed that Petrolicious video, thank you! Definitely going to watch it now :)

[@musiccylinderK6]

@@lukemallory7832 Thank you! Yes, you're absolutely right: I had the pleasure of admiring one of the two original prototypes up close and, indeed, the slats have a see-through material (of course I didn't tap it to see if it sounded like glass or PMMA of sorts!) instead of the black mesh leading to nowhere that is seen on the production model. Also, in the prototypes there are 7 slats instead of 6. There are many other differences, including the shape, curvature and angle of attack of the windshield, and of course the hood area plus nose of the car, but I will say that I prefer the production model's interior, especially the dashboard (and in particular the "board"/"shelf" itself).

[@sw96]

Great information, I fell in love with the Montreal last year when one came up for sale on where I live in Australia. The thought of an Alfa designed V8 made me want one, way outside of my price range though, there's just something about the older Alfas that just makes you want to keep driving. My personal little Alfa is a 1985 Sprint, a tiny car with a gutsy 1.5L boxer engine and I have deliberately missed my streets turnoff just to keep driving more times than I could count.

[@musiccylinderK6]

@@sw96 I totally understand you! Furthermore, in the last 10 years, the market value or at least the selling price of many Alfa Romeos has steadily increased (and with a considerable slope in the last 6 or so years) such that cars that once were almost affordable now are really not so anymore! That's a nice car you have! In Italy we call them Alfasud Sprint even though later model years had only the "Sprint" part of the name, officially. Is it the 1.5 QV? Fun little car, I've driven it as well, very precise handling and rewarding engine. Not a fan of the clutch feel and of the interiors, but the latter is down to the period/era

[@sw96]

@@musiccylinderK6 Yeah mine's a 1.5 QV, cloverleaf badge and all, it needs some rust repair and paint (the curse of old Alfas) but fortunately the floor pan is solid along with the rest of the main structure, mechanically it's near perfect. I get you on the interior, a lot of plastic hasn't survived the years, but for me it's a fun driving car so most of the interior will eventually be stripped out. The only thing that really 'gets' me about the car is the pedal placement, it's a RHD model (I'm in Aus) and the pedals seem pushed to the left, where my foot naturally wants to find the brake it hits the throttle instead and there's no place to rest my left foot when not needing the clutch. Still I love the little car, as James May puts it "It's more fun to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow" and on a twisty back road the little Sprint isn't that slow :D

[@andremontmartin7207]

When I was a teenager in the 1970s, I had the poster of this fabulous Alfa-Romeo in my bedroom. For me, the most beautiful car ever. Not the most powerful, but the nicest, most desirable car. And the years have no hold on this beauty, admirably served by this fabulous V8.

[@simonedaishi5290]

Hello Jay! I'm Italian, born from Italian parents in Italy, grew up in Italy, full stock.. that mechanic was completely right about the climate! I never understood why people say that FIAT stands for "Fix It Again Tony" my family had several FIATs and they never needed that much service as the Americans and British claim.. particularly my father drove a 2gen FIAT 127 (a 900/L to be precise) for 30+ years and the only time I recall it "breaking down" was when it overheated cause my dad forgot to switch the air filter from "winter" to "summer", so he let it cool down a bit, switched the filter and off we got like it was no big deal. My brother has been to SoCal and told me that your climate is even hotter than where we live (Lecce, Salento, south-east Italy) so I'd say your Italian cars should probably drive just fine most of their time :) It probably is a good thing you let them warm up since you have a cool wide storage, my father did use to let the 127 warm up a little bit in the winter. Thank you for taking care of this forgotten/underrated classics and bringing knowledge of them to the world! I feel absolutely stoked everytime I see you uploaded a video about a rare Italian car.

[@simonedaishi5290]

by the way, yup, "Alfista" is the correct term! and I guess you said "che bella machine!" or were trying to say "che bella macchina!"

[@smgoethe]

Totally right, I am from Spain, my dad drove a SEAT 124 (equivalent FIAT 124-125) for ages and it never broke down. I saw it 20 years after he sold it still driving around. 1430 CC, 75 horse, simple, reliable, family car

[@frankkuijper6168]

Great comment, and also realize that the older Alfa’s had rather large oil pans (oil quantity). My first car, an Alfa GTV 1750, needed 7 liters! Almost two gallons in a relatively small 1750 cc mostly aluminum engine. Better let it warm up thoroughly! Shifts much easier when the gearbox is also warm. When it is warm, you can do virtuallly anything with it. Alfa’s are great cars. Never had any problems with them. Just maintain ‘em. It is a shame they have gone mainstream under the Stellantis flag.

[@EV-olution]

"Montréal, the most beautiful city in North America." That made me smile! I love our city and its surrounding areas. On behalf of Montréalers, thank you for the compliment 🙂

[@FullOfMalarky]

EV-olution I live visiting Montreal. I should do it more often since I’m in Ottawa

[@EV-olution]

@@FullOfMalarky Absolutely, you are so close, it's an easy drive.

