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Alfa Romeo was at the peak of its success in the 70s and star designer Giugiaro brought the Gran Turismo Alfetta GT in a dramatic wedge shape. But there was even more, as the athlete demonstrated in 1980 in the top version GTV 6. With a furious V6, this Alfa also succeeded in races against top-class rivals.
“Alfa better than BMW”, with headlines like this, the trade press celebrated the Milanese traditional brand's lead in technology and driving dynamics until the end of the 1970s. But Alfa Romeo also maintained its lead over the Bavarians and other sporty manufacturers in terms of sales figures, not least thanks to new successful vehicles such as the Alfetta sedan and the Alfetta GT / GTV sports coupé derived from it, which was launched in 1974. Star designer Giorgetto Giugiaro cast this four-seater Gran Turismo in a fascinating wedge shape and even quoted design details from the eight-cylinder super sports car Alfa Montreal, for example in the design of the lights and bonnet. What the Alfetta GTV initially lacked was a top-of-the-range engine with more temperament than the four-cylinder engines brought to the asphalt. But the time had come 40 years ago: As a face-lifted Alfa Romeo GTV 6, the athlete with a 118 kW / 160 PS V6 made a furious restart in the competitive field of the Porsche 924/944, Nissan 280 ZX, Ford Capri 2.8 Injection or Opel Monza, but also against Lancia Montecarlo and Maserati Merak 2000 V6. The Alfa GTV "Sei", as the Italians also advertised their powerful six-seater with injection in this country, led the Alfetta story and the legendary transaxle construction principle (front engine, gearbox, clutch and differential on the rear axle) to its climax.
Lots of storage space
Like almost only mid-engined sports cars, Alfa Romeo achieved a perfectly balanced weight distribution of 50 percent on the front and 50 percent on the rear axle via the transaxle. A principle that was also found in a related form in the Porsche Duo 924/944. This also applied to the wide-opening, generously glazed tailgate of the Italian, under which there was a record-breaking amount of luggage space. No rival of the GTV offered two suitcases and five travel bags plus tennis equipment or 370 liters. In 1980, an important accessory that differentiated the GTV 6 / 2.5i from the four-cylinder GTV 2.0 coupé had also become rare: the large, shiny wooden steering wheel in the cockpit was reminiscent of the Golden Fifties, in which Alfa Romeo won its first Formula 1 World Championship, Incidentally, with a Tipo 159 Alfetta and transaxle layout.
“Distance to the norm”, which makes the “GTV 6 / 2.5 indisputably a leading model in the sports coupé”, should of course also be demonstrated externally by the new top performer in the Alfa Romeo program. In the rear-view mirror of those driving in front, the V6 was clearly recognizable through a voluminous bulge in the bonnet and car-loving passers-by recognized this GTV by its powerful sound. Hardly imaginable today, but at that time vehicles from manufacturers such as Alfa or BMW still had a brand-typical sound. "Alfa Romeo has invested a large sum in the sound of this six-cylinder," said the press launch.
Keeps up with the big brands
Of course, other facts were more important for the Sports Coupé clientele, above all the driving performance. Here, too, the GTV 6 lived up to its appearance as a thunderbolt, because in practice it clearly exceeded the cautious prospectus values. In contemporary tests, the V6 sprinted from 0 to 100 km / h in around eight seconds and the top speed was measured at up to 220 km / h, making the Alfa 1980 even on par with the much more expensive BMW 6 Series and Mercedes SL But above all, he made an announcement in the competitive environment. In fact, the cuore sportivo under the elongated bonnet of the GTV was a figurehead of Alfa Romeo's engineering. Not only was this unit, the first completely redesigned Italian six-cylinder since the 1960s, an alternative to the large-volume Lancia four-cylinder, and it also powered the Alfa 6 sedan preferred by the government and authorities. The basic concept of the V6 was so innovative that it was built in stages of evolution for over a quarter of a century.
In fact, the formidable V6 even consoled the Alfisti a little about the loss of the V8, which had passed away with the discontinuation of the top model Alfa Montreal after the 2,6-liter unit had fueled prototypes of the GTV on a trial basis in 1977. High-quality, but limited to only 400 units, was a homologation edition of the fast Alfetta GTV 2.0 Turbodelta as the first Italian car with turbocharging, while a few years later a 136-liter V186 in the GTV 3,0 V6 produced by Alfa Romeo South Africa was reserved for the horsepower hungry customers of this right-hand drive market. The European - and even North American - customers of the state-controlled avant-garde brand took note of the 3.0-liter V6 injection engine in the GTV with corresponding enthusiasm. In the year 2,5, the unit, which has meanwhile been mutated into a 6-valve engine, was named "Engine of the Year" by international experts.
