Incredible sound, Frustrating Road Test: Alfa Romeo GTV V6 Cloverleaf (Type 916) 

I owned this car until just a few weeks ago, and also have a twin spark 916 Spider, and I 100% agree with Ian on his review, which is why I sold the v6 and kept the 150hp twin spark. The v6 sounded great but you could rarely find a road to give it the beans enough to get that sound out. We do still have a 156 V6 2.5 as a daily to still give us a taste of the Busso music!

I’ve always wanted a Alfa Montreal one of the most gorgeous looking cars of all time

Had this exact one: a pre-facelift V6. A thrilling drive. I disagree: even at fairly low speeds around town it was a thrill, not hard to drive at all. So much torque everywhere, and it always just wanted to take off. You can say you could have the same engine in a more practical body, but the GTV is just gorgeous, so much Pininfarina flair, and simple elegance. Also, it's small and low, so it handles - particularly well for a front-driver. Of course, it's compromised, because it's a sports car, so the boot is small and the ride is firm (but not at all too hard, as you say. I don't know, maybe this one had suspension issues.) If you 'get' what this car is about, you will love it for what it is. Sorry, but I just really feel like you were right - you shouldn't have bothered, if all you were going to do is say you couldn't test it properly.

more fascinating, interesting and unusual content, often wondered about this car, there is a pristine red V6 spider local to us and it sounds like nothing else! The automotive world be a worse place without Alfa Romeos spirit and its flaws? Great colour! Thanks for sharing Ian

Such a beautiful car, whatever angle you look at it. Definitely a car I'd forgive for breaking down and/or rusting. Gorgeous.

One of the most underrated cars ever !!.

I love these, styling is unmatched and the Busso is the nicest sounding production V6 bar none. Great test of a truly beautiful car!

"If you were Italian, where would you put the boot release?" Ha, ha! My 'sud had many things in odd places.....

Ohhh how I chuckled to myself when you criticised the gear change. Having owned a 1976 Alfetta 1.8 and a 1981 2.0 GTV - the ones with the gearbox at the back - this one’s gearchange would have been a joy to use!

The Busso v6 is a masterpiece.

I used to own a GT with the 3.2 - that Busso engine was a bewitching companion on any journey you made in it. I agree with you Ian, there is no better sound under £100,000. If you haven't driven an Alfa my recommendation is to try one. I'm on my fourth at the moment and have no regrets.

Awwww!!!! one of my favourite cars...lovingly unpractical, and delightfully wedgy. Love the handling and of course the sound. Such fun cars to drive! Thanks for another AMAZING video!!!!

The boot release is in the glove compartment, and the interior in the phase 2 GTV's are much nicer.

Your right side front bumper mount has snapped.the plastic bumper is resting on the broken bit

I literally gasped when I saw the thumbnail 😬 gave one of these a hoon round Croft and oh my lifeeeee the sound is just otherworldly

I had a test drive in one of these exact cars when they were first introduced. I wanted one as a company car but was shot down in flames when I suggested it to the manager ! It was a fantastic car . I can still remember coming off a dual carriageway ,on the test drive onto a roundabout and the back end coming out and being so controllable . Thankfully the boys in blue were not present . The dealer in York was so laid back. When I went in the sales manager just passed the keys over and off I went on my own . Very happy days

I Mrs was driving a 147 a few years back. It belonged to her work. I’m not a driver but I did manage to get a shot of it once in a industrial estate. It was magic. I loved that car. Loved its looks. Loved the seats and steering wheel and it all lit up red inside when you opened the door. Hardly ever see them anymore. I want it back

Q. "If you were an Italian, where would you put the boot release?" A. Probably under the bonnet.

One of my dream cars getting the hubnut treatment, fantastic!

fantastic review, love the car! you should review the peugeot 406 coupe, also designed by pininfarina. engine bay is not as pretty but its still a power loafy v6. and smoother suspension too. i would love a review of one as there aren't many left at all. but i understand about what your saying with reviewing performance cars 👍 😉