[@robertlongwill8856]

EV-olution I'm from Burlington Ontario and I love Montreal I've been there three or four times and I want to go back. I was at Montreal Expo 67 when I was 9 years old. It was amazing cheers to you my friend and stay safe and healthy

[@EV-olution]

@@robertlongwill8856 You are fortunate, Expo 67 was a bit before my time. I would have loved to have seen that. Once all of this COVID stuff is done you should definitely come to Montréal for a visit. I hope you and your family are safe (everyone else too😉)

[@robertlongwill8856]

@@EV-olution it was beautiful then I remember riding on something called la Flume over the st. Lawrence. It was amazing. And everybody stay safe stay healthy let's get through this.

[@prunesquallor3444]

. Not only was Montreal celebrating Expo 67 which was in a World Exposition, but we were also celebrating Canada’s 100 years of Confederation, so Expo was a dual celebration which was why I was there with my family. Canadians were bombarded with ads to “see your country in1967”, so my brother, sister, and I drove from Calgary Alberta to Montreal Quebec with our parents that summer. Upon first sight of the Alfa Romeo Montreal it was love at first sight for me, and when it finally came out in 1971, I was totally bummed that it wasn’t offered for sale in Canada, or the United States. When I found out it was more expensive then a 911 Porsche, I conveniently lost interest until today. Alfa Romeo may have had a reputation for not being all that reliable back then, but it sure is beautiful to look at. Thanks Jay for confirming that it was also fairly reliable and not merely a beautiful face.

[@nathanwabre]

“You have to have your own Tony mechanic..” What a glorious line!

[@ivanolsen8596]

I have got one!! only this Tony is Filippino, and a bloody good mechanic.

[@nathanwabre]

Ivan Olsen that is very funny 😂😂🇮🇹

[@ivanolsen8596]

@@nathanwabre But true!!

[@nathanwabre]

“It is was it is...” (italien accent🎼)

[@RetroracerDB1]

Fiat. Fix It Again Tony.

[@phillipleeds296]

Hi, Jay. this episode takes me back. In my days as a uni student in the mid-1970s I worked in the valet car park at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia. One of our regular customers at the time was Chelsea Brown, who you will probably remember from Laugh In. She married an Australian and had a successful TV career here for a long time, too. She drove an orange Montreal, right hand drive as they were sold here and I often parked it for her. A lovely, memorable car. So was Chelsea, she was always so nice to everyone who worked there. Sadly missed.

[@johnmcdonald1647]

Hey Philip, I grew up in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and remember seeing a handful of Montreal's especially the one you mentioned. Always had a soft spot for the unusual European sports cars of the late 60's and well into the 70's.

[@rahowherox1177]

You oldies think this influenced the charger? ... The front esp?

[@rahowherox1177]

Or the other "new look" vals

[@phillipleeds296]

rahowhero X Who knows? The. VH Valiants were the first styled in Australia, so they could have been influence.

[@phillipleeds296]

John McDonald I lived in Roseville and worked in the city at the time and there were quite a few around. Still see one now and again. Even at 20km/h in the underground car park, you could tell they were special. The one Jay drove certainly has non-standard wheels, look to be off a Maserati Merak. Still beautiful

[@rexmilanista]

im in Vancouver, but hearing a man as prolific as Jay Leno, compliment Canada by saying "most beautiful city in North America" it makes one proud to be an Italian Canadian!

[@quincee3376]

I live in Toronto but i think Quebec City is nicer than Montreal. Although it is very small. Vancouver is beautiful too!

[@roddy99]

@@quincee3376 Ex-Torontonian here and I have to agree about Quebec City. Such a beautiful place.

[@quincee3376]

@@roddy99 yes. Do u still live in Canada?

[@roddy99]

@@quincee3376 Tokyo of all places!

[@quincee3376]

@@roddy99 very cool. All the best!

[@constructdestruct360]

A Sunday evening Jay Leno video release is about the only thing you can count during these crazy times!

[@SteffanoDucati]

Well stated brother . Keep the faith.

[@zxggwrt]

True!

[@alferro3149]

The engine of the Montreal was derived from the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, a truly astonishing supercar produced at the end of the 60's... probably my favourite supercar ever! The car in the video was registered in Treviso(TV), in the very wealthy region of Veneto. North East of Italy(700miles from Sicily). This is proper Alfa nobility. Nice one Jay. Ciao Alberto

[@guenthersteiner8163]

Kinky Streets the Bobcor GTA’s look great

[@lawrencesiskind3554]

The Stradale, that's a supercar! The Montreal? Sure, as Jay says, buying one might be a bargain, and I believe him that it's a great GT car ride, but it ain't a supercar, with the engine up front and steering wheel at the angle of a school bus. I could understand why you might say that once, thinking aloud, since we all say stuff like that, but over and over again? From the early 70s, a Ferrari 365 GTB Daytona might be considered a supercar, despite an engine up front. Anyway, I forgive you. The Garage is the only show I regularly watch on the "tube."