Was better than Jaguar
The greatest moments of the transaxle wedge GTV 6, which was fashionably updated with plastic add-on parts on the front and sides, hit the race tracks. There the Gran Turismo dominated the European touring car championship for several years (according to Group A regulations), but the racer also secured DTM championships and rally title wins until 1987, one year after the end of the long production period. In particular, the spectacular racetrack victories against the much more powerful Jaguar XJ-S and BMW 6 Series cultivated the magic of the Milanese brand, which had produced so many world champions but had slipped into a dark decade after the glamorous 1970s. Strikes and the lack of motivation of the workforce, which was noticeable in some Alfa plants with absenteeism rates of 20 percent, as well as chronically empty coffers in the Group's development department, caused sales of the sporty specialties to plummet. Design experiments by coachbuilders like Zagato, who presented the Zeta 1983 with the technology of the Alfa GTV 6 in 6, did nothing to change this.
At the beginning of 1983 the Alfa Romeo GTV received its last facelift, recognizable by its lush plastic regalia. Even the stylish wooden steering wheel of the V6 had to give way to a more contemporary valance. After all, some special editions followed, such as the GTV 6 Grand Prix designed by Rayton Fissore, with which Alfa Romeo celebrated its 1985th anniversary in 75, before the company was integrated into the Fiat group and the production history of the GTV 6 ended after 22.380 units. Apparently a modest sales result compared to the total number of over 114.000 GTVs with four-cylinder engines built, but it was the V6 that enlivened the enthusiasm of the Tifosi for the Alfetta concept, which was already aging in 1980. The first Alfa SZ sports coupé, realized in 1989 under Fiat's direction, therefore not only conveyed a spirit of optimism, but also paid tribute to the glamorous decades of Alfetta, GTV & Co with the V6 and Transaxle.
Chronicle
1972: Named after the first Alfa model (Tipo 159 Alfetta), which shone with victories in Formula 1, the Alfetta sedan (Tipo 116) goes into series production with a transaxle layout that was technically unusual at the time (front engine, gearbox and differential are positioned at the back). The Formula 1 racer Alfetta relied on this design principle in motorsport as early as 1951. The Alfa Romeo Alfetta is positioned with a 1,8-liter four-cylinder above the Alfa Giulia and immediately achieved sales successes across Europe. The German trade press classifies the model as an equal competitor to the new BMW 5 Series. The Alfetta GT is developed as a coupé variant of the four-door Alfetta, which is ultimately intended to replace the Bertone coupés (Tipo 105 series) of the 1960s. ItalDesign boss Giorgetto Giugiaro is responsible for the design of the Alfetta GT
1974: Market launch of the four-seater Alfetta GT coupé with a 1,8-liter engine
1975: 227.531 vehicles are produced. Until the end of the 1970s, Alfa Romeo was once again a globally active large-scale manufacturer, despite red numbers on its balance sheet, and even in Germany, as the most important export market, achieved respectable successes against BMW. A soaring flight in the registration statistics, which is carried above all by the young Alfasud and Alfetta models (since this year also with a 1,6-liter engine) including the GTV
1976: Restructuring of the Alfetta GT Coupé series with simultaneous cessation of production of the long-serving 1,3-liter to 2,0-liter Bertone Coupés. The Alfetta GT 1800 variant is no longer available, instead the range now includes the four-cylinder models Alfetta GT 1.6 and Alfetta GTV 2.0. As the Alfetta GTV 2.0, the sports coupé has a 122 hp 2,0-liter four-cylinder. Ermanno Cressoni becomes director of Centro Stile Alfa Romeo
1977: The Alfa Romeo GT / GTV had its best year with 19.932 vehicles produced. The sporty top model Alfa Montreal says goodbye, currently without a successor. First plans for a GTV with a six-cylinder engine, parallel to the development of the Alfa 6
1979: Return to the luxury class with the Alfa 6 with a V6 engine newly developed by Orazio Satta, but initially without injection. It is the final masterpiece of engineer Satta, who dies a year later. At that time, Alfa Romeo was the only Italian manufacturer to offer a six-cylinder, because even the Lancia Gamma is only powered by a four-cylinder. However, the design of the sedan is controversial, so its success is only moderate. The six-cylinder is being prepared for use in the Alfa GTV. The Alfa GTV, the design of which has specifically incorporated various elements of the exclusive Montreal (slightly covered headlights, rear light arrangement, door design, line of the bonnet), is undergoing a gentle model update this year. Version 2.0 Turbodelta launched by Autodelta is the first Italian car with a turbo gasoline engine to go into series production (400 units). For the last time, over 10.000 units of the GT / GTV sports coupé rolled off the assembly line in one year (11.809 units). Pre-series production of the GTV 6 will start at the end of the year
