THE ALFA ROMEO 75 AT 40

You are looking at a very exclusive Alfa Romeo – a 1992 75 Green Cloverleaf in ‘Race’ specification, owned by Nick Suiter, the AROC 75 Registrar - https://aroc-uk.com/community/model-registers/75/. The 75 debuted on the 17th May 1985 and five days later many Britons had their first glimpse of the latest Alfa Romeo in the motoring press. It was their famous marque’s last new car before Fiat acquired the company in November 1986. Today, its enthusiasts will gladly tell you the 75 is one of the best sports saloons of its era – and here are 25 facts about this crucial Alfa Romeo. 

1.The name reflected the marque’s 75th anniversary – in June 1910, Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili commenced operations. 

2.The ‘Alfa 75’, as it was originally known, replaced the Giulietta, with the Audi 80/90 and the BMW 3-Series as two of its main foreign rivals. 

3.The clutch transmission and final drive were rear-mounted to achieve a 50/50 weight distribution. 

4.The doors were shared with the Giulietta.  

5.The floorpan of the 75 could be traced back to the 1972 Alfetta. 

6.The launch film was modestly titled Alfa 75 Superstar. 

7.When UK sales began in 1986, the 75 was vital in reviving Alfa Romeo’s fortunes in this country. Imports of

3,000 cars in 1979 had declined to 3,000 in 1985. 

8.Alfa Romeo GB initially sold the 1.8-litre version for £8,949 and the 2.5-litre V6 Cloverleaf for £11,649. 

9.Your friendly local Alfa Romeo dealer could highlight the 75’s torsion bar front suspension and de Dion rear axle. 

10.At that time, the BMW 325i 4-Door was £12, 485, a Mercedes-Benz 190E was £12,770, a Ford Sierra

XR4x4 was £12,343, and the Mitsubishi Galant Turbo £11,679.  

11.The Gold Cloverleaf’s top speed was 127.5 mph, with 0-60 in 8 seconds. 

12.The Observer found the 75 justified Alfa Romeo’s heritage. 

13.Motor thought the 75 was “easily the best car Alfa have produced”. 

14.Autocar grumbled about the 75’s ergonomics but “so nearly there” and “essentially a good package”. 

15.Motor Sport also complained about the driving position and thought, “Italian ergonomics seem to consist of

carefully locating the horn button and throwing everything else around it”. 

16.The Telegraph found the 75 “A joy to drive fast and safely”. 

17.The Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza used fleets of 75s. 

18.In 1986, the 75 was available with a Garrett T3 turbocharger, followed in 1977 by the 2-Litre Twin Spark and the 3.0-litre V6.   

19.Car found the Twin Spark and the 3.0-litre: “wonderful to drive and every bit as good as the equivalent BMW models”.

20.Autocar described the Twin Spark as possessing “Brio By The Bucketful!”. 

21.In Italy, la Repubblica praised the 75 as “a breath of fresh air in Alfa Romeo’s breathless comeback on all markets”. 

22.In March 1987, Alfa Romeo unveiled the remarkable 75 Turbo Evoluzione – watch out for a blog later this year. 

23.With the facelift for the 1988 model year, A-R dispensed with the ‘Alfa 75’ badging. 

24.To mark the end of production in 1992, Alfa Romeo built 1,000 limited edition 1.8-Litre Turbos and 3,500 limited edition Twin Sparks. 

25.If this commercial does not make you want to immediately own a 75, you deserve to watch Emmerdale for the rest of the year: 

With thanks to Nick Suiter for his time - https://aroc-uk.com/community/model-registers/75/

With thanks to Nick Suiter for the permission to use the images in this blog - https://www.carandclassic.com/l/C1872987