As well as lots of Hondas and other makes, I’ve owned Alfa Romeo Alfettas for nearly all of my adult life – hence the ‘Alfettaman’ handle.
Launched in 1972, these cars were brilliantly engineered and had many advanced features: de Dion rear suspension, Watts linkage, torsion bar front suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes (inboard at the back), transaxle layout for perfect 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, Alfa’s legendary all-aluminium overhead cam engine, 5-speed manual gearbox, 4 doors, 4 proper seats, huge boot/trunk, crumple zones. All of this and a kerb weight of just 1060kg!
With its perfect balance, rear-wheel drive, ultra-low unsprung weight and responsive race-derived engine and dynamics, the Alfetta out-handled all of its competitors and is still a wonderful car to drive today. The Alfetta appeals hugely to the purist engineer in me, in much the same way that I admire Honda’s engineering ethos too.
Sadly – and like so many cars in the 1970s – Alfa Romeos suffered badly from corrosion and there are only a handful of Alfetta saloons left in the UK now.
Here’s a cutaway showing the Alfetta’s unique drivetrain and suspension layout…
1982, with my first Alfetta…
1999, my current Alfetta at UK National Alfa Day (concours class winner)
2020. Same car, same owner, greyer hair...
Launched in 1972, these cars were brilliantly engineered and had many advanced features: de Dion rear suspension, Watts linkage, torsion bar front suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes (inboard at the back), transaxle layout for perfect 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, Alfa’s legendary all-aluminium overhead cam engine, 5-speed manual gearbox, 4 doors, 4 proper seats, huge boot/trunk, crumple zones. All of this and a kerb weight of just 1060kg!
With its perfect balance, rear-wheel drive, ultra-low unsprung weight and responsive race-derived engine and dynamics, the Alfetta out-handled all of its competitors and is still a wonderful car to drive today. The Alfetta appeals hugely to the purist engineer in me, in much the same way that I admire Honda’s engineering ethos too.
Sadly – and like so many cars in the 1970s – Alfa Romeos suffered badly from corrosion and there are only a handful of Alfetta saloons left in the UK now.
Here’s a cutaway showing the Alfetta’s unique drivetrain and suspension layout…
1982, with my first Alfetta…
1999, my current Alfetta at UK National Alfa Day (concours class winner)
2020. Same car, same owner, greyer hair...
