We have come a long way since the invention of the wheel.  It seems we’re nearly on the verge of self-driving cars becoming reality.

We are entering the world of the Jetsons.

Yet even the current generation of cars can do so much that the original founders of the car would have a difficult time accepting how much the car industry has evolved if they were given a peek into the moderns world of cars from the afterlife.

For all its advancements though, the modern car world lacks character, the sort of charm where a somewhat unreliable car would still be viewed as one of the most perfect creations of man. It might seem like wishful thinking, but our chase for efficiency and value for money has made seeing a car like that being made again nothing more than wishful thinking.

Thankfully, there are still some of these classic old cars alive and kicking and few are as significant and worthwhile in this regards as the 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV.

An innocuous but captivating look

You know how there are different types of beauty.

The first thought that comes to people’s minds when they think about beauty is the obvious kind that smacks you in the face. Then there is the understated beauty that doesn’t captivate immediately but somehow holds your gaze. It keeps you hooked on and for reasons unknown while a spell is cast on you by it.

Sure we’re biased Alfa-lovers, but even the biggest sourpuss has to admit:  The GTV is poetry in motion.

Take the parts of this car individually and there is nothing very remarkable about them. However, put them together and they combine to form this beautiful and enchanting object that has been the burning desire of men and women since its very inception.

Just like most supermodels who do not possess classic features of attractiveness and yet look so perfect, the 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV is all about how good it looks a whole. The current generation of Alfa Romeo cars are considered a hollow shell of their former selves and this car will show you why.

Everything is so well proportioned from the ride height, the size of the cabin, the size of the wheels, the design of the hood and pretty much every single feature to knobs and switches amalgamate perfectly.

You couldn’t make this car look any better if you tried to.

An interior you’d like to live in

Modern carmakers will argue that one area where they are better than their older counterparts is the interior styling and while they would be right in most cases, the 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV isn’t one of the old-timers that modern cars can trump even when comparing the interiors.

Everything is a shoutout to a bygone era but in a classically soothing way.

Sitting inside this car will feel like sitting inside a stately mansion.

The steering wheel isn’t adjustable but you wouldn’t need to – it’s just so damn good.

The instrument console and the switches are the only downside here but even they have a sort of humorous charm to them that will force you to look at them as a mischievous ploy by the designers of this car rather than a defect or an oversight from the manufacturers.

Sure, its has it’s fair share of reliability issues…

It is inevitable that the moment you take interest in the 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV that you will set yourself on the path of naysayers who will make fun of the GTV’s reliability issue.

The truth though is that this car isn’t any more unreliable than the other cars of its era.

A lot of the parts of this car like so many at that time where machined by hand leading to some discrepancies and the reliability issues but a well-maintained 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV is almost as hassle-free as any modern car.

…but boy, is it a joy to drive:

The actual fun of this car is the way in which it drives. The lack of strict safety regulations back then meant that the body of this car didn’t need to have a lot of the beams and pillars modern cars are required to have by law.

Weighing in at less than a ton, this car is powered by an engine churning out 130 horsepower, the weigh / power ration makes this an exciting car to drive.

There is an immediacy to the acceleration that is just exhilarating to the hilt.

In fact, the engine in this car was so good that it stayed in continuous production for over two decades without any changes. The steering does feel a bit disconnected but somehow doesn’t feel like an inhibition.

Of course, it goes without saying that an old-timey car as this one isn’t the safest out there but as long as it is driven with a healthy respect for its capabilities, it will be impossible not to fall in love with the 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV, that is, if its looks haven’t accomplished that task already.