Nice review. I had a 2000. 166 3.0l. had a custom exhaust built and sounded lovely

It's such a shame I didn't discover your channel until after you'd been to my little Tasmanian town. Because I have TWO vehicles here that you may have found interesting, for very different reasons. 1 is another Australian oddity, a 2006 Toyota Aurion, which is much like, but not entirely the same as, a Camry of the same year and has the lovely 2GR-FE 3.5L V6 engine. 2 is a 1992 Toyota Corolla, but not just any Corolla - it came from the factory with the famous 4A-GE engine, bigger brakes, large swaybars and Strut brace and a few other differences. It makes a glorious sound and is a really fun vehicle to drive. If you ever come back to the northern end of Tasmania (once the current situation is over), I'd love to see one or both of my vehicles featuring in a video of yours!

Still worth publishing this one Ian. Good to see. Though, in spirit, I share your frustration of a lack of a suitable road! A scoot up the twisty bits of the Pacific Highway and back down the Expressway would have been ideal, but probably not practical.

Fantastic car. Former colleague of mine bought one of these - after saving up for a while! - brand new in 1999. Amazing inside and out, and under the hood. Future classic (if it isn't already).

Remember seeing this car on carsales about a month ago. Great video.

So little time in Oz but you picked up the correct usage of bogan. Congratulations! The fluid you saw dripping would be condensation from the air conditioning dripping out the overflow pipe. Entirely normal for a humid hot day especially in Sydney

I used to live on a long, straight street and there was a pub landlord who had a V6 GTV who lived at the end of the road. You always knew it was him because at about 00:30AM there would be an almighty roar of V6 and tyre noise as he blasted home from the pub, with a nonchalant disregard for the speed limit and the hour.

The mighty Busso V6 makes one of the all time great sounds, and they look absolutely gorgeous with those polished runners too. I remember a friend of mine took me for a drive in his GTV V6 AutoDelta, and I have wanted one ever since! The noise made me... Um. Happy. I did also sit in the back, much to the annoyance of the person in the front whos knees were pretty much touching the dashboard...

My uncle who sadly passed away day for day a decade ago had one exactly like this one. Same color engine and interior. I miss him a lot and this car will always remind me of him. And yes, some 90ies Ferraris and even up til 2005-2010 were finished so horribly in the interior. Vacuum cleaner hoses around the mountings of rear mirrors, airvents like it is a toy, steering wheels that remind me of a Logitech steering wheel and so on. Rubbish and really scandalous for such pricey cars. Thank you for the throwback. Thank you. And indeed, sporty cars are a bit ridiculous nowadays. With all those speed limits and trafic jams and so many people on the road really, you can’t put it to use other than on circuits. Thats a reason why I don’t get remapping is so much of an ongoing thing whereas modern cars can keep up with trafic.

"Ohh everyone is going that way - let's go the other way!" - HubNut 2020... ...this could be life advice...

Thank you for not binning this video. Giuseppe Busso 1913 - 2006. What a legacy! With that exhaust it sounds surprisingly like a V8 at idle, and a crossplane at low rev power. Such a shame there was nowhere to go to hear it really howl. I suspect we won't hear engines like this again, with legislation forcing turbos onto everything and muffling the true sound of the engine. The gorgeous inlet system is the main reason why it needs to be revved, other more modern (and less pretty) V6 engines tend to have dual inlet systems and/or cam lift adjustment which turns it back into a 12v and makes it much more usable at "normal" revs, but there isn't room for those pipes.

