When it comes to car manufacturers, nothing seems to match the history, passion, and authenticity of Alfa Romeos. Considered to be one of the oldest automotive manufacturers in existence, second to the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo has stood the test of time to revolutionize the world of cars as we know it. Cars shod in classic red emblazoned with their unmistakably iconic Quadrifoglio four leaf clover logo becomes a staple to many Alfa Romeo cars, even to this day. However, like any other car manufacturer, the Lombardi-based company also shared its own hardships throughout the years, but none most significant than during the 70s and 80s. The car shown here may not look like much, heck you may as well consider it a businessman's everyday workhorse, but under the skin of this rather bland sedan lies a plethora of groundbreaking achievements, domination, and outright victories one can only expect from such a legendary company. This is the story of the Alfa 155, Alfa's rise and return to form to the one thing they do very good at; racing.
In 1928, Nicola Romeo, one of the founding fathers to the Alfa Romeo brand, left the company, this led to its nationalization, as it was bought over by none other than the Italian government by 1933. During the 60s and 70s, the four leaf clover was undergoing major pressure, being a government controlled manufacturer, Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale or IRI in short, the governing body which controls Alfa Romeo, were having trouble paying out unqualified, unproductive workers and a low workplace standard didn't help. What with the aging facilities and all. By 1986, IRI decided to cut losses, and Alfa Romeo was no longer a state-owned company. Soon, the marque was bought by Fiat after a short battle with Ford regarding job guarantees, in which Fiat ultimately won against the blue oval brand. Having a secure spot with another Italian company and a short merge with rival Lancia, Fiat set out to re-interpret the true essence of Alfa Romeo, starting off with their very first car, the 155, a replacement to their previous Alfa Romeo 75.
The design of the 155 was headed by Ercole Spada of I.DE.A. Using the new Tipo 3 platform which provided base for cars like the Fiat Tempra dan the Lancia Dedra, it was the very first front-wheel drive Alfa to be produced by the company, measuring in at over 100 mm longer, 70 mm wider, and about 100 mm taller than its previous predecessor. The wheelbase has also been elongated too, by about 30 mm. The general increase in size didn't mean a decrease in aerodynamic performance, the sleeker, slipperier, albeit somewhat generic sedan looking design approach of the 155 not only was targeted for a larger, more accepting demographic of casual businessmen, but it also improved the car's Cd ratio by a good 0.09. Where the Alfa 75 measured in at 0.37, the 155 smashed it whole with a 0.29 Cd factor, which at the time of its inception was nothing short of extraordinary. Increased size also meant for a spacious boot, measuring in at 525 litres. Its front-wheel-drive system, even though it was conceived as a way to counter the disastrous sales of the previous 75 with its now-unpopular rear-wheel-drive layout, unfortunately and ironically became one of the main points of criticism towards the Alfa 155, some often considering it "genericified" among the other popular front-wheel-drive sedans of the 90s.
But this was no Toyota Corolla, no. As per Fiat's original intentions, they wanted the 155 to evoke the spirit of what makes Alfa Romeo great, in what was considerably a mundane package exterior wise. Fiat and Alfa Romeo took great care to the car's dynamics to make sure that it could still be fun and exciting to drive. The interior, despite looking like every 90s economy saloon out there, was given a hint of sportiness and luxury via a mix of leather and fabric inserts on door trims. Fabric seats, wood panelling on the center console, and a three-spoke steering wheel further accompanied the feeling of luxury, while discreetly ingenious mechanisms such as a small trunk-opening button switch inside the glovebox were also adopted. Attention was given to the shift knob, in which original OEM knobs were weighted perfectly to suit the shifting characteristics of the 155. This was proven by owners claims who felt that aftermarket replacements were less tactile in feel than original units. The suspension, made up of front MacPherson struts and rear trailing arms was purposefully tuned to give the car controlled and stable cornering characteristics. Seats were also designed with a strong emphasis on comfort to keep drivers relaxed and at ease during long distance drives. Despite its unpopular looks at the time and generic interior, albeit well designed for function rather than all-out style, it is the engines and drivetrain that highlight the shining qualities of the 155, so much so to become a touring car legend.
During its first year of sales, there were four main trim options available during the first half of its production run: The Twin Spark, TD, V6, and Q4. Twin Spark 155s were divided into three trims, a 1.7 Twin Spark with a 1.7 L SOHC 8V twin-spark inline-4 (115 PS @ 6000 RPM, 149 N-m @ 3500 RPM), a 1.8 Twin Spark powered by a 1.8 L SOHC 8V twin-spark inline-4 (127 PS @ 6000 RPM, 165 N-m @ 5000 RPM), or a slightly more powerful 2.0 Twin Spark powered by a 2.0 L SOHC 8V twin-spark inline-4 (145 PS @ 6000 RPM, 187 N-m @ 5000 RPM). TD cars, as its name suggest, were diesel-powered 155s offered with either a 2.0 L turbocharged diesel inline-4 (90 PS @ 4100 RPM, 186 N-m @ 2500 RPM) in the 2.0 TD models or a 2.5 L VM 425 OHV turbocharged diesel inline-5 (123 PS @ 4200 RPM, 294 N-m @ 2000 RPM). Meanwhile, V6 trims were powered by Alfa Romeo's now iconic 2.5 L SOHC 12V "Busso" V6s ( 167 PS @ 5800 RPM, 216 N-m @ 4500 RPM). However, the most powerful, and supposedly most advanced trim of them all, the Q4, short for "Quadrifoglio 4", was essentially a reskinned, retrimmed Lancia Delta Integrale, or as quoted from a then young Jeremy Clarkson: "The Q4 was simply a Lancia Delta on drag". Powered by its championship winning Fiat Twin Cam 2.0 L DOHC 16V Garrett-turbocharged inline-4 (190 PS @ 6000 RPM, 297 N-m @ 2500 RPM), it also carried over the Delta's 4WD system as well, making it the fastest most performance oriented production 155 out of them all.
