Test drive Alfa Romeo Giulia, 75 and 156: Straight to the heart

Classic Julia meets his heirs in the middle class Alfa Romeo

Giulia is considered a textbook example of a classic sports sedan - charismatic, powerful and compact. For Alfists, she is the face of the brand. Now we meet her with Alfa Romeo 75 and Alfa Romeo 156, who will try to prove themselves with her.

Of course, the star of the trio is the Giulia Super 1.6 in the rare color Faggio (red beech). But the eyes of those who happened to witness the photo shoot are no longer riveted only to her beautiful sheet metal clothes. The ribbed Alfa Romeo 75, released in 1989, seems to be slowly becoming a crowd favorite, evoking an emotional response mainly from young car enthusiasts. “Ten years ago, they almost laughed at me when I showed up with this car at the Veterans Fair,” said owner Peter Philipp Schmidt of Ludenscheid. Today, however, a red 75 that is in near-new car condition would be welcome everywhere.

To achieve this status, Tim Stengel's black Alfa 156 from Weyerbusch will have to wait a long time. How ungrateful the world is sometimes! In the late 90s, it was a huge success for Alfa Romeo - as elegant as only Italians can be, and hailed as a cure for car boredom. They even forgave her front-wheel drive and a transverse engine. And today? Today, the former bestseller is carrying an unloved cheap used item. 600 euros on the way - whether Twin Spark, V6 or Sportwagon. It took countless phone calls to find 156 people in the Bonn area for this session. Even the local community of fans and owners of the otherwise very well-equipped and connected classic Alpha is (still) not interested in this model.

Seductively beautiful Julia

The first disc belonged to the seductive Giulia, a late 1973 version owned by classic Alfa Romeo dealer Hartmut Schöpel from Bonn. An unrestored car for true connoisseurs, more attractive than ever because it appears before us in its charming original form. By default, Julia wears a recess on the trunk lid, long canonized by the alphas. In the next model, the Giulia Nova, this characteristic is abandoned.

Getting into a car brings great joy. The eye is immediately drawn to the three-spoke wooden steering wheel and two large round instruments for speed and speed measurements, as well as a smaller dial. Two other indicators, oil pressure and water temperature, are located on the center console at knee level, below them is the gear lever and three exquisite switches: classic functional elegance, perfected.

The ignition key is on the left, one turn is enough to power the 1,6-liter drive. It's not just a machine, but the same chain-driven twin-cam engine that not only Alfa fans call "the four-cylinder engine of the century" - strong at high speeds, made entirely of light alloys and built up to the cup lifters. valves with genes from decades of motor racing.

Universal motor

This machine is not limited to one gift - no, it is a much more passionate all-around talent. In the twin-carb version, it pulls like a beast from a stop, and the next moment it glows with a desire for high revs and a smooth ride. With it, you can start in fourth gear and easily accelerate to maximum speed. No shocks. However, no one does this. Even just because shifting gears with that well-organized five-speed gearbox is really beautiful.

Chassis complex and expensive design is almost equal to a brilliant engine. Even today, the Giulia can impress with its handling, although at high speeds it doesn't turn around a bit. Despite its sporty nature, it always remains what it has always been - a family sedan with a comfortable setting.

Moving on to red 75. “The main thing is to be different” is a likely requirement for designers. The curved line rises steeply in the first third of the car, runs almost horizontally under the windows, and shoots up again at the rear. Low front and high rear - that is, a car that still looks quite dynamic in place. However, perhaps no other Alfa has been as sensitive to crosswinds as this model.

Doesn't matter. Before us is the latest Alfa with many years of rear-wheel drive. Introduced in 1985 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Milanese brand (hence the name 75), it is replete with plastic in the interior, like a typical brainchild of the 80s. Round instruments in a rectangular common housing - speedometer, tachometer, oil pressure, engine temperature and fuel tank - are right in front of your eyes, like most switches. Just opening the window buttons will make it difficult for a beginner to work - they are located on the console on the ceiling above the rear-view mirror. The huge rectangular U-shaped handbrake handle can also be a surprise.

