ALFA ROMEO ‘’156’’

ALFA ROMEO ‘’156’

Despite a distinguished history of beautiful sporting cars, Alfa Romeo was close to expiring. The company was taken over by Fiat in 1986 and incorporated into a new group with Lancia. Subsequent models, including the 145 and 155 were based on the Fiat Tipo family platform, a very functional and humdrum front wheel drive chassis. Alfa’s history and brand image should have guaranteed that it was part of the rising trend for premium saloon cars epitomized by the BMW 3-series and Audi A4. But it was clear that the Tipo based cars could never compete with the sophisticated engineering of the Germans. Alfa engineers countered this by fitting a sophisticated double wishbone front suspension to the 155 and a multi link rear suspension system, hugely improving the handling. In 1997, they took this much improved chassis and fitted it with a new body that made the 156 one of the most elegant and original cars of the 1990s. Details such as the retro cast aluminium front door handle (and hidden rear handle) were highly influential. The combination of looks and sharp handling characteristics should have made the 156 a breakthrough model, taking advantage of Europe’s taste for up market executive cars.