Brian Tullio at This Side Up Motorsports has been racing for 16 years. He currently competes in the Vintage Auto Racing Association (VARA) B-Sedan Unlimited class with a special 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000.
The project started several years ago when he discovered an online ad for a 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000. The listing had little information, one photo, and no price. It took months before Brian could communicate with the owner. He soon discovered the car had not moved in 12 years but the engine was started every month.
The car was in rough shape. The body had rust bubbling through the paint and there were issues with wiring and plumbing. About the only thing in good shape were the tires. Over the next months Brian addressed only the essential issues that would keep it from driving.
Brian originally planned to perform an engine swap but after reading about Vintage Auto Racing Association (VARA) B-sedan racing class he retained the Alfa Romeo motor. Brian instead focused on the required safety equipment to meet the VARA B-sedan rules. He raced with this setup for a year.
Unfortunately while racing the Alfa Romeo motor became hot and locked up. Brian again thought of an engine swap but wanted the car out racing as soon as possible. So he rebuilt the motor with new pistons and performance parts capable of 12.5:1 compression on VP120 fuel.
While racing at Willow Springs the rebuilt engine threw a rod out of the block. Brian took this as a sign to start the engine swap. He sold the good parts and scrapped the rest. Brian considered a Honda K-series motor but settled on the high-revving Honda F-series inline-four. He purchased a 2.0 L F20C inline-four and AP1 six-speed manual transmission for $5,000.
Brian fabricated custom mounts and a custom exhaust header for the F20C. He planned on using the factory electronics but realized it would cause more work in the long run. So Brian paired his custom wiring harness with a Link G4X ECU. The motor produced 209 hp and 142 lb-ft of torque on E85 fuel.
The S2000 six-speed manual transmission went in with another custom mount. Brian fabricated a custom removable tunnel for easier service at track. A custom billet output adapter leads to a Driveshaft Shop custom 2.75-inch one-piece carbon fiber driveshaft. Behind that is a stock Alfa Romeo solid rear axle with an upgraded limited-slip differential clutch pack.
For the suspension Brian went with Koni Classic Red shocks. The front brakes benefit from four-piston aluminum calipers with 288 mm ventilated rotors. The rear brakes are factory Alfa Romeo disc brakes.
Brian paid homage to the car’s uniqueness with a custom three-tone paint job. The colors he chose were Ford “Eruption Green”, GM “Arctic White”, and Honda “Radiant Red”. You can follow the project’s past and future progress at @tsumotorsports or on Brian’s channel.