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Rare Twin Turbo: 1985 Alfa Romeo Callaway GTV6

1985 Alfa Romeo Callaway GTV6

This is a stunning, rust free example of a 1985 Alfa Romeo Callaway GTV6 that is 1 of only 35 built! Currently the car has only 42,000 miles on it and is for sale by the third owner. There is a VIN listed and while most of the listing has 1986 as they year of the car, the VIN decodes to being an ’85. The current bid price is at $25,100 and it does have a reserve. The car is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and can be found here on eBay.

1985 Alfa Romeo Callaway GTV6

Mechanically, this car is sporting a fully rebuilt motor that has been broken in by 1,500 miles. It is amazing that there is a 2.5 liter, SOHC, twin turbo V6 under the hood. That is connected to 5-speed manual transmission. Other work done includes new hoses all around, fuel pump, timing belt, rebuilt gear box, rebuilt driveshaft, and most importantly a Milano style AC compressor for air conditioning.

1985 Alfa Romeo Callaway GTV6

There is not a whole lot mentioned about the interior, but you can see just how amazing it looks in the photos. The only specific note they describe is that the front seats are Recaros and they have been re-dyed because the original leather was starting to fade and crack. It was more of a preventative decision to prevent the leather from splitting. Another creature comfort are the power windows, which do work.

1985 Alfa Romeo Callaway GTV6

This car is being sold by what seems to be a car manager. The listing states the car is part of a 45 car collection, including multiple examples of this car and other Alfas. They also note that the car did have a fire in the engine bay, which only effected that area, and was repaired. It does show on the Carfax. At least they were kind enough to disclose that. This car is quite a vehicle and would be a great conversation starter for any automotive enthusiast.

Comments

  1. Avatar motoring mo

    Ran when parked….

    Like 2
  2. Avatar dirtyharry

    Gee, that would be unusual, an Italian car on fire.

    Like 8
  3. Avatar Wayne

    I was lucky enough to drive one of these for a couple of days. It was very enjoyable. It would have been thrilling with the company of a couple of turbos to spice up the ride!

    Like 2
  4. Avatar Kevin Harper

    I know this car and it is pretty nice.

    I am a little torn on these. I know they are somewhat iconic and it is where callaway got their start, and one of these impressed some GM exec enough to get them into doing corvettes.

    But in truth the system is a little dated, and how hard would it be to get the electronic parts that are special to one. You could use a modern EFI system and turbo’s, and you can even punch the engine out to 3.6 liter and make a lot more horsepower. The problem then would not be the engine but rather the transmission. Also a GTV6 with a 4 cam punched out to 3.6 gives you more horsepower than the Callaway without the turbo’s and their complexity.

    Like 2
    • Avatar scottymac

      Memory not what it used to be, but didn’t every Callaway Corvette C & D magazine tested blow up?

      Like 0
    • Avatar Trevor standard

      This is the original. The car was designe to carry the whipple or Calloway turbo for the world rally i forget which They figured it could smash the 911 in touring as well. I had a regular 83 gtv6 for about 3 yrs. Crashed it coming down little cottonwood canyon after a day of skiing. I drove the crap out of that car. I drove it hard every day and it only spent 1 summer in the shop, ok. Maybe 1 and a half. Drove it from ny to saltlake and back 5 times. Put 55k hard miles on it.my cousin had one also and the races we would have from the suburbs into the city. I didnt like to dance and would be a wall flower. But I LOVED the drive down there. If you know northern westchester you know the amazing roads there.

      Like 0
  5. Avatar H5mind

    I owned a na version back in the mid 1990’s. Fun car to drive, plenty of character. The speedometer is mounted to the right of the driver in a central console. The tach, on the other hand, is large and smack in your face. These cars really sound wonderful with an unrestricted exhaust- aka, “Ferrari Formula One”. But everything said it looked like a Datsun B-210. As with all Italian cars, rust is popular, especially in the front strut towers and lurking behind that plastic lower body cladding.

    Like 3
  6. Avatar TCOPPS Member

    Someone call Jeremy Clarkson

    Like 2
  7. Avatar Johnny Gibson

    As with most Alfa’s I quite like these. Although even if you lived in the desert you only had to hang a picture of an ocean scene in the garage to seal its fate.

    Like 5
    • Avatar Healeymonster

      Im stealing that joke….Done!

      Like 1
  8. Avatar 86_Vette_Convertible

    $47K bid and reserve still not met. Don’t know Alfa’s but if it’s 1 of 35, I’d be worried about parts in the future, assuming it’s driven.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Kevin Harper

      Parts are not as big of a problem as you would think. The turbo system is pretty basic as it uses a BMW throttle body and a pair of off the shelf IHI turbo’s. The intercooler is unique but not that hard to fab. The car has an ECU that reads pressure and fires a supplemental injector for the turbo. If this ECU goes it would be the hardest to replace, but I would think that given the advances in FI computers a new one could be made that probably worked a lot better than the original. It has a unique hood scoop that is added to a factory hood. Other than that it is a standard GTV6. I will not say that parts are as easy to come by as a MGB or Mustang, but they are not horrible to find and the supply is getting better in many ways as these cars increase in value.
      I also question the 1 of 35 that is published. I know of several of these including a couple that have been written off, and from what I am being told by other Alfisti is that the number is actually closer to 250 to 270, not huge numbers but not 35 either

      Like 4
      • Avatar Creeker

        Callaway built 34 cars – I owned an ’86. Dealers also built 2 or 3 after Callaway stopped production, mostly because Alfa stopped making GTVs. As to a previous remark, Callaway started doing GTI turbos, not these, and was known for rushing them out the door not fully developed. The biggest problem they had was with heat from the turbos; there was no effective way of evacuating it from underwood without opening it. I pondered levering my hood.

        Like 1
    • Avatar Steve

      Callaway still supports the B2K Corvettes. I would imagine that they would do the same for Alfa’s also.

      Like 0
    • Avatar Dave Mazz

      Now $51,125.00 and still RNM….this baby is edging into Ferrari territory…..

      Like 0
  9. Avatar Billy1

    The gold Gotti Wheels and red exterior paint is a nice match.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Kevin Harper

      I have a set of these wheels. They are oh so 80’s and I do like them on a GTV6, but they are heavy, significantly heavier than stock.

      Like 0
  10. Avatar t-bone Bob

    nice

    Like 0
  11. Avatar carol begin

    is this car still on the market?

    Like 0
  12. Avatar Elizabeth Young

    Oh wow. I lived in Monterey in 1985 and treated myself to a 1985 GTV. Bought at a Monterey Alfa dealership. I loved this car! Drove it cross country from Monterey to Cape Cod, drove from Newport, R.I. to CA. No problems, comfortable ride. It had a crank overhead to just easily open the sunroof. It had a black exterior and cloth interior. The only major issue I had, was to repair the air conditioner. My biggest regret is that I sold in 1992! (to a friend, her husband had been an Alfa salesman, so at least it went to a good home). I really miss that car.

    Like 1

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