Alfa Romeo 155

Overview

Alfa Romeo 155

manufacturer	Alfa Romeo
production	1992–1998 195,526 produced‡R1R‡
assembly	Italy: Pomigliano d'Arco plant, Campania‡R2R‡
class	Compact executive car (D)
body style	4-door saloon
layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive / four-wheel-drive
platform	Type Three‡R3R‡ (Tipo Tre)
engine	Petrol: 1.6 L Twin Spark 16V I4 1.7 L Twin Spark 8V I4 1.8 L Twin Spark 8V/16V I4 2.0 L Twin Spark 8V/16V I4 2.0 L Fiat Twin Cam 16V turbo I4 2.5 L Busso 12V V6 Diesel: 2.0 L TD I4 2.5 L VM Motori 425 OHV OHV TD I4
wheelbase	2540 mm
length	4443 mm
width	1700 –
height	1440 mm
weight	1195 –
predecessor	Alfa Romeo 75
successor	Alfa Romeo 156
related	Fiat Tempra Lancia Dedra
designer	Ercole Spada at I.DE.A Institute‡R4R‡

The Alfa Romeo 155 (Type 167) is a compact executive car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Alfa Romeo between 1992 and 1998. It was unveiled in January 1992 at Barcelona, with the first public launch in March 1992, at the Geneva Motor Show. A total of 195,526[1] units were made before it was replaced by the 156.

Design

Developed to replace the 75 and based on the parent company Fiat Group's Tipo Tre platform, the 155 was somewhat larger in dimension than the 75 and had evolved styling from that of its predecessor. The 155 was designed by Italian design house I.DE.A Institute. An exceptional drag coefficient of 0.29 was achieved with the body design. The boxy design of the 155 allowed for a big boot space of 525 L.[5]

Specifications and special editions

The 155 was initially available with 1.7 L Twin Spark, 1.8 L Twin Spark, and 2.0 L Twin Spark petrol engines, the latter two were equipped with variable valve timing. The 1.7 L was not sold in the United Kingdom.

Two four cylinder turbocharged diesel engines, a Fiat derived 1.9 L (92 PS) and a VM Motori [10] 2.5 L (125 PS) were available in some markets, except for the United Kingdom.

At the top of the 155 range were the 2.5 L V6, using a 166 PS engine derived from the 3.0 L V6 used in the larger 164, and the Q4 which used a drivetrain derived from the Lancia Delta Integrale which meant a 190 PS 2.0 L 16V turbocharged engine and permanent four-wheel drive.

The Q4 also incorporated three differential gears (normal at the front, epicyclic at the centre (including a Ferguson viscous coupling) and Torsen self-locking at the rear).[11] Both the 2.5 V6 and Q4 models were also available with electronically adjustable suspension with two damper settings (automatic and sport).

The most notable special edition was the "Silverstone" edition released in the United Kingdom which was known as the "Formula" in Europe: this was intended to homologate an aero pack for Alfa Romeo in the British Touring Car Championship race series. The pack was included in the boot as bolt on aero kit, consisting of an adjustable rear spoiler and extendable front air splitter.[12] These changes caused controversy during the 1994 BTCC as it was seen as an unfair advantage by the other teams and after missing 1 race, Alfa Romeo were forced to run with aero in its lowest downforce form to finish the championship.[13]

The Silverstone was a lighter but no more powerful version of the 1.8 L, even though the race car it was homologating had a 2.0 L engine. This anomaly came about because the 1.8 L engine block, with its narrower bore, allowed Alfa Romeo to use a longer stroke on the racing car and stay within the 2.0 L capacity limit.

The Silverstone was only available in either Alfa red or Black paintwork with plain, unpainted bumpers.

Motorsport

The 155 was very successful in touring car racing, using the Supertouring-homologated GTA and the V6 TI for the DTM. Between 1992 and 1994, the 155 managed to take the Italian Superturismo Championship, the German DTM championship (both with Nicola Larini at the wheel), the Spanish Touring Car Championship (with Adrián Campos), and the British Touring Car Championship (with Gabriele Tarquini).

The 155 remained competitive until it was replaced with the 156, finishing third in the DTM (then known as the International Touring Car Championship, or ITC) in 1996 with Alessandro Nannini and winning the Spanish championship again in 1997 with Fabrizio Giovanardi. In 1993, Larini in an Alfa 155 placed second in the FIA Touring Car Challenge behind Paul Radisich in a Ford Mondeo. The 156 was to continue the high standard set by the 155, winning the European Touring Car Championship multiple times.

155 V6 TI

The Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI was a FIA Class 1 touring car that Alfa Corse raced from 1993 to 1996 in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft and the subsequent International Touring Car Championship. A naturally-aspirated high-revving 2.5 L 60° V6 engine was coupled to a four wheel drive system, rated at 426 PS at 11,500 rpm.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26]

Alfa Corse entered two 155 V6 TIs for works drivers Alessandro Nannini and Nicola Larini; the 1993 season was dominated by Larini winning 11 of 22 races.[27]

In 1994, the rivals from Mercedes seemed to have the advantage, but Alfa did manage to win a further eleven races. A more consistent performance from the Germans gave them the title. Since the 1995 season, the team got new sponsorship livery from Martini Racing.

The 1996 version had a 2.5 L naturally-aspirated type 690 90° V6 engine based on the PRV engine[28][29] rated at 490 PS at 11,900 rpm. The car has a top speed of around 300 km/h and weighed 1060 kg.[30][31][32][33][34][35]

The Alfa 155 V6 TI has a record of 38 wins (plus 3 other non championship races). The victories were obtained by seven different drivers: 17 (+1) Nicola Larini, 13 (+1) Alessandro Nannini, 2 Stefano Modena, 2 (+1) Christian Danner, 2 Michael Bartels, 1 Kris Nissen, and 1 Gabriele Tarquini.

Alfa Romeo 155

Design

Timeline

Specifications and special editions

Facelift

Engines

155 GTA Stradale

155 TI.Z and GTAZ

Motorsport

155 V6 TI

External links

References