Alfa Romeo Owners Club Magazine, August 2008
UK
Until now English speaking Montreal enthusiasts have had to make do with magazine articles and mention of the Montreal in more general works of reference. Now, at last, we have an English-language book devoted to this head-turning classic. Given that slightly fewer than 4000 Montreals were produced between 1970 and 1977, we might have expected a modestly slim volume devoted to this single model which underwent relatively few changes during its production life. Instead, the author Dr Bruce Taylor has come up with an extraordinarily comprehensive tome running to 320 pages. A chartered engineer with 40 years experience in research and development, Bruce Taylor is known to fellow Montreal enthusiasts through his website and forum. He writes with passion, clarity and expert knowledge of his subject. Laid out clearly and boldly in a style that has become something of a hallmark of Veloce Publishing, the coverage is truly comprehensive, combining the model’s history with everything one might expect to find in a Buyers’ Guide and Maintenance Manual. The story of the car from its birth as a prototype at Montreal’s Expo ‘67 to production, factory manufacturing records and the Montreal’s competition history are fully covered. In addition there are chapters devoted to Buying and Tuning, Mechanical, Electrical and Bodywork maintenance and sorting out known weaknesses. Improving and upgrading the Montreal is also covered. More surprising but nonetheless welcome are chapters on the Montreal Register Europa and each of the annual gatherings held since 1998, on Montreal books, magazines and models, drawings, art and advertising. In other words this exceptional book is a bible not just for the owner and restorer but for the collector of associated ephemera. There is even a chapter on joining and using the forum. The book rounds off with almost fifty pages of Appendices covering technical characteristics, paint codes, diagrams showing all the necessary tools in use, a Directory of Service Providers and price guide. The whole book is very comprehensively illustrated with 950 color and monochrome pictures, the vast majority of which will be unfamiliar to UK readers. It is nice to see pictures of the interior of the prototype courtesy of Alfa Romeo and Bertone, pictures which fail to make most other books and articles. There are relatively few pictures of UK registered cars which may disappoint some of our own Register owners but I did spot a whole page devoted to the restoration of Phil Robinson’s MFK 592P and a photo of the car elsewhere, taken at Goodwood by Ken Carrington. The Racing Chapter shows a black and white picture of Jon Dooley punishing the Alfa GB demonstrator at Silverstone and rare shots of the prototype Montreal-engined Alfetta GT which had an engine stretched to 3.0 liters, along with a 2.6-litre production engined version of which a handful were marketed in Germany. Interesting stuff. A really decent Montreal book has been a long time coming but not only is this one well worth the wait, it’s in English. Perhaps the greatest compliment one can pay this book is that it may finally lay to rest the myth that the Montreal is a temperamental beast which is expensive and difficult to maintain. The Montreal has long suffered an undervalued reputation. This book may go a long way to right the balance.
VeloceToday.com, August 2008
USA magazine and website
Circulation: 10,000
Who could ask for anything more? If you owned an Alfa Montreal, you would need only three documents to completely restore the fabled Alfa V8; the factory technical publications, the factory parts book, and 'Alfa Romeo Montreal; The Essential Companion.' In fact, most owners could get away with just the last, as it is one of the most complete, compelling, engaging, colorful and informative books ever published on a single make. The sheer size and weight induced by a hard cover and 320 glossy color pages was impressive and it was obvious that this was a different kind of companion book. Richly illustrated is an understatement. Well written is taken for granted. Immense depth, covering virtually every single point of the car, is illustrated with both excellent color photos and diagrams as necessary in chapter after chapter. Only suspension and differential are given short shrift, probably because they are typical Alfa parts and extremely robust. As with most guides, the first chapters deal with the history of the model, and this is done with considerable detail. The author found a shot of one of the Alfa 1967 Montreal cars with its hood open revealing the standard Alfa four cylinders which initially powered the prototypes. The engine, derived from the Alfa 33/2 racing power plant, was so heavily modified for production, “almost no component parts of the Montreal engine are common to the original 33/2 V8.” And, not being able to make a concrete decision on which engine to use, Alfa management told Bertone