Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Sportwagon | Spotted
Remember the days when Alfa made dramatic estate cars? Powered by equally dramatic V6s?
Celebrating affordable examples of brilliant-engined cars now seems more pressing than ever. Examples like the 24v V6 Busso that Alfa Romeo produced in the early parts of this century. What a thing that was: the 3.2-litre motor arguably remains one of the most exciting ever produced, and with six chrome inlet trumpets protruding from the head, it's a work of art too.
It was used extensively, as well. It was shoehorned into 147 GTA with dramatic results, while in Spider format its glorious vocals were most easily accessed. But we'd argue the 3.2 Busso-powered car most worthy of hero status was the 156 GTA Sportwagon - estates are just cooler, after all. The 156 was a handsome thing, with an aggressive face, a set of lovely teledial alloys and a boxy rear that exuded Italian style. Compared to German and British alternatives, it looked properly exotic.
That being said, not even the 156 GTA saloon was ever on par with the likes of BMW's E46 M3 or Mercedes' C55 AMG, with its 250hp motor, front-wheel drive and sub-£27k pricing leaving the Italian firmly in the class below. No, the appeal of a 156 has always centred around that engine and those looks - especially as the handling left a lot to be desired. It's not bad, exactly, but there's a bluntness to the way a 156 goes about its business, no doubt partly thanks to the heft of the big old lump over its nose.
Such dynamic foibles are more forgivable when the car in question is an estate, though, so the 156 GTA Sportwagon arguably makes more sense still - if it's possible to use such a word when shopping for an old Alfa like this. The added practicality and coolness combined with the glory of the six-cylinder upfront means there's plenty to distract you from its lack of athleticism. Here's hoping the same is true for cars using the Selespeed auto instead of a six-speed manual...
Because, well, that's what you get in today's Spotted, a red GTA Sportwagen Selespeed with 39,000 miles on the clock. Ageing Alfas are prone to all sorts of problems, but this is a Japanese import, which the internet would have us believe means it lacks underbody rot, city dings and other bad things accumulated during life in Britain. The interior looks spotless, as does the engine bay, so it's quite possible that this is the best-kept example of the 156 estate out there. Yet the car is advertised for under £8.5k, suggesting the Alfa bug hasn't quite reached an early noughties model like this just yet. With a petrol and diesel ban now on the far horizon, however, that might change soon.
SPECIFICATION - ALFA ROMEO 156 GTA SPORTSWAGEN
Engine: 3,179cc V6
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 250@6,200rpm
Torque (lb ft): 221@4,800rpm
MPG: Erm
CO2: 293g/km
Recorded mileage: 26,000
First registered: 2004 (2018 import)
Price new: £26,900 (saloon)
Yours for: £8,495
The GTA Selespeed is not the clunker that seems to be suggested and is a lot closer to the similar Maserati/Ferrari flappy paddle implementation with much better software than the standard Alfa/Fiat execution.
Indeed I'd suggest that I found it rather more responsive than my Maserati 4200's cambiocorsa gearbox, although much is dependent on battery condition so it is hard to make a perfectly fair comparison.
8.5k seems absurdly cheap to me, don’t know what that’s all about. I can only assume it’s the gearbox that’s putting most off, not the fact it’s an import, surely?
Dunno though. Odd.
Cheers,
Hedge
I owned and loved a manual saloon in the same colours 10 years ago which I still regret selling..
Edit* 147 for me not 156 saloon. Misread the post quoted.
Mine is a UK manual and has over 100k on it, drives lovely. The selespeed imports were all kicking around when i was looking for mine.
I am sure the selespeed is ok but if it goes wrong you got to find parts on an already rare car. I didn't even consider the imports, I waited for a manual and im pretty sure thats what 95% of alfa enthusiast will do.
The selespeeds listed have all be for sale at least 7 to 8 months, all were £9500 when i last looked. £8500 is cheap for one of these with that millage, if that was a UK manual it would be near enough double that.
