Alfa Romeo 75. Own face. Forty years young

On May 11, 1985, Alfa Romeo the successor of the Giulietta of that time: the 75 got its baptism of fire. The new Alfa had the necessary features of its predecessor. That the Ermanno Cressoni (Centro Stile Alfa It was not entirely coincidental that the newcomer designed by Romeo was given this type designation. Alfa Romeo celebrated its 1985th anniversary in 75. It has now been forty years since the Tipo 116 successor made its debut.

This was chosen for economic reasons and at the instigation of the Alfa Romeo management, the design department integrated the necessary Giulietta components. The passenger compartment, the doors, and the glazing were taken over one-on-one from the Giulietta. The front and rear were styled differently, in such a way that the Alfa Romeo 75 did indeed get its own identity. The 75 was officially only available as a four-door version. Rayton Fissore did design a station wagon variant (Turbowagon), and six copies rolled off the production line. This body variant never made it to series production, the production stopped at six copies.

The chassis and transaxle construction were also not unknown applications for the Alfa 75. The independently suspended wheels rested on double wishbones, and at the rear the Italian manufacturer mounted a drawbar-guided De Dion axle, which was further linked to the Watt coupling. Furthermore, the Alfa Romeo points for the balanced weight distribution (50-50), which was a clear result of the transaxle application.

From the outset, buyers of a Alfa Romeo 75 multiple power sources available. The launch of the Giulietta successor was accompanied by a range that the four-cylinder side consisted of the 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 engines. All variants received a double carburettor as fuel supply. For specific markets, the 1.8 turbo was also available, and this variant was also the first to receive fuel injection. Alfa Romeo also built six-cylinder engines in the 75. Furthermore, the model was available with the 2.5 V6 power source. At the other end of the spectrum, a turbodiesel variant also became available: the 2.0 with KKK turbo and intercooler remained on the program for specific markets (Italy, France, Spain) during the entire production period of the 75.

In 1987 the America (in the United States: Milano, which had slightly less power due to environmental adjustments) replaced the 2.5 V6 variant. The successor now got the 3.0 V6 on board. This variant is still one of the most sought-after examples of the model. Furthermore, Alfa Romeo in 1987 the 2.0 Twin Spark, with two spark plugs per cylinder, a variable intake camshaft and Bosch Motronic injection. A regulated catalytic converter was also mounted. This version was recognizable from the outside by the side skirts, the larger bumpers and the widened wheel arches. The Twin Spark engines were used for many years after their introduction in various Alfa Romeo models mounted, with different cylinder capacities. Furthermore, Alfa Romeo also with a homologation version: the 1.8 iE Turbo Evoluzione. This special edition was built in a run of 500 units, because Alfa Romeo took part in the first version of the WTCC with the 75.

In 1988, Alfa Romeo got a facelift. The 75 was optically changed (including a small spoiler at the back, a different grille, clear glass and bumpers in body colour for most versions), and there was also something new under the sun in terms of the engine. A 2.4 Turbodiesel was added to the programme - again for specific markets - and the four-cylinder models were also given fuel injection from 1989 onwards. The 2.0 with carburettor had been discontinued for some time. In the run-up to the nineties, the front-wheel drive Alfa Romeo 155 (built on the same platform as the Fiat Tipo/Tempra and the Lancia Dedra for example) in development, and the Alfa Romeo 75 slowly walked to the end. For 1990, the three-liter version was modified (application of Bosch Motronic 4.1, more power) and was called 3.0 QV from that moment on.

And during the last years of production introduced Alfa Romeo some more delicacies. The most famous version from the last years was the 1.8 IE Indy (2.0 IE Twin Spark appearance, Recaro seats). In 1992 it was largely over with the 75. The last rear-wheel drive Alfa Romeo (until the arrival of the new Giulia in 2015) was still offered in a limited edition of 5000 2.0 Twin Spark units. The last versions (until the first months of 1993) were the 1.6 (injection) and the two-liter Turbodiesel. After approximately 385.000 units built, production of the car, which -rightly or wrongly- was the last real Alfa is called.