[@andrewnorris5415]

Mala del Brenta?

[@sebastianpolcyn6358]

If I'm not mistaken, Alfa Romeo actually went through the trouble of fitting the 33 Stradale`s engine with a crossplane crankshaft as opposed to the original flatplane one just to use it in this one model - and boy, am I grateful for that. The Montreal is one of the most glorious sonunding cars ever made, imo

[@nicolamiriano9150]

As an Alfista, i'm always excited to see a Montreal, even better in that colour. PS I'm italian and that front plate is such a marvellous detail

[@dreamer8474]

Le vostre macchine sono davvero meravigliose😍Saluti😎

[@royrunions]

I fell in love with the Montreal while watching this video. My favorite comment from Jay: "You don't have to be the fastest guy on the block,...but you can be the happiest guy on the block". :)

[@evilspoons]

Best argument for an MX-5 there is!

[@revolution_9]

Right Jay - 1967 Montreal Universal Exposition "Montreal Expo" - I was there with my parents - I was 5 years old...

[@rdhudon7469]

I was there too . I remember I brought my man from uncle car with me . Lol

[@jeffreyrubish347]

I was there as well. 10 years old, first time I'd been out of the U.S.

[@michaeleaster1815]

It was the World's Fair and such a big deal (being in Canada's centennial year) that baseball's Montreal Expos (now Washington Nationals) used the name.

[@kasnitch]

I was 11 . it was a magical experience .

Me too I was 6. I still live here. Great city. Food music sex lol

[@demonic477]

I spent my whole life working on and driving V8 cars and this is the most beautiful sounding V8 I have ever heard this engine is the epitomy of why Italian cars need no radio. It's a damn shame we never got this car in America even with the cost of one being what it was I know a lot of Alfa fans who would have payed any price to get one of these in there garage .

[@matteo660]

Yes Jay, "alfista" is the correct term to identify an Alfa Romeo enthusiast! Cheers from Italy!

[@brucefisher4025]

And the plural is 'Alfisti"...

[@redmr2na]

How about Alfaholic?

[@matteo660]

@@redmr2na isn't it a tuner focused on Alfa only?

[@Zero1O6]

Finally Alfa Romeo! Greetings to all Alfa Romeo owners from Russia!

[@bonkersbeast]

Yes i've also been waiting to see Alfa Romeo. I hope he does some more soon!

[@thomast8539]

Probably stated already, but yeah, a world's expo was held in Montreal in '67. That is where the Montreal Expos baseball team got its name.

[@SpaghettiKillah]

i'm from Milan...whenever we see an old Alfa our hearts start pumpin' 😍😍 Btw when you visit Milan we have 2 Alfa museums ! One is near their ex-factory just on the outskirts and another one by a dealer 22 km north. Incredible cars!

[@-Barracuda-426]

Si vediamo quando finiscono i domiciliari per un' influenza cosa rimane ancora in piedi

[@ricardo145]

Alfa`s museum is an amazing place. Every petrolhead must visit.

[@frakia666]

Honestly, I prefer when Jay is alone than with someone else asking 100 questions.

[@ToddDolce]

I totally agree. I love the quiet when he's just talking about the cars while in his garage by himself. The pace seems better too. It relaxes me and it is just so much more enjoyable to watch.

[@984francis]

I agree, he's at his excellent best alone. However, my irritation when he has a guest is that he talks all over his guests rather than the guests interrupting him!.

[@SavedbyHim]

Jay has had some awesome guests that are very knowledgeable. It's usually Jay that asks the questions lol

[@MrSliverguy]

His show is perfect

[@andykerr3803]

@@ToddDolce Well he's a motor mouth... V 12, but he blended with this one.

[@mariosiaven2965]

What I like about JL is that he knows his stuff but he does not sound pretentious at all, and is so nice speaking and explaining, what a cool car guy.

[@dm12377]

An underappreciated and often forgotten gem. You're going to drive up the prices!

[@MetalTeamster]

who is going to have money to drive them up?

[@phila3884]

Just like he did with the Maserati 3500GT!

[@derrickstorm6976]

Who's going to sell theirs anyway?

[@C64SX]

A few years ago the international owners club had a meeting here in Sweden, and I was fortunate enough to get to see perhaps 30 or so of these fantastic machines gathered at a small castle where they stayed over night. I also went there the morning after to see them drive off to their next destination. The sound of all these engines starting up was really something special, an experience I'll never forget.

[@olliefoxx7165]

What a fortunate event for you. Hope you took plenty of pics. I've never seen this car till now and I'm a car guy (I thought). It's a beautiful design.

[@C64SX]

@@olliefoxx7165 I sure did, but early days of digital cameras means the quality isn't quite what can be expected of modern cameras.

[@VolkerHett]

As far as engine sounds go, I was converted into a diesel fan when I was in the the German navy in the 80s. Imagine 4 Zobel Class PTBs leaving the harbor in Flensburg, that's 16(!) MB V20 Diesel engines with 134 liters of displacement each full speed ahead.