Had one of these new in 2000 (UK). While I agree with you on both the lovely Pininfarina styling but poor interior packaging (although the facelift version had a much improved dashboard), I do not identify with the poor ride quality you experienced. Obviously after all these years the suspension on your test model will not be factory fresh, but I recall the ride and handling to be very good on the 17” ‘telephone dial’ alloys fitted as standard. It was never best in class (I think it basically had Fiat Tipo underpinnings), but it never thumped and audibly crashed about as did your test vehicle. I’ll also add that I found the local Alfa dealer to be very good too, contrary to many stories about the dealer network. Sadly, the car did have its fair share of issues. I won’t list them here, as I fear it may cloud the fantastic memories I have of the car. A future classic for sure.

I was given a lift in a 2.0 GTV in the late '90s. I will never forget the crashy ride.

great review . " Radio ? No Sir the soundtrack is your right foot"

a colleague had the spider version- he almost never drove it though because there was an electrical problem that nobody could solve...you can still get the 150hp version for about 2000€ here- a good car for a mechanic :)

On my way to work in the late '90s I'd see Billboards from the Train. 3 cars stood out and had long running ads - Alfa GTV, Porsche Boxster & the MGF. Sounds not unusual - but I'm talking Sydney, Australia (at the time) Thanks HubNut for the review - in Sydney lol 😎

uuuh, I would like to try one of those! Looking forward to the verdict..

No "knees alert". I am forever scarred as I didn't look away in time ;) The frustration is real though. Even our little Pug 208 GTi. You give it some beans to get a grin and before you change out of 2nd gear you're already over the local limit!

that window going down sounds like a goose

the cloverleaf is always better, its a charm to give good luck on the reliability. Top work mr hubnut!

A fun little review, nonetheless! I don't recall seeing these in the States; we got the 164 around that era. Sounds fantastic; I think you had a lot more fun w/ that Daihatsu van/car w/ the 3-cylinder I watched the other day...The styling is interesting; unique, but w/ a hint of the Subaru SVX from the side, and the small-headlamped 1994 Acura/Honda Integra.

Fantastic ian I want one

Do you know which models you would particularly like that engine in? Alfa 166 and Lancia Thesis. Have they ever imported them to the UK?

That car unfortunately was not imported to the USA where we have a plethora of roads to drive it on. Beautiful car in any case. Ciao!

i really want one of these, I've test ridden both the v6 and 2.0 twin spark and i must say i much prefer the latter... the v6 is incredibly nose heavy and less smooth.... the twin spark isn't even all that slow either, and for a 4 cylinder the sound also isn't bad when revving. a lot cheaper to maintain and easier to work on, and less thirsty.

Sounds fantastic, nice colour too. This car shares the same platform as your Yugo Sana, which itself is based on the Tipo (Type 2 iirc). I own a 2008 Honda S2000, and I totally understand your annoyance with regards to using its extra performance potential versus the very low limits. I just can't safely use its higher rpm's at any time, except for when entering a motorway slip road. But it still sounds very nice even when just keeping in the streets' limits. Same ride quality as this GTV, but much better gearshift.

I’ve been privileged enough to drive numerous 916 GTV and Spiders in Twin Spark and V6 Busso guise. They are very entertaining to drive, the TS being somewhat more nimble than the V6 but the Busso noise more than makes up for the slightly torque steering nature but it’s less prominent than the 164. When the V6 was first released it was LHD only. I had the joys of changing that. No mean feat. Well worth it once I got out on my ‘private’ test track 😉😁

The front end crashing over bumps is exaggerated when the lower control arms need replacing. They are almost a consumable item in the V6s, but the ride difference when they are newly minted is quite stark. I'm on my second V6 156, and the the Busso V6 is brilliant, but you really need to to wring the bejeezus out of them - nothing happens til you get above 4500rpm.

