Alfa Romeo 75 2.0 (until 92)

Author's Car rating:   

Safety	Satisfactory
Comfort	Good
Road Handling	Excellent
Looks	Excellent
Features	Excellent

Advantages:	looks, reliability, performance, roadholding
Disadvantages:	accessibility

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full car review

There is only one way to view this car, and that is the way that a dog might look at an escaped lunatic. Having nearly driven mine into a wall, my local Kwik Fit Fitter sheepishly said that it was the fastest car he had ever driven.

Well, across the 30 yards of workshop front where "time is money guv", maybe, maybe not, but it gave him a severe shock.

This review is written for those, men or women, whose hearts pump a high concentration of petrol. Hardware will precede software. This is not blokey technical geekery,but a reflection of the car on which the review is written, a car with a mechanical heart, a car built around its heart, a car that is the Alfa 75.

The baby of the "second generation" 75s alongside its beefier sister the 3 litre V6, this was the first outing of Alfa Romeo's now legendary Twin Spark engine. The concept had evolved from Alfa's racing past via a prototype version running eight spark plugs on 4 cylinders via a single coil and distributor. The doubling of the coils and distributors to two each effectively gives us two ignition systems working simultaneously. The effect - a double spark to guarantee total and instantaneous burn of the fuel/air mix under compression.

Alfa had used other variants of a similar idea before, outside racing: look under the Marelli distributor rotor on a 1970s generation 2 litre twin cam, and mysteriously tucked away are two sets of contact breaker points. Set to open at the top of every up-stroke (as opposed to every second up-stroke), the points work in tandem to provide a second spark that burned off any remaining mix left on the exhaust stroke. This was an emission and noise reduction measure which did not affect the actual performance of the engine. Remove the second set, and unburned fuel drops into the manifold and gives off the charactersitic pop popping on the overrun - something viewed as really quite sexy and actually engineered into Ferraris and Aston Martins today.

But I digress. The Twin Spark engine is still with us today, little short of twenty years later. Its more recent iterations replace cam chain with cam belts and coils and distributors with solid state electronics, adds a catalyser and a few valves and is used in every model of the Alfa Romeo marque. The original, however, remains the lightest and most reliable of all its brothers with some well exceeding a 350000 mile lifespan.

But this is not "one careful owner". This is 150bhp from a sub 2 litre engine. The combination of a low wheel circumference, strong first gear and the immediacy of the all alloy engine has the car off the mark like a greyhound out of the slips. This is immediately evident as the smooth running glove compartment-cum-tray slides, inertia driven, out of its recess and deposits itself into the passenger footwell. At traffic light grands prix, the 75 will wrestle with the best of them and emerge ahead of most. Happy to rev freely to beyond 6000 rpm, the twin spark does not let up and is restricted only by the speed at which the driver changes gear.

An engine emerging from its stable in the late 1980s contained remarkable innovations often considered to be much more recent. It has a variable valve timing system often thought to be a Japanese discovery of a decade or more later. An array of sensors around the engine and other mechanical components feed the dashboard mounted Alfa Romeo Control system. Its readings are sometimes interesting and it can be erratic, but it is constructed of wires and tiny lights (not microcircuitry and LEDs) so the fact that it monitors anything at all is testament to its brilliance.

Sitting at the back of its compartment, the engine sits behind the front wheels. To the rear is a clutch, gear box and transaxle assembly sitting well forward. The prop shaft connecting the two is short. This is not a mid-engined car by any means but it is as close as it is possible to get, and represents almost perfect weight distribution. But it is better than that: the major assemblies are set well within the extremities of the car, reducing centrifugal momentum. This configuration originated in the Alfetta/Giulietta series of the 1970s, was deployed to the Porsche 944 and is now a standard to Aston Martin.

The resultant drive is sublime. Throttle response is instant, cornering balanced and precise, and with after-market Konis and Eibachs, totally flat. On the standing start, there is the vaguest hint of settling in the rear as the clutch bites and then the heart takes over, soaring through the power band effortlessly. It takes attention but the engine and drivetrain reply with total loyalty. Try to be clever, try to be complacent and it will shun you. But this is an Alfa, and that should not come as a surprise. On the straight, it hugs and caresses the road. With Veloce aerodynamics there are genuine ground effects here: the deep front spoiler setting up low pressure, drawing the chassis close. Revolution alloys and Pirellis complete the continuum: it runs as if on rails. Bumps are transmitted to the seat of the pants instantly but not aggressively. The drivetrain transmits its power well. Changing gear is an acquired technique - many criticise the lack of directness from the long linkage, but the mechanical advantage given by the quite long gear lever compensates perfectly and swift changes are the result in the right hands. It is after all only a long linkage: it has no more moving parts than a short connection, and in that respect makes no difference whatsoever.

With the pleasure and the passion comes inevitably the pain. These are no longer new cars and the normal rules of attrition apply. But routine maintenance and some specialist tasks are possible by those prepared to look, research, and have a go. The ignition systems simply never fail, and the circuitry centred on an array of four linked relays in the engine compartment is the normal source of electrical angst. Electrics are not as suspect as many have written. My sunroof, windows and heater all function perfectly along with central locking, lights and all the legals. The Bosch Jetronic Fuel Injection system is a possible contender for specialist attention, as is the front (torsion bar) suspension and drive train work. With effort, most other tasks are feasible.