[@1973Lincoln]

I live in Norway and i was on Oslo motor show 2022 two weeks ago and i saw one there exactly the same color as Jay have. Amazing vehicle, so beautyful and the lines, oh what a car!! It's a piece of art.

[@thatsbollox]

Great vid Jay. These are special cars. I had one for 15 years in Australia and cherished it, then stupidly sold it late 90's. I paid not much in early 80's, and my mechanic tony (not kidding) ended up buyng it from me. I also had a GTV 2.5 Grand Prix with the greatest motor i've ever owned...the Busso V6, and together with the Montreal i felt like i was the king of my local Alfa club for awhile. I soooo wish i still had it. Gorgeous thing and one of those cars that everyone wants to check over and ask about. The front end is pure muscle car and the quad cam V8 is heavenly. We look back and truly regret some of the decisions we make, but we go forward. So damn difficult to get a good one.

[@davidturgeon2087]

Ahhh, the decisions we make in life!

[@MroStudios]

I like the attitude: "we made a car. You like it or you don't.."

[@robertphillips6296]

It sounds like a polite version of a conversation with Enzo Ferrari!

[@Clay3613]

It's very good car!

[@KretinoSantino]

@@robertphillips6296 That's probably what Enzo Ferrari told Ferruccio Lamborghini. It's a joke. Balboni 's story is most likely to be true one as in post-war italy, that made perfect sense.

[@Z3t487]

That's how KZbin got inspiration for the like/dislike button.

[@bowrocker]

With those hooded eyes set in that aggressive grill, it looks like the love child of a Challenger and a Ferrari Daytona.

[@DMac12flyers]

I think that's the beauty of the design. It looks immediately familiar but at the same time unlike anything else.

[@luisledesma7425]

I want one. Don't know if I can afford one but that's a sexy Italian muscle car

[@drummerdoingstuff5020]

Gonna need to set back a fortune for maintenance 😝

[@aquabono]

@@DMac12flyers The genius of Ghandini was functional design yet intrinsically beautiful. The high beams for flash to pass worked in daytime, no time delay for the headlight doors to flip and distract at high speed such as in the Porsches Vettes Miata, etc.

[@Jelsick]

It has some AMC Javelin nuances as well.

[@Lampredi4]

Mr. Leno has done more for sharing the joy of motoring and automotive design than anyone else. I pray his work isn’t eroded by legislators keen on sweeping the ICE cars under the rug as they force the pivot to EVs

[@harrymix]

I love that Jay's father is Italian, yet he doesn't speak a word and constantly does the stereotypical accent 😂

[@leguanche]

Harry Mix you love that? So he doesn’t speak the language but constantly jokes about it... nice. Definitely not one of the top Jay videos

[@aquabono]

All Italians cringe when he does the stereotyping comes out. His dad's generation had to endure FDR putting many in internment camps during wwii. DiMaggio's own dad was put away! Thus there was a movement not to speak Italian in the household, he was brought up Scottish more than Italian.

[@HoodsCZ]

His grandfather was Italian.

[@admiralbeez8143]

@@leguanche I’m a British-born Canadian. You can make funny British accents and jokes all day and not bother me, I’ll join you.

[@MrJoeblofromidaho]

Relax, he's like so many second generation immigrant sons.

[@MarcCoteMusic]

Three years ago I played a gig (music) for the Alfa Romeo Owner's Club event in July in Montreal. There was an Alfa Montreal at that event along with an 8C and a bunch of others, of course. Beautiful machines. Thanks for my hometown shout out, Jay.

[@retroolschool]

I must have seen the same one just south of Montreal 3 yrs ago. Regret not having filmed it..

[@MarcCoteMusic]

@@retroolschool - Me, too... But no video camera with me at my show and no time to film anyway...

[@francoisguerette]

One of the best sounding cars ever named after a city of my province! Proud to be Canadian! 🇨🇦

[@BeefheartLynch]

The Montreal is in my top 10 of all-time favorite cars.

[@Sprocketboy1956]

"Some sort of expo..." says Jay. Expo 67 was a huge event, a World's Fair to mark Canada's centennial and while nothing much is left from it today the grounds where it was located is where the Canadian Grand Prix is held now. I remember when the Alfa Romeo Montreal was introduced and how gorgeous I thought it was. Although it is probably not an issue for someone like Jay, this car truly needs a specialist to work on it and what would scare me away is the unavailability of parts. Sounds wonderful, though!

[@vexacon]

I remember the song playing on tv at the time, promoting Expo 67 and the Montreal baseball team used the expo as their team name! The theme of Expo 67 was, "Man and His World!"

[@brunopaluck3562]

The Montreal subway was built for Expo 67 and the ground and rocks dugged out for the tunnels was dumped in the middle of the St-Laurent's seaway to build Île Sainte-Hélène where the Expo was held. The Montreal was a prototype in the Italian pavilion to showcase that country's know-how in car craftsmanship. The prototype was so popular that Alfa decided to build it.