I love how every part of the car seems entirely like an afterthought. Utterly imperfect, utterly beautiful. Isn't that how all Alfas should be?

in the colonies, the washer system on the wiper arms is called "fluidic"

I had one of these with the same engine a couple years ago. On faster roads it´s more fun x3 Mine also had an aftermarket exhaust, which really brought out the great sound of the Busso V6

Straight online looking for one 😁

Now I have a Saab 95 as my regular drive. It's a 2.2 diesel est with a tow bar. VERY comfortable, VERY practical. Really a nice place to be imo. I love Swedish engineering, been a Saab (and Volvo) owner and driver for over 5 years all told. I would however like a 2nd car. And I'd like a NG900 Saab conv. turbo. But I do love Alfa's, and I really can't decide which I would have as a second car. Thoughts?

A car I would love to sample it makes a gorgeous noise, lovely colour. Everyone has to try or own a Alfa in their lives!

It's Sydney. There is no good "way".

Beautiful car not ideal for there brilliant video Ian as usual

Have the Twin Spark 1.8 156. And even that sounds gorgeous with a normal exhaust on it. This though.. EARGASM!!!

Lovely sound up top. But the low to midrange still sounds unpleasantly v6 ish. A bit raspy and rough. The 12V doesn't seem to do that though. Thats what I love my VR6 for. Sounds gorgeous everywhere. And I am re- enjoying this video since the current absence of sun makes it all the more worthwhile to watch. Anyways, lovely video as always.

The 916 was introduced at the Geneva motor show in March 1995 and not the end of 1995. This explains why I have one made in May 1995!

A friend of mine bought one of these back in the day. It was a 2.0 model, a year old. 8k miles and was like new. The day he picked it up, the drivers side electric window stopped working. I said it was an omen and he should take the car back. He kept it a number of years, when he was living in Australia he left it in Britain. The door seals rotted away and he came back to some funky smelling seats!

Having owned a V6 156 I have to say that Alfas are indeed flawed cars. However, any criticism or harsh comments are countered by the phrase "yes but it's an Alfa!" There is no other car like them. It's not what they do, but how they do it! Sooo miss mine

Ah that lovely engine and throaty roar. I had two Alfasuds but would happily take a GTV.

I wonder if the suspension is standard? I had a phase 1 2.0 Twin Spark and it did have a hard ride, but tha5 was down to the 18” aftermarket alloys. I sold them off for a pair of 16” teledials and it made a big difference. It was a lovely car to drive and the trips through the Heathrow tunnel with the windows open in the middle of the night were fantastic. Bills wise it cost me a lot. I had the car 18 months and I spent £3k in repairs. This was in 2002. The TS is now dirt cheap and I would love to have one but the wife won’t let me.

The clover for luck having the triangle shape of triangle was for the partner who died of the two men who started designing them together I saw yesterday in video wish i recalled more details and in YOUR video i learned the front shape started in 1995...nice car guy 😉😊

Absolutely love the styling, especially from the front.

So what sounds better, this Alfa or the Marina you tested a year or two ago?

Totally agree Ian, would DEFINITELY not like to work on anything under the bonnet. I personally don't get sports cars.

I had one exaclty the same as that, apart from mine was a full phase one with black sill trims. Even after I replaced the shocks and springs the ride was still very harsh. That said, I could almost forgive it with a full stainless exhaust :)

Head out to outback NSW. The additional power helps with overtaking the road trains on the Newell highway north of Dubbo on the way to Qld. Some of them are so long it can be a daunting task getting past them.

The 3.0 GTV6 was sold in South Africa in 1983-1985, predating the release of the 3.0 L displacement to the rest of the world.[17] This engine was an Autodelta hand made conversion based on Alfa Sei 2.5 carburated engines enlarged to bore and stroke of 93 mm × 72 mm (3.7 in × 2.8 in)

Beautiful motors, really nice colour aswell, is that spoiler factory?

Sounds beautiful

If I was Italian (well I'm half Italian), where would I put the boot release? I don't know, and what confuses matters further, an English mechanic last week removed the taxi radio from my Fiat and when he re-assembled the panels, he left the bonnet release off altogether. At least you managed to raise the bonnet. That allows you to get more power from the headlights. Not so practical for driving though.