So in short Pros
Engine
Steering ....very sharp
Boot,,,,,ish
Looks
Noise
Rate
Downside
Ride, i have standard suspension and if you find any potholes...you disappear down them
MPG, best case scenario to from work on a roads i am getting 22/23 mpg thats not driving hard either
Warning lights, nothing major just bulb lights, airbag etc ....standard 156/147 issues
If you take anything off (i had a boot leak) the clips are brittle and then you need the FBI to find replacements.
New parts are now hard to find, looking either second hand or make up pipes etc
Love the cart thou, never tire of driving, its an occasion every time.
Regarding reliability it went straight through its mot with no advisories so if you get a well looked after one you will save allot! with these imports you may struggle to find out whats been done
https://www.distintoclassics.com/vehicle-details/U...
I'm sure it's been for sale for about a year too. Remember seeing it before.
I'm seeing a few of these selespeed sportwagons from Japan for sale. They look very clean, good condition and I like the idea, but not sure if I could live with the gearbox
After humble chipping it made 400 nm and 190 or 200 hp, was good enough for me then.
No niggles in my time, wasn't as solid as a BMW 3, but you looked way better with that one. And that momo leather was so nice, way more upmarket than anything comparable from the germans...
But..., after 3 yrs and 80k mls ( mostly highways) took its toll, the body still looked perfectly good, but it was weakened to the point that you couldn't close the rear doors correctly when the car wasn't level...
My guess is that the shell was so soft to keep the weight down, that on the estate it was simply too much stress on the cage...
Otherwise a great car.
Had a few stints in GTAs (but only 147), the selespeed was the same as in my Maserati gransport, so pretty okay when used sympathetically.
Mechanically they are Italian-solid, so actually no real surprises, but it pays to have a good indy (one of a mate of me has almost 200k, still everything original, just maintenance...) Rust no issue. and there have been lots of modifications to the suspension to get them working really hard.
There is a YouTube clip (or more, do not remember) on one guy building his up for track racing, they really go.
About the sound they make, this is still one of the 10 best ICE ever made, just glorious.
Seems pretty good for that price, like it...
The GTA Selespeed is not the clunker that seems to be suggested and is a lot closer to the similar Maserati/Ferrari flappy paddle implementation with much better software than the standard Alfa/Fiat execution.
Indeed I'd suggest that I found it rather more responsive than my Maserati 4200's cambiocorsa gearbox, although much is dependent on battery condition so it is hard to make a perfectly fair comparison.
Mine is a UK manual and has over 100k on it, drives lovely. The selespeed imports were all kicking around when i was looking for mine.
I am sure the selespeed is ok but if it goes wrong you got to find parts on an already rare car. I didn't even consider the imports, I waited for a manual and im pretty sure thats what 95% of alfa enthusiast will do.
The selespeeds listed have all be for sale at least 7 to 8 months, all were £9500 when i last looked. £8500 is cheap for one of these with that millage, if that was a UK manual it would be near enough double that.
So in short Pros
Engine
Steering ....very sharp
Boot,,,,,ish
Looks
Noise
Rate
Downside
Ride, i have standard suspension and if you find any potholes...you disappear down them
MPG, best case scenario to from work on a roads i am getting 22/23 mpg thats not driving hard either
Warning lights, nothing major just bulb lights, airbag etc ....standard 156/147 issues
If you take anything off (i had a boot leak) the clips are brittle and then you need the FBI to find replacements.
New parts are now hard to find, looking either second hand or make up pipes etc
Love the cart thou, never tire of driving, its an occasion every time.
Regarding reliability it went straight through its mot with no advisories so if you get a well looked after one you will save allot! with these imports you may struggle to find out whats been done
I had a 147 GTA manual with trick suspension and dampers, plus the must have Quafe Diff.
It was a pretty good handler...for a FrWD with a heavy V6. The engine is unforgettable especially with the wizard exhaust.
Still, I think the 156 ought to have been rear wheel drive with this engine. It's such a special engine, one of the all time greats, not so well matched to a FrWD chassis sadly.
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