A piece of the wonderful world of Alpha

Turning the ignition key, however, brings back a slice of the classic Alfa world. The 1,8-liter four-cylinder engine with 122 hp is not bad at all. at idle, it still resembles the voice of its famous twin-cam predecessor. Starting from 3000 rpm, the sound becomes sharper, with a wonderful sporty rumble coming from the exhaust. Without a grunt, the device picks up speed all the way to the redzone vestibule, which starts at 6200 rpm – but only if the unaccustomed driver shifts well. As with the predecessors Giulietta and Alfetta, for better weight distribution, the transmission is located at the rear in a block with the rear axle (transmission diagram). However, this requires long shifter rods and is not smooth.

Just a few meters is enough to feel that this car loves turns. The car follows the road calmly, and fast turns more and more whet the driver's appetite. Even tight corners are tackled at 75 with incredible ease thanks to the precise power steering. It takes a lot more vigorous driving to start the awkward drag from the front axle. The more advanced will correct this with a strong throttle, which makes a back turn and returns the Alpha to the desired course. Or they just take gas.

Cheap car for fun

We come to 156. We remember how excited the community of friends of the brand was in 1997: finally, there was Alpha - in this respect, customers and the press agreed - which returned the lost shine to the brand. With such an original and perfect design that 19 years ago, the audience at the Frankfurt Motor Show just swallowed their tongues. With the classic Alfa grille (called the Scudetto - shield), to the left of which the number was placed, with a view of the coupe - because the rear door handles were hidden in the roof column. "Alpha" was in the language of everyone again - they almost believed that Julia was resurrected. But everything turned out differently; today no one is fond of this model.

At the same time, this meeting after several years of refraining from communication with 156 is really a pleasure. For example, with an elegant round technique filled with ice cream, of course, with white dials, which was very fashionable in the 90s. And without them, however, you immediately begin to feel good and comfortable behind the traditional three-spoke steering wheel. The well-shaped seats exude an extra dose of sports car feel.

Even the engine will surprise you - you could hardly expect such temperament from a 1600cc engine. CM and 120 hp, the lowest in the 156 range. But he, typical of Alfa, requires high revs, only at 5500 rpm. ./min you shift from second to third gear (the transmission allows for much more precise shifting than its gearbox-equipped predecessors), and the four-cylinder engine sounds like a whistling predator. Well, at least to some extent.

Thanks to its compact chassis and responsive steering, the Alfa 156 is instantly a source of fun – much more than you thought, anyway. And best of all, you can't find a cheaper way to experience that kind of driving pleasure today - best with a 2,5-litre V6 with 190 hp.

Conclusion

Editor Michael Schroeder: A car like the Giulia is probably only made once. Engine, construction and chassis - this complete package is simply unbeatable. However, Alfa 75 is gradually forming the image of a classic. It is easy to recognize the typical Alpha genes, of which 156 can be said with only a few reservations. But even the youngest of the three cars is fun to drive.

Text: Michael Schroeder

Photo: Hardy Muchler

technical details

Alfa Romeo 156 1.6 16V Twin Spark	Alfa Romeo 75 1.8 IE	Alfa Romeo Julia Super 1.6
Working volume	1589 cc	1779 cc	1570 cc
Power	120 k.s. (88kW) at 6300 rpm	122 k.s. (90 kW) at 5500 rpm	102 k.s. (75 kW) at 5500 rpm
Maximum torque	144 Nm at 4500 rpm	160 Nm at 4000 rpm	142 Nm at 2900 rpm
Acceleration 0-100 km / h	10,5 with	10,4 with	11,7 with
Braking distances at a speed of 100 km / h	no data	no data	no data
full speed	200 km / h	190 km / h	179 km / h
Average consumption fuel in the test	9,5 l / 100 km	8,9 l / 100 km	11 l / 100 km
Base Price	no data	no data	€ 18 (in Germany, comp. 000)