1980: Reorganization of the Alfetta GT / GTV range. The model name Alfetta is dropped and the coupés are offered as GTV 2.0 with four-cylinder engine and GTV 6 2.5i with six-cylinder including petrol injection. The group is concerned about the motivation and ability to work of the employees at some of the Alfa production sites. The daily absence rate of 20 percent of employees is a record in Europe, 40 percent of the workers are absent from a national team football game, 20 percent of the workforce is certified by the health insurance company as having a physical disability, and almost five percent are even disabled. The daily Alfa Romeo vehicle emissions are therefore only 455 vehicles, 30 percent less than cars could be produced. 9.129 four- and six-cylinder units of the GTV roll off the assembly line
1981: Alfa production fell to 192.826 units, 9.801 of which were Alfa GTVs
1982: First of four consecutive title wins (1982-1985) in the European Touring Car Championship for the GTV 6. In the Italian rally championship, the Alfa GTV 6 wins the title in Group N. The new list price for the GTV 6 / 2.5 is 32.990 marks, the GTV 2.0 is available from 26.500 marks. The production statistics show 9.146 Alfa GTVs
1983: In February, the GTV 2.0 and GTV 6 underwent a final facelift, recognizable by the new seats, colors and modified plastic side protection. For the 1984 model year, the GTV 6 has a plastic steering wheel instead of a wooden steering wheel. Based on the Alfetta GTV 6, Carrozzeria Zagato developed a coupé designed by Giuseppe Mittino, the Zagato Zeta 6, which made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. However, serial production cannot be realized. A total of 5.567 Alfa GTVs will be built this year. In the Italian rally championship, the Alfa GTV 6 wins the title in Group A and this also in 1984. In December, a GTV 3.0 V6 from South African pre-series production achieved a class victory in the 1.000 kilometer race in Kyalami
1984: The four-door Alfetta sedan is replaced by the Alfa 448.417 after 90 units have been produced, but the Alfa 90 is actually just an evolutionary model that was brought into the current design by Bertone. The GTV will continue to be built unchanged. In an edition of 200 units, the 1 km / h Alfetta GTV 225 V3.0 with 6 hp 186-liter six-cylinder is being built for homologation in Motorsport Group 3,0 in South Africa. The 2,5-liter V6 from Italian production is used in prototypes by Osella, for example, in sports car races with an output of 180 to 190 hp
1985: The Alfa 75 sedan makes its debut for the 75th brand anniversary and also uses the Alfetta platform. Special series GTV 6 Grand Prix with design elements, designed by Rayton Fissore. In total, only 147.385 Alfa Romeos will be produced this year, of which 3.541 Alfa GTVs. At the Corsica rally, the Alfa GTV 6 took fifth and sixth place
1986: Last year of sales for the Alfa GTV. The Ford Motor Company is interested in a takeover of Alfa Romeo, but Fiat under Giovanni Agnelli wins the bid, and Alfa Romeo comes back into private ownership
1987: Alfa Romeo GTV 6 wins the Australian Rally Championship under drivers Greg Carr and Fred Gocentas
1989: The last Alfa Romeo with rear-wheel drive is the small-series sports car SZ (Sprint Zagato) with the technology of the Alfa 75
1994: A new generation of the GTV (series 916) with front-wheel drive tries to fill the legacy of the former athlete with life, but does not achieve the hoped-for numbers. Nevertheless, the production period of this GTV lasts until 2005
2010: At the age of 30, the Alfa GTV 6 becomes a classic car and a candidate for the official H license plate
2020: The Alfa Romeo GTV 6 celebrates the 40th anniversary of its market launch and the community celebrates this anniversary
Production numbers
Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT / GTV (1974-1986) in 136.275 units, of which 22.380 Alfa GTV 6 (1979-1986). A total of 11.468 units of the GTV 6 rolled off the assembly line between the end of 1979 and the beginning of 1983 and 10.912 units after the final facelift in February 1983
Technical data Alfa Romeo GTV 6
Two-door, four-seater sports coupe; Length: 4,26 meters, width: 1,66 meters, height: 1,33 meters, wheelbase: 2,40 meters, trunk volume: 370 liters. 2,5-liter V6 petrol engine, 118 kW / 160 PS, maximum torque: 213 Nm at 4.000 rpm, five-speed manual transmission, 0-100 km / h: 8,3 s, Vmax: 205 km / h ( in tests up to 220 km / h), standard consumption at 90 km / h / 120 km / h / city cycle 7,7 / 9,9 / 14,8 liters / 100 kilometers, price: from 29.990 marks (1981)
