Alfa Romeo's 156 has been upgraded and there's a new high-powered GTA version, reports Andrew Hamilton
Fascinating, isn't it, how an individual model can do a rescue job for a marque? The 205 did it superbly for Peugeot away back in the early 1980s, and just four years ago the 156 brought Alfa Romeo back almost from extinction.
Alfa Romeo had earlier been taken over by Fiat but the omens weren't good. When the 156 came along, it captivated the customers, as much with smart and alluring looks as with driving skills. Now it has gone on to become a leading player in the executive sector.
Nearly half a million 156s have been sold, boosting Alfa's share of the European car market from 0.7 per cent in 1996 to 3.2 per cent last year. Overall, brand sales in that time have increased 72 per cent. Seven new models are planned over the next 24 months, and Alfa hopes they will ensure that these impressive figures stay that way.
Alfa Romeo has just upgraded and revised its "everyday" 156 range but the changes are hardly visible externally. A more interesting or desirable model addition is the 156 GTA. This cracking high performance derivative develops a hefty 250 bhp through a 3.2 litre V6 24-valve engine. GT is a familiar badge for go-faster cars so what's "A"? It was added to signify alleggerita which is Italian for "lightened". That's actually a bit misleading, for the GTA weighs 55 kg more than the "everyday" 156 2.5 V6.
We had a driving sample of this beast on wheels in a somewhat historic location, on the old Targa Florio course in Sicily. It was here that Alfa Romeo had some of its greatest triumphs of yesteryear: it won sports car races no fewer than eight times.
Of course, the GTA is a front-wheel-drive car and with such power, that should mean torque steer, something which plagued earlier big front-wheel-drive Alfas. On the twisty Sicilian roads of the Targa Florio it was never evident. ASR traction control seemed to banish the problem.
ASR working is a yellow light blinking, which the driver just ignores and stays with foot to throttle. The GTA adds up to entertaining and exciting driving with ride and handling that is taut and controlled and performance that could be thrilling: 0-62 mph or 100 kph is a matter of a mere 6.3 seconds, while top speed is limited to 155 mph.
There was an original Alfa GTA. It came out in 1965, a lightweight version of the attractive Giulia GT coupé. The 156 that bears these letters 37 years on, just looks a bit more beefy, being wider, lower to the ground and more evidently glued to the road with its Michelin 225/45 tyres on 17-inch wheels. Side skirts, a deeper rear bumper, twin chromed exhaust pipes and massive front air intakes all create cosmetic enhancement. Out of sight changes include new suspension geometry and settings, more powerful braking and more direct steering.
The GTA should be on Irish tarmacadam within the next few months in both saloon and Sportwagon (estate) forms but numbers on sale here will be small. Only 5,000 are being built and right-hand-drive cars aren't likely to exceed 500. There's no word on price: it could be around €50,000 - a UK sterling price of £27,000 to £28,000 has been mooted. Buyers will get the choice of a fully manual close ratio six-speed gear box or the clutchless Alfa Selespeed system.
On to the more affordable higher volume 156s and their changes. The external styling has, wisely, been left alone while cabin revisions include dual zone climate control, a Bose eight speaker stereo system and new fabrics. The much improved safety package has six airbags, Vehicle Dynamic Control or VDC, brake assist and Isofix child seat mountings.
There's increased performance from two engines, a new JTS direct-injection petrol unit of 2.0 litres and a development of the existing five-cylinder 2.4 litre JTD turbodiesel. The JTS engine is innovative with petrol being injected directly into the combustion chamber rather than into the inlet manifold. Alfa Romeo says it offers 10 per cent more power and 14 per cent more torque than the conventionally injected Twin Spark unit it replaces. This new engine develops 165 bhp, up 10 bhp and it is claimed to use less fuel.
The most conspicuous feature of both engines is their ability to pull from low revs: that's what improved torque or pulling power is all about. On the excellent Sicilian autostrada where, incidentally, we noted most cars were diesel, the JTD was an extremely capable and refined motorway cruiser.
Other engines in the 156 line-up are the existing 1.6 and 1.8 litre Twin Spark units and the 2.5 litre V6, and they remain unchanged. Irish prices for the revised 156 range will be slightly above those for the current models when it goes on sale here within the next couple of months - probably at the same time as the GTA.