Giulia 105 Register

Feature Owner

Richard Morris

Featured Owner

Richard Morris

The proud owner

I’ve owned my Giulia Coupe 2000 GT Veloce for about 4 years and it hasn’t disappointed me. Before I started looking seriously for a car I joined the Alfa Romeo Owners Club and took advice from the 105 Register about what to look for. I also contacted several marque specialists and Richard Banks of Alfaholics told me about a car owned by a friend of his that would soon be available.

When I first saw the car it was parked on a street in Notting Hill, London, and it didn't look very promising at all. It was filthy dirty and looked very unloved. But on closer inspection it became clear that although it lived outside (hence the dirt) it was well looked after and very solid. It was also very original, which appealed to me, and the mileage was low. It was priced a good deal above my budget but it was so superior to the other cars I’d looked that I was prepared to stretch the purse strings. And so in April 2004 I became the proud owner of VCE 8L.

The cars history is quite interesting; it was bought new in 1972 from Maloney and Rhodes Ltd of Cambridge by a gentleman who is now a CBE, Sheriff of Norwich, and Mayor of his hometown. He sold it to a Polish gentleman in 1975 for £2000 when the car had covered 17,000 miles. This 2nd owner lavished attention on the car and only used it when the weather was fine. When he became ill the car was put into storage where it remained for the next 13 years. Following his death in 1997, his daughter put the car back on the road before selling it to Richard Banks in 1998. Richard overhauled the mechanicals and had the car rust-proofed throughout and re-painted. No welding was required. The cars mileage at this stage was 27,500. Richard sold the car to his friend in 1999 and it won a highly commended award at National Day that year. When I bought the car 5 years later its mileage had risen to 39,500. Now the mileage stands at 58,500. I’ve covered 20,000 miles in almost 4 years of ownership.

Knowing a good deal of this history in advance and having details from Richard about the work he had carried out, made the decision to stretch the budget a lot easier. And I haven’t regretted it.

I use the car regularly and in all weathers. And I drive it hard - I recently drove it to Italy - 2000 miles in 10 days and it didn’t put a foot wrong. My car is about as standard as possible. I don’t have uprated suspension or any engine tweaks. The standard cars performance is enough for me. Top speed is around 115mph and 0–60 is well under 10 seconds. It copes easily with modern road conditions and has absolutely no problem keeping pace with modern traffic. The lack of power steering is really only noticeable at parking speeds. Motorway cruising is effortless. But as you'd expect it’s on twisty A and B roads that the Alfa really shines. Here the combination of the free-revving twin-cam, superb brakes, steering and suspension combine to make fast cross-country driving joyful and hugely rewarding.

Not being mechanically minded I have the car serviced by professionals. It's been to Black and White, Middle Barton, and Dave Hood. All did a good job but now I've discovered Tony Favarin (07989 988349), who used to race 'Berties' and whose workshop is within walking distance of my home in Witney, so now he looks after the car. As for the bodywork I’ve had several minor repairs attended to by various bodyshops and I was most pleased with the work of Hightone Restorations near Chipping Norton (01608 677328) so now they get the pleasure of dealing with the inevitable rust spots.

In 2006 I entered VCE 8L in the concours competition at National Alfa Day and was lucky enough to win Best 105 and Best Bertone Coupe. I was chuffed to say the least. The car has featured in various magazines including Classic Cars, Practical Classics, and Classics For Sale.

Double concours winner at National Day 2006.
Photo: Richard Rees.

Of all the 'Berties' the 2000 GTV is probably the easiest to live with from a practical point of view. You get improved performance and handling (thanks to the LSD) but the interior, especially the dashboard is plasticy and less stylish than other models in the range. And perhaps the front-end is not as handsome as earlier models - especially the step-fronts.

But I reckon you’d be hard pressed to find a classic car that offers such a rewarding blend of stylish looks, practicality, performance and handling. If you've got a 105 I hope you find ownership as rewarding and pleasurable as I do.

Richard Morris

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