to change the design in order to accommodate both the four and the much larger and heavier V8. (In the same chapter, the name of Prince Rainier is misspelled; it’s the only error we could find). The more we read of the book, the deeper it went. The author appears to have missed nothing; Paint codes, Appendix II; injection tune up, a full chapter; weak spots, how to spot and correct, in full color, chapter 5. Rocker switches, how to repair, page 136. Mechanical maintenance is given its own long and profusely illustrated chapter, written by someone who has been there and done that more than once. A full list of Montreal toy models constitutes chapter 12, Montreal advertising and literature, page 249; CD systems, under electrical maintenance, chapter 7; Spica Fuel injection, and oh, there are several types for the Montreal, the CSS, page 92, the BC, page 93, the TC, page 93. Alfas began to use a greater number of special tools in the seventies, fourteen for the engine, nine for the fuel injection system, and twenty two for the ZF gearbox; for the Montreal the full list is on page 281. The author also provides great photos “... to give an idea of how functionally equivalent substitute tools can be fabricated ...” This is followed by 24 pages of factory tool drawings! Now that’s the kind of information we like to read about!!! Just a cursory glance told us this was a very special book. Who was the Merlin that put all of this together? The photographs, though many are obvious home brewed, are excellent throughout no matter what the source. The author explains clearly the foibles of the V8, how to do everything from set the valve clearances to replace bad bearings in the timing cover. He does it all while covering Montreals made for Europe, Great Britain and the US. It was time to read the back flap.
Author Bruce Taylor lives in Switzerland. He devotes a large part of his time helping Montreal owners get the most from their cars. Taylor is a Chartered Engineer with a PhD from Edinburgh University. He recently retired from CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva. (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire). CERN’s main area of research is particle physics — the study of the fundamental constituents of matter and the forces acting between them. For Taylor, then, delving into the complexities of the Spica Fuel injection is mere child’s play. The fact that he can write so to make others understand is an added pleasure. Don’t be put off, or on, by the cover. It’s a bit of a fooler; an attractive model with mesh stockings sits provocatively on the hood of a Montreal. We didn’t mind this, but the complexities, depth, and sheer intensity of the material behind the cover is betrayed by the lightness of the cover material. In short, a detailed cutaway of the Alfa V8 engine would have been more in keeping with the book’s depth and excellence. Alas, far less attractive. There are two downsides to this incredible book; one is the cost, about $130 US. The other is that if you buy the book without already owning a Montreal, you may be very tempted, encouraged and excited about going out and finding a good Montreal. And that, my friend, will cost you a great deal more than just the book.
Review from Classic & Sports Car, November 2008
UK magazine
Montreal enthusiasts are lucky to have an owner as dedicated as Bruce Taylor. His remarkable 318-page work covers every aspect of Alfa's exotic '70s V8 coupé, from the show car launch to a comprehensive list of worldwide specialists. If you own or are thinking of buying one of these Bertone-styled budget supercars then this book is an essential purchase. In-depth chapters include buying tips, tuning, maintenance and bodywork, plus the car's Achilles' heels, such as weak water-pump bearings, steering-box problems and the fuel-injection system's thermostatic actuator. Taylor's writing is clear and thorough as he guides readers through the design, its problems and improvements. A wealth of photographs superbly illustrates all points. To balance the technical section, Taylor also looks at Montreals in motor sport, including the wild Autodelta Group 4 car, the Bobcar IMSA racer, a Dutch dirt-track machine and even powerboats with Montreal power. Capping it all are the final chapters covering miniatures, printed memorabilia, factory tools and the original styling drawings. A staggering effort born of the obsessive author's pioneering website and the assistance of fellow Montreal owners.
Classic Cars, October 2008
UK magazine
A useful but rather pricey reference book for anyone wanting to know all things Montreal, this 315-page volume does its best to cover model history, buying, maintaining, improving and even racing this exotic machine. All the photography is in color and you're left in no doubt as to what should go where or how a Montreal should look. A good starting point for anyone wanting to familiarize themselves with one of Alfa's most distinctive cars.