Principal among these for its potential awkwardness are the rear brakes. Mounted on the gearbox and engaging on inboard discs, these consist of numerous internal working parts. But the same principle applies - look, research the host of internet sources, and be prepared for sweat and swearing. With intelligent use of leverage, they will come off.

My local garage-master had my 75 in for its MOT at the same time as a Lancia Delta Integrale. He was genuinely awed by the sight of them side by side. And a look at the Alfa helps us see why. There is an air of brooding aggression encapsulated in its stance and its shape. Neither especially wide nor especially low, it gives the appearance of both - squatting on its haunches, its forelegs poised for control, its head low. From the front, the grille is little more than 6 inches high, belying the size of the radiator and engine beyond, but confirming an impressive aerodynamic profile. Its angular form continues to the rear where the smallest of spoilers flicks turbulent air away from its tail. Even today, it is not dated, and in Eurobox city stands out a mile. "Three box configuration" it might be unfairly described, but the 75 pushes this to the limit and beyond.

This was the last Alfa Romeo to be built prior to its absorption by Fiat. It is said that its shape was "too aggressive" to be adopted for marketing by its new owners. It would not suit the more benign style promoted by Signor Agnelli. And so, the 75 was laid to rest in 1992, to be relieved by the front wheel driven 155 - a design not owing a great deal to its predecessor and in fact built on a Fiat Tempra platform: a sad loss at the time, which is our gain now. We are left with a dwindling number of 75s, run by the most passionate aficionados and the 155 of course spawned Alfa's most successful venture yet - the stunning 156.

"You can have whatever colour you like…..provided it's red". In Alfa's distinctive red, the 75 seems just perfect. A small enough car not to appear vulgar, and large enough not to be simply a chromatic penis extension. There were other colours in the range - black, and white are particularly striking, and there are a number of metallic shades. But it is the solid shades which have the most impact, and the red perhaps the most of all. I sound a note of caution here - the high quantity of red oxide used in the paint formula makes it particularly vulnerable to fading - sometimes at different rates. It is not uncommon to see multi tonal examples simply for this reason.

The appearance and mechanicals of the 75 are beyond comparison with anything else. And the same goes for its interior. We buy one because it is different, then spend meaningless hours comparing it with the norm. Why? There is no point. Take for example the electric window switches. In a console beneath the interior mirror, the window, rear window lock and sunroof switches are all mounted next to each other. What is wrong with that? There is perfect logic in the layout - all openings controlled from one position. To say that it is "wrong" or "illogical" is to say that the window switches would best be positioned on the window. Or that headlight switches are best postioned on the headlights.

The boot space is cavernous, taking advantage of a deep rear end. Its frame demands a little load-lifting though not excessive. Under the boot carpet is the fuel tank and sender unit - more on that later. There are odd irregularities to the shape of the boot due to rear shock absorber tunnels, but all in all, huge loads are possible.

This is a rear wheel drive car and the transmission tunnel compromises rear seat space, though three passengers will comfortably go. Outside passengers in particular have excellent space. The rear bench seat with pivoted centre armrest is very comfortable without being springy or bouncy.

The floorpan of this car is low: L-O-W, and the front seats do not raise occupants much further. The seats are long and deep and very comfortable. The bolsters hold firm. The low driving position adds to the overall experience, keeps the centre of gravity down and provides great headroom for even the tallest. Bilateral steering adjustment compensates for all anomalies and leg position makes pedal operation very positive and easy.

Back to the hardware. If you are tempted to take the plunge, may I offer one piece of wisdom - UNBODGE. For some inexplicable reason, your new pride and Italian joy will have attracted all known bodgers in its lifetime. The 75 is a magnet for them, and nothing is beyond possibility. Most are recoverable with commonsense and an awareness of what should be. But make it your first task to de-bodge anything that looks dodgy.

For example, the fuel gauge sender sits in a bayonet fitting under the boot carpet. There is only one way that it will seat. Rather than rotate it logically through 360 degrees to find the right position, a previous owner had given up, placed it into the recess and glued it into place using more silicone sealant than can be found in the average stately home bathroom - padded out with J cloths. I took five minutes to position the unit, having spent half an hour clearing out the clag.

The 75 is rapidly approaching classic status. Thus far the beard magazines have resisted, but classic car insurance is available at a snip for a second-car 75. As the last of the pre Fiat Alfas, the last rear wheel drive Alfa until the 8C, with a shape that Eurobox and Japobox owners will sell their wives for, and with the best iteration of a bombproof and history-making engine, that classic status is totally vindicated.

All things considered, does the 75 tick the boxes? Most definitely. Is it a saloon car? - yes. Is it a car which demonstrates a sporting heritage? - yes. Is it good looking? - yes. Is it reliable? - yes. In the hands of the uninitiated it is a psycho mad machine. To those who experience the passion and the pain, it is a car giving almost hedonistic pleasure.