[@matthines5150]

I'd actually argue that there's still a discernible flavor of the weirdly awesome '67 Expo theme throughout Montreal, augmented by stuff from the similarly kooky [stylistically] '76 Olympics era. A lot of it is kind of concrete wasteland, but it's vaguely futuristic and cool. This car really sums it up in terms of some of the trends in art/architecture/automotive at the time; Montreal was clearly an epicenter of activity. Also, salut Gilles!

[@brunopaluck3562]

@@matthines5150 I agree!

[@jean-rochdion4898]

@@matthines5150 i live in Montréal...still have the big ball ( Terre de hommes ) the appartement on the south side that look like lego bloc stak on the top of one and other. A lot of peoples here still have there tickets for the 67 expo.....i'm to young to have that ticket!! Lol

[@ArinGokdemir]

My mom works in DC. One time she was out on lunch break, and saw what appeared to be a Model T parked in the bike lane. The street seller on the corner saw her bemused expression, and just said, "Yeah, that's Jay Leno's car." Sums up Jay's personality perfectly.

[@eggbirdtherooster]

This car looks like a gentlemans musclecar.. woww

[@robertoarkenburg6652]

EGGBIRDTHEROOSTER I think you would also be a fan of the original V8 vantage

[@sadiqmohamed681]

@Kirk Wolfe When it was launch, as Jay said in the video, it was more expensive than an XKE or 911.

[@Nothingnowhere909]

Kirk Wolfe it looks like a proper put together muscle car lol you’re an idiot

[@8.2deck]

@Kirk Wolfe my 63 falcon is 600 pounds lighter then this.

[@8.2deck]

@Kirk Wolfe no a turbo le5 4cyl, with an aisin ar5 gear box. 2070lbs

[@HitManTPanda]

That's the most badass Alfa Romeo I've ever seen!!

[@LuckyBaldwin777]

Here's my favorite Alfa Romeo, a tipo 33 stradale kzbin.info/www/bejne/Znu7e6Vjn9mcqpo

[@gchsbus]

Hell yea! You wife says me or the car and you grab her suitcase and say bye. Haha

[@izno73]

@Kinky Streets and why is that? the 105 Bertones were track weapons. Same car. Just the Montreal has the V8 and vented disks.

[@Calreva1]

Jay, it's the quad V eight which won major races in the Alfa 33 including Le Mans as a 2OOO cc, blown out to 2.6 for the Montreal. Magnifica !!

[@ksteak27]

1:19 - "big, wide, and heavy".... after 3 weeks of quarantine, I find this relatable.... 😆😆

[@idkwhattoputhere4695]

Even before quarantine I felt that

[@michaelfuson4490]

The sound of that engine...wow.

[@Disques13Swing]

Twice in this video the orange Montreal was seen together with an orange and gray city bus! TOO COOL!!!!!!!

[@sempre_avanti_01]

In the early 1980s when I was a kid, my father had as our family car an Alfa Romeo Alfetta. It was an electrical, fluid leaking, cockpit-ergonomic nightmare. I still miss her.

[@ImInLoveWithBulla]

The Gandini design is immediately recognizable. This is the Miura’s 5’2” brother who works out and has a surprisingly high bench press number.

[@musiccylinderK6]

Great comment!

[@gregmodelle7343]

It would be great to see the two siblings next to each other; then the familial relations would be strikingly obvious.

[@musiccylinderK6]

@@gregmodelle7343 I have a picture of two of them near each other. As it could be expected, the Miura is lower and sleeker (more supercar and less grand tourer, earlier and "rounder" design, lower hood since it's mid/mid-rear engined) but you can definitely recognize the shared features

[@Anttihii]

@@musiccylinderK6 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is in same class as Miura, it was even faster at start

[@musiccylinderK6]

@@Anttihii We're not talking about the 33 Stradale, we are talking about the Montreal

[@ostryer90684]

This car was presented for the first time in Montreal as part of Expo 67, considered to be the most successful and interesting World's Fair of the 20th century. For Alfa Romeo, the objective was to create and exhibit: "La massima aspirazione dell'uomo in fatto di automobili" - The highest ambition of man in terms of cars. Bravo Marcello Gandini. Your creation deserves a mention of excellence.

[@LePhil79]

Yes, it was created with the north american market in mind, and the prototype was presented in Montréal in 1967, but by the time it was ready for the mass market, Canada and USA had change the norms of gas emissions, so they only sold it in Europe. So the Alfa Romeo Montréal was never sold in ...Montréal !

[@mrawesome2524]

Jay please stay healthy and safe! We love you bud. 👍

[@nathanwabre]

She looks like a great horned owl, cruising, feeling the airflow on her wings; suddenly sees a prey and gets 8,000 rpm angry until she catches her prey, a nice deep smile and gets back to that crushing growl.