THE FOLLOWING ARE CONSUMER REVIEWS:
Oh! What a book ! The best book I have ever seen on one single model,
and one of the best Alfa books ever (and probably one of the best
motoring books I ever saw, and the best I ever purchased !).
It has everything : nice printing, splendid pictures, complete
technical details and advice... PLUS nice girls and English "humour".
I will try to get the book reviewed in French specialised papers...
but you know that French usually don't speak English, too bad ! But
they should learn English at least to read THIS book !
I hope that this book sells very well, Bruce : it will be good for
you, and for the Montreal community, as it will help put the Montreal
on top of classic cars lists !
Philippe Delaage
(France)
I've just now received the book from Veloce and I have had a quick
look on it. My very very very great congratulations!!!!!!!!!!, the book looks
fantastic!!!!!!! It's a wonderful job there!!! And you must be very
proud about it. I'm sure that there is not in the world another one car having a such
fantastic monographic and exclusive book!!!
Agusti Vilella
(Catalonia)
I've been pouring through my copy of the new 'Monti Bible'
and ....well what can I say... FANTASTIC JOB BRUCE. The first thoughts that went through my mind while going through it where what lucky bastards ALL future Monti owners are to have such an authoritative information/experience packed book to refer to.
Of the hundreds of hours of experience (all too often painful) that
people like myself have endured to DISCOVER what is now so perfectly
and clearly put in print. They have been saved so much pain and
suffering (and money) by having this book now available to them.
How I wish I had one 15 years ago when I first entered the then
mysterious world of Montreal ownership. What lucky lucky bastards
they all are now.... !!!!
Well done Bruce. Well done... !
Andrew Gaal
(Australia)
Finally I have received your wonderful book from Amazon.fr !
It is quite a pleasure reading it for hours and hours and helps us
loving even more our Monties. Thank you, Bruce!
João Mello de Sampayo
(Portugal)
Finally I received my copy of your book from Amazon US. This is a
fantastic piece of work. I am impressed. We cannot thank you enough.
Tonny Laursen
(Denmark)
I received my copy of your book from Amazon US and have now read it.
This is a fantastic piece of work. All of the collected tips and
suggestions for repair and maintenance are available in one place.
This will make Montreal ownership a lot easier. Congratulations.
Ed Geller
(USA)
I saw Hannes Paling on the weekend and he showed me your book which
is fantastic.
Graham Colman
(South Africa)
I just received 2 copies of your excellent
book from Veloce (one copy went to my brothers in Paraguay), a
true piece of art !!!
Alberto Grillon
(Canada)
I've just received the first 2 copies of your book. We like it very much!
Marco Fazio
(Alfa Romeo, Italy)
I would like to let you know that I have received your book yesterday
and all I can say is wow!
It's truly a blessing and pleasure to own this book, it will be very
helpful to me, I'm not as mechanically inclined as some of the other
Montreal owners are. This book will help a lot. Thank you.
Joe D'Amico
(New York)
"Browsing through this 320-page detailed tome it is hard not to be beguiled by the Montreal's individual style and stunning range of period colour schemes which combine to make it one of the most covetable cars of its generation ... this book is essential reading both before and after taking the plunge." – Gay Classic Car Group
"This substantial, 320-page book tells you everything you need to know about the elegant Montreal ... for anyone with an interest in buying a Montreal, and particularly for owners, this would be an indispensable book to have." – New Zealand Classic Car
THE FOLLOWING ARE CONSUMER REVIEWS:
Today I received my book (ordered with Amazon France)
It's a great addition to my collection!!
Marino Simmons
(Belgium)
I received my book through Amazon.ca to-day….
Really impressed… great job…really nice book. A must for anybody
who is interested in Alfa Romeos. I just looked quickly at the
pictures… can’t wait to have more time to go through it…
Jimmy Cornet
(Montreal, Canada)
I received my copy of Bruce's book late last week. It is really
impressive.
John Justus
(USA)
I just received your book. Outstanding!!! It's sure to become a
"must have" for all Monty owners around the world.
Val Herrera
(Texas, USA)
I received my copy yesterday in NJ.
Very nice job!
Nash Bapola
(USA)
