{"id":39729,"date":"2025-07-09T14:11:26","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T12:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.italpassion.fr\/?p=39729"},"modified":"2025-07-09T11:08:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T09:08:46","slug":"lalfa-romeo-155-gta-stradale-the-unloved-one-that-could-have-rivaled-the-bmw-m3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.italpassion.fr\/en\/alfa-romeo\/lalfa-romeo-155-gta-stradale-la-mal-aimee-qui-aurait-pu-rivaliser-avec-la-bmw-m3\/","title":{"rendered":"The Alfa Romeo 155 GTA Stradale: the unloved one that could have rivalled the BMW M3"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alfa Romeo 155: the ugly duckling?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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...<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zagato tries its luck<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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 Int\u00e9grale, rather than the deflated version installed on the Q4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Alfa Romeo 155 TI-Z<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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