[@Johnnywhamo]

Ah, sure.....smoke another one man

[@Innerspace100]

Nice analogy. And I agree, this is a properly, properly good looking car with a lovely sounding engine. I actually think this looks better than the Miura, to which it is closely related.

[@DavidFiddes-t8w]

I was driving a hire car in Italy in the early nineties and heard this sublime v8 Rumble, looked in my mirror and saw a Montreal coming past me. A stunning car, one of the best soundtrack ever heard.

[@kennethhancock2433]

The Alfa DNA is in the “lesser” models as well. My USA 69 GTV had four wheel disc brakes with dual vacuum boosters and a brake balance device between the front and rear., Five speed fully synchromesh transmission, independent front suspension, a live rear axle located by trailing arms and an aluminum trunnion.The engine was 1779 cc aluminum block with cast iron liners, hemispherical combustion chambers, Spica mechanical fuel injection, dual overhead cams, and a beautiful aluminum valve cover. It produced 132 horsepower and had a virtually flat torque curve from about 2500 to 5800 rpm if memory serves. The Bertone body in Giallo Ochre was gorgeous and arguably as iconic as Porsche’s 911’s of the era. Steering by worm and roller was light ( at speed) and communicative. The car was a delight to drive, to look at, and to work on. Alfa’s are underrated IMHO. They have character, beauty, charm, a jewel like engine and a delicate feel. I owned it nearly forty years. When I had to sell it I literally cried.

[@heimatliebe116]

What a beautiful description! I can sense your emotions driving and owning it.

[@delahayenator]

I think its family. The Montreal has a 105 base as far as I now, with the engine derrived from the 33.

[@aquabono]

Super $100,000 car now! That Montreal is hitting in the $175000 range already.

[@johnphaceas7434]

My '81 Alfetta GTV is also pure Alfa DNA. Here in Oz we got Euro/UK spec - so no Spica (injection was only on the GTV6 and Alfa 6 - motronic from recollection). Mine has twin 45mm Webers. Transaxle with inboard rear discs. And what a noise she makes. She was my daily driver til a couple of years ago, when I bought a 156 V6 to do the work commute. My only problem is I now need to start putting decent money into the body (the dreaded tin worm) - having already spent a small fortune on mechanicals over the last 5 years. But I can't imagine selling her - tried it once, but I pulled the ad the very first time someone called me ...

[@delahayenator]

@@aquabono the transaxles are my favorites. The 116 GTV is one of the most beautiful Alfa models to my opnion, and very succesful racingcar. You have some nice history in Australia with Colin Bond and Alan Jones racing them. There was also an italian family racing turbo gtvs, Beninca i think theyre called.

[@lelabotoxique]

"Montreal. The most beautiful city in North America. If you've never been there, it's just incredible." True words, Jay.

[@MatrixDiscovery]

Wrong. Victoria, British Columbia is.

[@apparentlyretrograde]

I'm a bit biased, I was born in (and still live in) Victoria. So I gotta agree. But Montreal is right up there. So is Lake Louise, though that's not really a city.

[@timhiltonsuperstar]

Bwahahahaha you're both wrong. It's Hamilton Ontario.

[@martinmartin5904]

C'est très laid entre l'aéroport de Dorval et le centreville .

[@silverpairaducks]

Gary, Indiana

[@tholmes2169]

Saw one of these in the old Michael Caine and Anthony Quinn film “the marseille contract” aka the Destructors. Beautiful car and I needed to see if Mr. Leno had one. Sure enough!

[@dazuk1969]

Man, that car looks amazing....you have to admit the Italians built some of the most beautiful cars in 60s and 70s.....peace,

[@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge]

They also had some pretty sexy machines in the 80s as well. And in the 90s....well, nobody could design a good looking automobile in the 90s.

[@robertoarkenburg6652]

Glam Stachee The Japanese and Germans didagree with that.

[@dazuk1969]

@@robertoarkenburg6652 Hey there Roberto...yes, they prob would my friend..i think English would also have something to say....that is why i chose my words carefully and said some of the most beautiful cars...peace brother.

[@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge]

@@robertoarkenburg6652 Where? All I see is worldwide ugliness in car design in the 90s. The only good cars from that era are the ones that continued production into them

[@timeold75]

Glam Stachee totally agree!

[@gotham61]

Evey time Jay does a video about an older Italian car, like clockwork we get that story about the old Italian mechanic and the narrow oil passages.

[@matthewbrown2037]

I've always loved the Montreal, well Alfa's in general, but I'd never heard one before seeing this video. I love the noise small tuned V8's make, and this one especially sounds fantastic.

[@guhanandanselvadurai5298]

Alfa doesn t make noise ,they are called musical symphony.

[@bryduhbikeguy]

'The happiest guy on the block'.You certainly make me smile,sir.Thank you.

[@marcusxmac9687]

That's the comment that reached out and spoke to me also. In my neighborhood I will never have the fastest car(s). But both of mine make me smile every time I drive them. Thanks Jay Leno!!

