Codenamed Project 116, Alfa Romeo planned new car to replace the 1750 and Giulia.
Between the 1962 Giulia and this shelved project, Alfa modified the 1750 slightly with some cosmetic tweaks and an updated engine to introduce the 2000 sedan in 1971.
But European competition is intensifying; It is therefore necessary to react in the high-end mid-range segment, an area dominated by Alfa. And we’re going to get that famous Project 116 that was shelved a year ago out of the boxes.
The style center is the heart of the project
Performance, comfort and spaciousness… The new sedan must be able to meet these three customer requirements.
It is the “Centro Stile Alfa” directed by Giuseppe Scarnati that will prepare a sedan with taut and angular lines capable of replacing the 2000 and the Giulia.
The interior is particularly well thought out while remaining in line with the sports sedans that are the emblem of the Biscione brand. Giorgetto Giugiaro, who is currently working on the development of the future Alfa GTV coupé, is also helping.
The Alfetta goes to the race track
To underline the sporting tradition of the Milanese manufacturer, the sedan will be christened the Alfetta, a name given by Alfis enthusiasts to the Formula 1 Alfa 158 and 159 that competed with Nino Farina and Juan-Manuel Fangio in 1950 and 1951 had won the World Cup.
While the engine is the classic 122hp twin-cam aluminum four, the rest of the Alfetta’s specs are impressive.
We will use a transaxle solution: the clutch, gearbox, differential and brake discs will be combined with the axle at the rear of the car, allowing for optimal mass distribution between the front and rear wheels.
Everything for efficiency
In addition to the transaxle, the Alfetta also introduces the rear axle with Dion bridge and Watt’s parallelogram, a system that allows greater independence of the two rear wheels from each other and thus ensures better geometry in the corners, while at the same time the propulsions were with equipped with a rigid bridge and leaf springs.
The Alfetta has double wishbones on the front axle, with the lower wishbones each being connected to a torsion bar that acts as a spring. Finally, the front and rear axles are each equipped with an anti-roll bar.
4 disc brakes ensure safety, supported by a dual-circuit brake booster.
The dispute between the ancients and the moderns
Alfa Romeo has internal competition that will be detrimental to Alfetta’s career. The traditionalists of the alfists fear too many innovations, while the moderns want to implement the alfetta quickly.
The General Staff will spare the goat and the cabbage; The Berlina 2000 will be marketed until 1976 and the Giulia until 1978. Three cars instead of one.
And in order not to overshadow the new Alfasud presented at the 1971 Turin Motor Show, the presentation of the Alfetta is postponed to May 1972 near Trieste. The trade press appreciates both technical and stylistic innovations positively.
A popular sedan
The success of the Alfetta is immediate, because it is efficient (180 km/h) and cheap in price. She arrived in France in late 1972.
It’s faster than a BMW 520 (since it’s 20% cheaper) or a Peugeot 504 TI, while benefiting from an inviting but unadorned interior.
The comfort is also an advantage of the Alfetta, which also has a voluminous 600 l trunk. The excitement will be short-lived as the first oil shock will re-dealt the cards.
room for savings
In order to keep the market, Alfa will initially put the Alfetta on a diet; In 1975, a 1.6 liter 109 hp version appeared, which featured only two headlights on the grille.
The price is cheaper. For the occasion, the Alfetta 1800 was optically and mechanically slightly retouched, and its engine was reduced to 118 hp. In 1977, a stylistic development is appreciated in many ways.
Thanks to the use of a 2-liter block with 122 hp, the front of the Alfetta is equipped with rectangular headlights. The purists cry badly. The rear gets enlarged lights and the bumpers are thicker. But the worst is yet to come for the alfists.
Switch to diesel
In 1979, the Alfetta was fitted with a VM Motori diesel engine; a 2.0 liter 82 hp side cam engine that allows the Alfetta to reach 160 km/h and become the fastest diesel sedan on the market.
At the same time, a 2000 L was launched, more luxurious than the 2000 (electric windows, alloy wheels), also more powerful with its 130 hp and available with an automatic gearbox.
In 1982 a new evolution follows: the Alfetta 1600 disappears and a 2000 Quadrifoglio Oro enters the circuit, announcing the return of the 4 round headlights.
It has luxury equipment (power windows and power seats, on-board computer, etc.) and introduces 2-litre injection with camshaft phase shifter to improve fuel economy.
In 1984 the Alfetta left production after 475,000 units had been produced. The benchmark for family sedans with character slips while waiting for the Bertone-signed Alfa 90. The descent into hell has begun.