Bellissimo! Beautiful car, exquisite engine sound. On my shopping list.

I love those seats but must admit that I prefer the Fiat Coupe.

Good timing. Just bought my first Alfa off the beige forum. A 166 though not a GTV. Good vid

Nice noise ! Not seen one of these in this nice condition in England for years .

12:20 Lexus LFA Ian! now that is the nicest sounding car you can buy in my opinion 👌

For me these sound wonderful, have brilliant steering and look wonderful from the front to the windscreen - that's all. Watched the advert at the start all the way through. :)

Completely agree about high powered cars. Kind of pointless in this day and age. Cheers

great video, thank you. Side note: driving an Alfa Romeo with sandals is pure blasphemy

Love that exhaust note. Just beautiful. Shame the car was rained on because I think Italian cars are designed to dissolve after being rained on. I remember stories from the 1970s of Fiats and Alfas coming off the cargo ships in Melbourne or Sydney and being driven straight to panel shops to have the rust cut out that had developed during the boat ride here. Possibly apocryphal, but it sounds plausible and makes for a good story over a beer down at the local.

Let's rate this video: Interest factor 10/10 Hubnut knowledge 10/10 Capturing essence of Sydney summer 10/10 Misery factor because of contrast with current horrid situation 0/10

Odd looking but nice. Love the centre console of dials, very symmetrical 😎 nice growl. Lovely colour. Can't be many more Oz videos to come now...

I would say personally that I love the sound of the Abarth 124 spider. But I do love the GTV.

My favourite 1976 GT Junior, White Light Bar in the front, Red light bar in the back, No Tuning problems with a souped up Ford 3,4 V6 Interceptor engine! ;-)))))

A great video Ian - 'classic hubnut' with stuff not going well. Maybe a good prototype for "HubNut - the disaster movie". As for video description, I suspect in reality, suburbia will have suburban roads rather than urban ones. Your disappointment with the video comes across exceptionally clearly :)))) - Will we ever get a HubNut video where you did stop in bed all day ?

Great vid, nice car, reminds me of my old fiat 20v turbo coupe

Lovely video as always. I have to object on the "220hp is to much to be enjoyed on the road" statement. Just don't do full throttle everywhere. I had to learn partial throttle with my mere 190hp on 1400kg as well. Because I wanted to enjoy the revs. Granted I don't get the full bark from the induction area but still. Wouldn't trade it for less hp just to get to do more full throttle👌

Had V6 2.0 TB with speedline wheels. Liked to cruise on it 160 km/h and change lines like on rail tracks (had full poluretane bushings). Not the practical car indeed, but piece of art.

One of the finest looking cars I've seen from alfa.... But I'd never, ever own one..... I'm sure it'd spend more hours in the repair shop than it would be on the road... Only alfa I drove was the v6 engined job that apparently had the gearbox in the rear... Not a 164, the smaller one... What a sound tho! My dad wanted a 164 lusso but ended up with its poor cousin... A pug 604!

Perfect in everyway.

Ahhhh those Cicada's, when I was in Sydney in Dec/Jan I wondered what the hell I was hearing. I had the windows up, ac on and radio on whilst driving an they were still noisy.....

I quite agree Ian, leave the super cars to Jeremy Clarkson. We love your reviews of K cars and every day runabouts. Thats why we love Hubnutt

Nice cars I use to have one same colour there quite rear in the uk the GTV v6s

It could be a case of nice car wrong roads.

absolutely love the look of this car. beautiful and timeless.

Looks like my neighbourhood ! Those streets look familiar !

Lovely to look at and no excuse needed to lift the bonnet for no apparent reason with those 6 polished inlet pipes to marvel over. Can't see them being super pleasant for daily use though as you found out. Try a Fiat Coupe tho and you might change your mind?

If you ever find one and get the opportunity to test it you should try a Daihatsu Charade G100 1.3 16 EFI .. 90 hp to 750-ish kg