Alfa Romeo 155 - a 90s rare classic car!

ALFA ROMEO 155

The Alfa Romeo 155 was launched to an eager audience in 1992 at the Geneva motor show. The car was coming in to replace the 75 and was a FWD model which packed in modernity and a design which gave a keen coeficent drag and looks sleek and timeless even in the 2020s.

The 155 wasn’t all Alfa though, as some diehards will tell you, because the car is developed on the parent company, Fiat, tried and tested Tipo Tre platform.

For those unaware, this platform in English called the type three, was a front wheel drive platform and you see it used across Alfas, Fiats and lancias in the 80s and 90s.

There was however, a 4wd model available at the time and it was badged as the 155 Q4 and it’s fitted with a 2 litre turbocharged engine - so it’s a pretty big deal if you’ve got one of those at your fingertips.

However, despite the modern looks and the step into something more modern with front wheel drive, the response of the buying public and journalists is tepid.

There are a few reasons for this, but one of the biggies was this: Fiat had acquired Alfa post design of the 75 which made the 75 the last car designed independently of Fiat.

This meant your Alfa diehards felt there was something missing from the 155 from the off - and that was before we even got into the lamented loss of the RWD set up.

However, it does really well in motorsport, so the grumbles quietened down somewhat and there were changes made in the 1995 facelift to give the car a wider front and rear track, an enhanced steering rack reducing it down to just over 2 turns lock to lock and gave it a slightly sexier look.

It’s important to note it wasn’t a flop though - despite us not seeing many of these in the UK today. Across the production run, which went from 1992 to 1998, Alfa shifting 195,000 of these across all specs.

I give you more geeky detail later on the 1.8 engine we’ve got in the car and the trim and space allocation - but essentially you’re getting 0-60 in just over 10 seconds and a top speed of 124 miles per hour - so it’s not hanging around - even compared to some of today’s everyday motors.

The car was replaced by the Alfa Romeo 156, another car you don’t see every day, in 1998 and is fast growing in popularity with collectors who remember and lusted after them when they were new and the younger classic fanatics who want something retro with the staying power and mod cons to give them driving comfort.

As i’ve said before and i’ll say again - it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but 90s motoring really is a golden age.