[@MrGTO-ze7vb]

WOW.. I haven't seen one of these in 30 years..!! My old neighbor in Palo Alto had one of these Montreals. We went up on Skyline Blvd and I was amazed...... Thanks Jay..!!

[@ksheelshetty]

1:55 ... " some sort of expo " it was Expo 67 Canadas 100 year anniversary

[@p24p14]

"Some sort of expo" Yknow, not only the biggest expo in Canada but arguably the biggest technological exposition in the entire world at the time

[@geriatricmotorcars9516]

As a European Alfa nut ' Walked into the Alfa workshop in London teenager in the early seventies ' Captivated me to the brand .. Just passion . America has been robbed of great vehicles that are not understood ...

[@bansheemania1692]

I was Luck enough to own a late 80s alpha Romeo for a short time in highschool. Pennsylvania. It was probably a Basic model . It was a sedan. Manual. And She used to Sing. To bad it was on Her last legs by the time i got it, i Traded a 78ford pickup. I love alpha

[@stefd68]

That car and the Maserati Ghibli of the same era are my favorite. Both with that V8 rumble! Thanks for your comments on Montreal, I live in Montreal and love your channel.

[@antonix_81]

Love the italian front plate and american rear plate👌🏻 Only someone with Jay Leno culture can appreciate a piece of history like that , a car it'n not only about speed and horsepower

[@riccardogazzoli8697]

“TV”: Treviso city licence plate, MY TOWN!! ❤️🇮🇹

[@Thigrandil]

I love Treviso!!! Love from Köflach, Styria!

[@stevepiccinnin1157]

Riccardo Gazzoli hello from pordenone

[@masterdiscovery2294]

@@stevepiccinnin1157 Sono nato in Canada ma i miei genitori sono di Treviso e Cordenons.

[@stevepiccinnin1157]

Riccardo Gazzoli ciao io sonno nato a san vito al tagliamento, ma ora abito anche io in WIndsor Ontario

[@masterdiscovery2294]

@@stevepiccinnin1157 e io sono in Toronto, Ontario.

[@MrWolf-xk8sl]

I'm a simple Italian man...I see an Alfa, I click.

[@ayamahei1393]

Je suis un simple français... Je vois une Alfa , je clique.

[@cirrus1964]

I am half Dutch, half British, I click!

[@kurtweil1456]

Thumbs up from Germany😀

[@buzzedo1]

I'm Australian...I click. What can I say, Italians know how to make a beautiful car!

[@zeljkolucky6314]

Design is so original & exceptional. That front is one of the best ever. So many original touches to it. That headlight canopy is so original as some kind of blinds. So unique & stylish. All in all serious classic car.

[@aaronbiggin1103]

The engine was a larger detuned version of the 33 stradale engine, with the cross plain crank instead of straight plain crank. Both engines came from the tipo 33 but got chain driven cams rather than cog driven. Hope that all makes sense.

[@peter455sd]

I remember when they presented this car in 1970,it was incredible,not only drop dead gorgeous but total cutting edge technology,i'm not Italian but i must say it was absolute genious,a work of art

[@km_attack]

Jay seems super mellowed out in this video... Like he's really enjoying himself and speaking 100% naturally & super casually. He's open and chill in his other vids too, but much more so in this one imo. Early COVID edible experiment?? Ha. Killer car I didn't know existed and one of the greatest exhaust notes I've ever heard! Jay's sound mixer crushed it on the drive by clip with the blending of onboard/bystander exhaust audio @ 15:13. My favorite JLG video so far.

This is exactly what I needed to start my Monday and my week. One of my favorite cars of all time.

[@marinedrive5484]

Like the look of the hooded headlights; I seem to remember that BMW had something similar on one of their models. Thanks for breaking the monotony of life under lockdown, Jay.

[@olliefoxx7165]

They did. It's a very classy yet aggressive look.

[@vector6977]

The BMW M1. Even GM Did that on the 4th Gen F bodies.

[@Sebastian-d4k]

As a kid my neighbour had one and to this day it is still my favourite car . I dream to own one day ! Thanks for sharing Jay

[@gearhead1162]

What a beautiful car. The lines of this car, proportions, that fastback is gorgeous. Not to mention those headlight "doors". Extreme cool just doesn't begin to describe this Alfa.

[@RK-rh9nu]

I’m a car guy and had never heard of this model Alfa Romeo. I love this car! Thank you Jay.

[@arnoldvanhartog7100]

You have not heard of an Alfa Romeo 'Montreal' Yet you are a 'Car Guy'.

[@turistomer3702]

And you call yourself a car guy!

[@ivanmunoz9055]

@@turistomer3702 it's not a really well known car many people have never heard of it and it's not really talked about too much

[@danilo16410]

A "car guy" ha h a ha...

[@marcomorana]

There is so much love when Jay talks about the Montreal that listening to him as much as fun as seeing him driving it

[@oldshreddies2080]

One of the coolest cars I've seen on this show. Thank you Jay for bringing us this gem.