In 1995, a "Series II" facelift was announced, opting for wider front and rear arches to fulfill motorsport homologation as well as revised engine trims. The 1.7 Twin Spark trim were now abolished, and the twin-spark engines themselves received delicious Alfa Romeo designed 16V twin-cam cylinder heads. The addition of wider fender arches proved to be a key role in the design of future 155 race cars and their illustrious racing careers. With the Q4 mainly being the base of almost every 155 race car, many different iterations of racing 155s were produced during its heydays. The 155 GTA for instance, a stripped-down, no frills, steroid-injected, racing version of the Q4 built for touring car races. The car would need a completely separate article altogether to write its extensive specs and development stories, but TLDR; it was homologated under Group A regulations, had 350 kg less than a standard Q4, revised aero, redesigned double-wishbone rear suspension system instead of the trailing arm setup found on mass produced examples, and 400 PS @ 6500 RPM accompanied with 510 N-m worth of torque @ 4500 RPM thanks to a re-tuned Garrett T2 turbocharger creating 2.5 bars of boost. Under the management of mechanics from Abarth of Chivasso, who were also responsible for the creation of the Group A Delta Integrale, the GTA scored 17 wins out of the 20 races that it entered on the Italian Touring Car Championship, following a path of relentless dominance similar to its close relative, the Delta.
However, what most people remember about the 155 wasn't the GTA itself. Of course, the GTA was an excellent racing car outright, but, the halo car was undoubtedly the 2.5 V6 TI. Named to be one of the most successful non-German car in Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (or what most of you know as DTM), the 2.5 V6 TI exhibited the best of Alfa Romeo quality, and showed that they still have what it takes to race competitively under tight German competition. Using the 155 GTA as a base, the 155 TI was almost fully rebuilt from the ground up. Its 4WD system remained from the GTA, now slightly improved with a 33:67 torque distribution front-to-back. The engine used a newly-developed, naturally-aspirated, short stroke 2.5 L DOHC 16V V6, longitudinally mounted to host its 4WD system and equipped with titanium inlet valves and trick electronics to regulate gas emissions. Despite being naturally aspirated, it was still capable of producing 420 PS at an unprecedented 11,500 RPM redline, some saying it was just a wee bit further from being a proper F1 engine. Full carbon-clad body reduced the super sedan's weight to a mere 1040 kg, 4WD system included. The '93 season saw the car being driven by F1 drivers Nicola Larini, Alessandro Nannini, and key Alfa Corse driver Giorgio Francia, demolishing the Germans on their home ground outright with 12 wins out of 20 races, resulting in Larini copping a driver's championship title for the season. '94 and '95 saw a small drop in success for the Alfas after the release of Opel's new Calibra. However, the 155 came back strong in '96 with 11 wins by Nannini, granting him and Alfa Corse yet another driver's title.
Bizzarini on the other hand helped to improve the engine by transplanting the 215 PS engine unit out of the Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluzione II, adjustable gas shock absorbers and progressive rate springs lowered the car by 34 mm, and the car's front strut mounting points were reinforced. With the project unveiled at the 1994 Geneva Motor Show, it unfortunately did not garner any interest, as expected from the car's already unpopular nature. It was this unpopularity that soon led Zagato nearly bankrupt, until an unnamed Japanese businessman swiftly came to the rescue, financing Luca Zagato, Zagato's head CEO, enough money to supply 21 units of the Ti.Z for a few Japanese businessmen keen to owning what is essentially an extreme sports version of the Q4, remembering the success of the similarly awkward Silvia-based Nissan Stelvio Zagato. It is known that one of the Ti.Zs made at the time had the V6 Busso powerplant attached to it, named as the GTA.Z instead. It is unknown however if the Delta's 4WD system was also carried over to this one-off model. Speaking of one-offs, Alfa Romeo themselves also worked on a special 155 GTA Stradale tuned by Abarth in order to commemorate their wins at the ITCC. Unfortunately due to high manufacturing costs, the project was abandoned, and only one prototype, designed by Sergio Limone of Abarth, exists today.
The early years of Fiat ownership didn't seemed well for Alfa Romeo at first, what with the flunking sales and popularity of the 155 being one of them. Hence by 1996, a year before they closed production of the 155, they hastily introduced its replacement, the 156. The car proved to be a success this time, winning over the hearts of many Europeans and even claiming itself the 1998 European Car of the Year Award, a stunning feat the 155 dreamed of reaching. All in all, to say that the 155 is a failure would be a massive over-exaggeration. It just wasn't quite there yet when it launched, but over the years there have been a growing number of enthusiasts keen on discovering the mythos of such an ordinary-looking sedan. As a Japanese enthusiast once quoted from his blog: "You'll start to like the 155 when your tastes have matured. Like how you would like black coffee and its complex flavors more as you grow older, and the lesser you'd prefer milk coffee as it dilutes the coffee's original taste. The analogy stays the same.", an excellent description of what the 155 is today, a simple, straightforward car that doesn't look like much when you first see it with open eyes, but its subdued elegance and beauty will soon reveal itself over time. added with its rich racing history, it is unknowingly a true -blooded Quadrifoglio hiding under casual clothes. Just watch out for its electricals. Yikes!
Comentarios