The Alfa Romeo 155 GTA Stradale: the unloved one that could have rivalled the BMW M3

The Alfa Romeo 155 has had a strange destiny. While its competition version, the V6 Ti DTM, has become a cult racing car, buoyed by its DTM success, its road version remains an unloved member of the sedan family. Having made itself very rare on the roads, the 155 is also very rarely seen in Alfa Romeo clubs and gatherings. The 155 was forgotten, stuck with its predecessor, a 75 "adored" by some Alfisti, nostalgic for the last model. Alfa Romeo designed before the takeover by FIAT, and its heir, a 156 unanimously regarded as one of the finest sedans in the Biscione's history (and also with an exceptional sporting record). The 155 had a very short career (5 years), with fewer than 200,000 units produced.

Alfa Romeo 155: the ugly duckling?

Developed after the takeover of Alfa Romeo by FIAT, the 155 benefited from a group synergy that was profitable from an economic point of view, but offended the sensibilities of purists. In 1986, Alfa Romeo had become a subsidiary of FIAT and merged with Lancia to form Alfa Lancia Industriale. Using the FIAT Tempra platform and running gear from the Fiat Tipo, the 155 was perceived as a "bastard", which also abandoned the Transaxle architecture (longitudinal engine and rear-wheel drive, rear-mounted gearbox, rigid axle), beloved of Alfa enthusiasts, in favor of simple front-wheel drive. And yet, it brought something new to the table, since the 1985 75 was based on a platform first introduced in 1972!

The 155's distinctive wedge-shaped styling, with a very upturned stern, conceived by Ercole Spada, also seemed a little dated in the early '90s, when design was softening and rediscovering a taste for curves. In the end, the Alfa Romeo 155 seemed to commit blasphemy in the eyes of Alfisti, as if it had denied its identity, dissolved in group synergy, economies of scale and less "noble" mechanical components. Any resemblance to another era is purely coincidental...

And yet, this 155 still had a number of assets, including pleasant powertrains, such as the 4-cylinder Twin Spark engines or the legendary 2.5-liter V6 "Busso". But one model in particular could have changed everything.

Zagato tries its luck

Back in 1993, Ercole Spada revived the idea of a supercharged Alfa Romeo 155 by working with coachbuilder Zagato. Called the TI-Z, this Zagato 155 is based on the Q4. It features a special aerodynamic kit, with a large rear spoiler, wider fenders and new fascias. It is powered by the 215 hp engine of the Delta HF Intégrale, rather than the deflated version installed on the Q4.

Zagato pushed the envelope a little further with an even more muscular-looking GTA-Z, but the brand remained unmoved by this proposal, which found an outlet in Japan with the production of 24 examples, assembled between 1995 and 1996 and sold under the name Alfa 155 TI-Z.

Racing beast

However, after the flop of the F1 program in the '80s and the aborted projects for the 164 Procar and the SE048 Le Mans prototype, group synergy enabled Alfa Romeo to restore its sporting reputation, by inheriting the former Abarth department team, responsible for the Lancia Delta Integral and its rally versions.

Since 1992, Abarth developed a racing version of the 155, called the GTA, to compete in the Italian Supertouring Championship. This 155 GTA, which resurrected the legendary Giulia GTA badge of the 60s and 70s, received permanent all-wheel drive, a 2-liter turbo engine boosted to 400 hp, a 6-speed gearbox and a braking system with carbon disks derived from F1 technology. In its very first season, the sedan won the Italian superturismo (CIVT) title with Nicolas Larini, a prelude to the following year's triumph in the DTM championship with the 155 V6 TI, which competed in the German championship's Class 1 category.

Alfa Romeo 155 GTA Stradale: genetically crossbred with the Delta

In response to the triumph on the racetrack of the GTA and then the V6 Ti, a group of engineers led by Sergio Limone, the "father" of the Lancia 037 Rally, is working on a road version, the "GTA Stradale". This supercharged sedan could rival the German benchmarks BMW M3 E30 or Mercedes 190E 2.5-16, since the Germans know perfectly well how to exploit competition success commercially by offering wild versions of their sedans. Initially, it was to be produced in small quantities, a limited series of less than 50 examples.

The prototype is based on the 155 Q4, with the Lancia Delta Intégrale platform, but a cast-steel rear axle differential instead of aluminum, to shift the weight balance a little to the rear. The 155 GTA not only takes over the Delta's suspension, but also the 2-liter four-cylinder turbo engine from the HF. The block is prepared in accordance with Group N regulations, featuring a Garrett T3 turbocharger and a Magnetti Marelli multipoint electronic fuel injection system. Exact performance figures have not been announced, but are expected to approach 220 hp.

Visually, the 155 GTA Stradale is no half-measure. The carbon-fiber bodywork is inspired by the V6 TI DTM, with wider fenders, redesigned aprons and a prominent black rear spoiler. At the 1994 Bologna Motor Show, the car made its public debut with a race-ready interior, i.e. a single seat and a full roll bar. Later, a full interior with four leather-covered seats is installed. Only the slim-spoke sports steering wheel and the center console do not correspond to the standard state of a normal 155.

In the end, Alfa Romeo never gave the green light. The modified body parts and the possibility of installing a V6, rather than a 4-cylinder, would have necessitated a second production line and thus generated significant production costs. The project was halted despite incoming pre-orders, which had been fuelled by the prototype's use as a medical car at the 1994 Monza Formula 1 Grand Prix. It was undoubtedly a "missed opportunity", like others in the history of the Biscione. The prototype, subsequently passed between several collectors, was estimated in 2018 at nearly 200,000 euros in a Bonhams auction.

Alfisti were soon able to console themselves with the 156, to which Alfa Romeo finally gave a GTA version in 2002.