[@hrgiyzueghe]

The engine is derived from the 2l v8 from the 33 stradale, basically a racing engine (260hp in a 2l naturally aspirated engine in 1968! That's 130 hp per liter!!). The capacity was increased and it was detuned.

[@CuoreSportivo]

to fully appreciate this car, you should see it in person. i always thought this was an ok car but when i saw it in alfa romeo museum in real life i was mesmerized by it. it's the most beautiful car really.

[@boss12]

I love the sound of that V8. Alfas always have great soundtracks.

[@carloa66]

I found myself liking the car as I watched. In the end I had to look up more about it. Beautifully designed car

[@Audiojack_]

Absolutely one of the rarest and most beautiful cars I've had the pleasure to work on. You're right about them being unbelievable in multiple ways.

[@andrew9573]

I'm Italian and I love Alfa Romeo of course. And well, the Montreal is my favorite 🇮🇹❤️

[@russellb1176]

I was gonna go to sleep, but that can wait 25 minutes

[@jimmysapien9961]

Me too -actually I was fixing to go to bed but this caught my eye very interesting thanks Jay

[@danielrodriguez248]

L I was too and I seen Jay Leno's garage ,had to watch 😂😂👍

[@germanboy5392]

Fell asleep 5 times to the beautiful sound of that engine. 5 times I had to rewind.

[@mauricetremblay1324]

You are correct Jay. In 67. There was one of the last World fairs, Expo 67. We even built a small island to accommodate the fair. Another gem from the man himself. Cheers!

[@FamilyBrown88]

What a gorgeous ca. America missed out on Alfa Romeos.

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

That's why them Yanks turned Alfa into boring Chryslers lately .... 😂

[@johns0706]

@@manfredschmalbach9023 You're completely wrong . the new Alfa's are Alfas. I know because I have an 18 Stelvio and it is fantastic. They took the time to get them right and it shows. Go drive one.

[@TheScooby455]

This is without a doubt the best looking and best sounding car of all time. Cheers from Croatia!

[@Pete-z6e]

TheScooby455 , wooooooh, big call!

[@henrickhansel]

Its a awesome car dont get me wrong, but there so many other cars that look and sound better.

[@brey93]

I drive an Alfa Romeo giulia and I’m absolutely in love with the car and the brand! Beautiful, quick, timeless. So much character more than any other brand I’ve owned and I’ve owned a lot of brands!

[@dogmanone8237]

I was born in the same year Jay´s Montreal left the factory, and I even owned one on that decade... a toy model car of course, but it made me a very proud owner anyway. Have been in love with the design ever since, even though getting behind the wheel of a real one remains probably just a dream forever!

[@BeMyWoman1]

Hello Mr Leno, Great video as always. Thanks for the kind words about the city of Montreal.

[@jefflindeman]

I had a 1971 Alfa GTV for a couple years in the early 1980s. Racing Green with a tan interior. I loved driving that car so much I couldn’t get in it and just go to the grocery store; I had to go tool around somewhere every time I got in. Their four- cylinders are little jewels also! A sweet sound you feel in the seat. He’s right about the Italian mechanic too. I bought mine used, from an enthusiast and it came with a recommended mechanic that worked out of a shop next to his home. He was a retired head-mechanic on the Alfa racing team. I was in my late twenties and it gave me a feeling I’ll always remember. Cheers

[@arceyes]

Beautiful car, gorgeous understated interior and that exhaust note

[@Valvey789]

The oil shocks of the 70's were about to start in a couple years. That may explain why Alfa didn't do more with the V8.

[@derrickstorm6976]

Very true

[@Dave.S.TT600]

it was a Money-printing Shock, actually.

[@rockets4kids]

@@Dave.S.TT600 get ready for another one of those

[@SkysaxonDragonslayer]

It was more that this engine was to extraordinary to built in high quantities... based on the Tippo33 race engine it is a marvel, but hilarious complicate to maintain...

[@aliassmithandjones9453]

most cars of that era had oil shocks.

[@achimhaun2726]

I was driven home from hospital in a red 2000 Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon with selespeed. Nothing can touch my heart like an Alfa and the Montreal is right up there for me with the S1 E-Type.

[@NaturesChild]

Never seen one before. Beautiful.

[@GreenHornet553]

That Bertone body is absolutely beautiful.

[@onlythewise1]

jay leno the father of saving old cars

[@slwtype]

I've always loved these, there are no bad angles and it has a v-8.

[@1Fmarcel]

It's a well known Alfa Romeo Icon here in Europe and the heritage continues with the 8C

[@yankeedyehard]

I attended an Alfa Romeo meet at Watkins Glen a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised to see 3 Montreals there. This is one of my favorite all time cars, ever since I saw one in Road&Track magazine, when I was a teenager back in the 70’s

[@benbond3433]

Absolutely one of the best exhaust sounds I've ever heard. Man, does this thing look fun.

[@richardmang2558]

I wonder what type of exhaust/mufflers it has?