Almost a million people visited the Alfa Romeo exhibitions that remained open over the weekend after the presentation Alfa Romeo 156. In some months orders reached 100,000, while from 1997 to 2005 680,000 were sold. These numbers make her 156 as one of Alfa Romeo’s greatest commercial successes.
The 156 was presented to the press in 1997 at Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon. The company’s goal was immediately clear: to create a sedan that will combine style with unrivaled dynamic handling, offering the perfect balance between performance and grip. A 100% genuine Alfa Romeo recipe.
The goal was particularly ambitious and the result one of the best front-wheel drive cars of all time.
Alfa Romeo and front wheel drive
The first cars built were rear-wheel drive, yet the idea of front-wheel drive excited designers. Issue employed Alfa Romeo in the post-war period. Satta Puliga and Busso were convinced of the potential of this solution and began a development program aimed at making the 1900 the brand’s first front-wheel drive car. But the company decided to take a different course.
In the early 1950s, the idea of creating a smaller front-wheel drive Alfa Romeo was studied and led to the consideration of many different engines and transmission systems. Ultimately none of these made it to the production stage, however the creation of the first front-wheel drive Alfa Romeo it was just a matter of time. The moment came when it was decided to expand the range with one model smaller than the Giuliettawhich would help increase sales.
The mission was assigned to Rudolf Hruska, “father” of the various Giulietta versions. Alfa Romeo asked him to take on a dual role. To simultaneously design both the new car and the factory that would manufacture it. Thus Alfasud was born, the first Alfa Romeo with front-wheel drive.
Alfasud was created from “white paper” and is one of the rare cases in the history of the car where a factory is designed to manufacture a specific model. The car itself had no technical limitations other than staying true to the goals set.
«Obviously it had to be front wheel drive and a luxury compact 5 seater with a large boot.” This is how he described Hruska his mission a few years later.
The “boxer” (flat with opposed cylinders) engine was preferred over the in-line four due to the lower height which allowed for a more aerodynamic profile for the body. The two-volume body was created to facilitate access to the luggage compartment, which it had the impressive capacity of 400 liters thanks in placing the fuel tank under the rear seat, instead of the classic position between the rear seat and the luggage compartment. The new design offered significant advantages in terms of exploitation of the interior spaces and security and the competition copied it almost immediately.
Alfasud was the first major work personally commissioned by Giorgetto Giugiaro and proved to be a huge commercial success. To respect all space and size limitations, the young designer invented the characteristic high rear and connected it to the aerodynamic front with simple lines.
The model went into production in 1972, the year the brand surpassed one million units of production since its establishment. Alfasud almost equaled this record with a total of 900,925 units rolling off the production line from 1972 to 1984 (not counting the Sprint versions), going down in history as the best-selling Alfa Romeo in history.
From the rationalization of production to the emphasis on the brand
In 1986, IRI (owner of Alfa Romeo since 1933) sold the brand and all its facilities to the Fiat Group. In the early years of the new era, management focused on rationalizing its production and supply chain.
In the 1980s all manufacturers were looking for “synergies”. Processes and products were being homogenized. Many components were shared for cost reasons. The designers obliged to follow strict restrictions (such as the size of the doors), which limited creativity.
In the years that followed these rules weakened. Customers did not like this excessive homogenization and look for cars that stood out. The personality of the Brand regained its important role. This turning point significantly influenced the design of automobiles.
Sporty behavior, high performance, avant-garde (and style)
This change for Alfa Romeo meant a return to its roots. The first big step on the road to bringing back the distinct features was the revival of Alfa Corse, the legendary racing team where the young Enzo Ferrari got his start. In 1993, the 155 GTA participated in the DTM, the German Touring Championshipwith Nicola Larini winning 11 of the 20 races in total and Alfa Romeo returning to the top step of the podium at the Nürburgring.
The design contribution was decisive. The 164 of 1987, Alfa Romeo’s first front-wheel drive flagship, designed by Pininfarina… but from that moment on the role of Centro Stile Alfa Romeo became more and more important.
In the center of Areze technologies were changing. So are processes and people. New systems for design and computer aided prototyping were exploited. The Centro Stile team was directly connected to the engineering departments, since usability must also be beautiful. Form and substance always go together. This is the “necessary beauty” of Alfa Romeo.
Designing a new series
Centro Stile did not create a model, but a complete line. A few years later the dream came true. In 1995 the brand presented a new two volume small medium (on 145) and next year too a small and medium two and a half volumes (at 146). This was followed by the GTV and Spider sports cars designed in collaboration with Pininfarina. But the real change came with the 156.
The aesthetics of the 156 were unique mix of power, avant-garde and classic style. The mask regained its important role and entered the lines of the bumper. The surfaces were so close to the wheels that they immediately gave the feeling of power and absolute grip on the road. The ratio between glass and metal surfaces they looked more like a coupe than a sedan. The handles for the rear doors were almost invisible, hidden in the window frame, and the “clean” fenders gave a highly sculpted and dynamic profile. “It seems to move even when parked,” commented de Silva.
At the same time, 156 also brought the color search of the brandan element that was very important in models such as Carabo and Montreal. Alfa Romeo’s designers took inspiration from the collection of the brand’s museum, which is located in the same space today. Noting the color of the 1938 8C 2900 B they invented the blue “Nuvola” which consists of many layers of pearl.
Advanced sports character
The 156 was an amazing car from a technical point of view as well. The engineers were asked to develop a model with “advanced sporty character”, which would combine power, with low weight and excellent body control. Throughout time this has been the recipe that characterized the driving experience with an Alfa Romeo.
To achieve this goal they used new materials (such as magnesium and special steel alloys), sophisticated architecture in the suspension and very detailed settings to achieve the ideal level of grip and precision of the car’s reactions.
156 convinced everyone. It was the most driver-centric sedan of its timewhile its racing version dominated, winning a total of 13 titles in 10 years.
The birth ofcommonrail”
At the launch of the car available it was 6 powertrains. The V6 Busso was accompanied by three “Twin Sparks” that were combined for the first time the two spark plugs per cylinder (a technology used by Giuseppe Merosi in 1914) with four valves per cylinder.
Then in the European market gasoline was the dominant fuelbut that would change and it was Alfa Romeo who started this revolution. The 156 was the first car in the world to be equipped with the “common rail” system.
Journalists who tested the publications 1.9 and 2.4 JTD in Lisbon, they were excited. For the first time diesel engines offered performancecomfort and low noise equivalent to that of gasoline engines.
“Car of theYear”
156 won the hearts of the public and experts by conquering for the first time for Alfa Romeo the title “Car of the Year”. Its younger sister, the 147 (which shared not only styling cues, but mechanical parts as well), followed suit a few years later, winning the same distinction in 2001.