The Should Have Made Alfa Bigger Than BMW! Alfetta - What Went Wrong?

[@ianatkinson521]

I restored one from ground up, best car I ever had and I still miss it.

[@garyradley5694]

I had a 2 litre 1980 Alfetta. IN RED. It replaced my 1975 Peugeot 504. I bought it because it had air-conditioning. An absolutely fabulous car. The only thing I disliked was the spoon in a bowl of porridge gear shift feel. I upgraded it with alloy wheels and adjustable Koni shockers. Some idiot ran into the back of it and I added a small amount to the insurance pay out to have a local hot rod body shop completely repaint it. The paint work was absolutely stunning. Just like a show car. I was also lucky that there was an Alfa specialist just around the corner from where I worked. They kept it in tip top order with direct imported parts from Italy. Very reliable. Never let me down. It did give me a big fright once as I accelerated hard from the lights and it went bang and a big puff of smoke came out from under the bonnet. Turned out that an air-conditioner hose clamp had let go. Because it was in such good order and looked better than when it came out of the factory, I sold it after 5 years for what I paid for it. Cheapest car I have ever owned.

[@sergiobrunetti2072]

I worked for Alfa Romeo in the 70's and the Alfetta was absolutely the best for handling and room. Light years ahead of BMW at the time.

[@cbca6567]

absolutely agreed. well said!

[@johngeren1053]

The space efficiency of the sedan is very good, almost as good as a front wheel drive car.

[@gigieinaudi24]

Light years on everything

[@brusselssprouts560]

Ohh that engine note!

[@lukemallory7832]

My father owned 4 or 5 of these back in the 70s and 80s, and a GTV. He still regards them as just about the best handling car he owned and as a kid, the noise was fantastic. But the rust was a killer, which is possibly one of the reasons we switched to Volvo / Saab. We never owned another Alfa when they went front-drive / turned into Fiats.

[@HiNRGboy]

I wonder why rust was such a bad issues back then? That sucks because all these cars are such beautiful machines.

[@3ducs]

I had an Alfetta GT 2.0, it rusted away but was a great handling car. It was followed by a Milano 2.5, which also rusted away. That car was the last of many Alfas I owned starting in 1967 with a 1963 101 series Sprint Normale. A BMW 535i and several Audis followed, then a 2016 Mazda MX-5, and now a 2016 Jaguar F-Type 3.0 S coupe, manual transmission. I think I'm done for a while.

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

Italian quality control !@@HiNRGboy

[@alphatrion100]

The fact that he had 4 or 5 in10 years tells me enough 😂

[@3ducs]

@@alphatrion100 Alfa: Always Looking For Another.

[@EmmyEmmy-yv2tz]

In Italy in the 70s that was the favourite car of the bank robbers and it was also the Carabinieri's car. It was the car coveted by people achieving a good economic position. Its sound, its 4 roundlamp front, its design..all was doomed to belong to this special and iconic Italian car. And I still like it!

[@johnireland1629]

My very first Alfa, bought new in September 1977, was an Alfetta Sport Sedan. I have been in love with the Alfa brand ever since. I drove my Alfetta seven days a week, I tracked it 6 or 7 weekends a year, I rallied it, entered it in club Concorsos...and I'd own it today but in 1985 it was destroyed while parked in front of my house. Jack, this video is the closest to my heart of all your videos. My Alfetta was named Marcello (after another Italian legend). The only car that has won my heart as completely, is also an Alfa...a 2023 Giulia. Also named Marcello. Thank you for this great video.

[@martian9999]

Gandini, oder Mastroiannni?

[@tjacobsen5131]

Thanks for posting. I too owned one of these, a 1978 2.0 with sqare headlamps, not as nice as this older version. It was only 10 years old at the time and had never seen service. Loved it but it was a short affair. Now I drive an mx5 that I bought new in 2016. A keeper. 140tkm on the clock already and only needed new brakes and tires. There's the reliability I'd wish from an Alfa Romeo😂

[@Mike-rk8px]

It’s such a tragedy about the rust, because otherwise these were incredible cars. My uncle who lives in southern Germany has owned numerous Alfa’s since the 70’s, and I drove the various Alfetta’s he had numerous times and they were all so entertaining and addictive that you couldn’t believe it was a 4 door family sedan. The sound was spectacular, and you could drive them at high speeds on the autobahn on long trips and they were so comfortable. But where these cars really come alive is on winding mountain roads, taking one up into the Swiss Alps was heaven.

[@LateNightCable]

@@Mike-rk8pxthe way Jack describes the balky shifting, I’m thinking that would have spoiled the experience considerably. How did you feel about it up in the alps?

[@johnireland1629]

Mastroianni. Just thinking of him makes me smile. If I could have been born Italian, he is who I would have loved to be. @@martian9999

[@brianshorey]

Alfa did invent the Sport Sedan, but not with the Alfetta. It was two generations earlier, with the Giulia Super. The Alfetta is a wonderful car, I've owned many, sadly they were prone to rust. When I lived in New England you didn't expect them to last very long, here in California they can outlive you. I'm helping a friend put a 3.0 Busso motor into one now.

[@dm5374]

Did you know there was a diesel version of the Giulia, with a Perkins marine engine in it?

[@johngeren1053]

The 1900 sedan was also called the first sports sedan.

[@stevenfernando1842]

It can be argued that the Fiat 1100TV was the first sports sedan. And it has an enviable competition history to back it up. Anyway the Giulietta TI predated the Giulia too.

[@studiocalder818]

​@@johngeren1053 Agree In fact the motto was "the family car that wins races". Giulietta, Giulia, Alfetta and so on continued the tradition

[@studiocalder818]

​@@stevenfernando1842Great simple elegant well done fast car by FIAT, anyway it came out later than the 1900. The fact is that road racing had such an impact in Italy (1000 Miglia, Targa Florio are just the most famous. Milan-Taranto for motorbikes!) that many Italians wanted sporty family cars. Starting with the Topolino transformations 😊

[@FushionJulz]

I owned a 1.8 saloon back in the 80s...it wasn't very old, but it did have rust issues...mainly along the door bottoms and the boot floor. It was replaced by a 2.0 Alfetta GTV SE and then later by a facelifted, big-bumper version (that had a much better interior and build). That, in turn, was supplanted by a 2.0 twin-spark 75. All had the inboard rear brakes and torsion bar front suspension with de dion tube rear that made the car handle so well. Rust was the BIG issue...only cured on the 75, but that was plagued by the most bizarre and infuriating internal layout. I think the E21 3 series was a more similar BMW than the E12, btw.... Great video...brought back memories of my time in Alfas.

[@bennyhannover9361]

The E12 appeared 1972 as 520 carburetor version 2.0 liter inline 4 109 bhp, the 520i Kugelfischer injection same engine like 2002tii with 130 bhp , 10 seconds to sixty , 182 kmh topspeed.

[@jonfrank2566]

My father bought one as his second car when we arrived in the country back in the 70s. In those days, you had to retake the driving test if your licence was issued abroad. He failed it 3 times despite being an experienced driver. Eventually realized instructors didn't appreciate him turning up for the test in his first car - a Ferrari Daytona...

[@2K-Tan]

That's a cool story. Those driving instructors can stay mad haha. Your dad got to have 2 of the coolest cars ever.

[@josephberrie9550]

driving examiner not instructor

[@robsawalker]

I can smell the interior of the Alfetta from here... love it! Alfa's were so different from their counterparts back in the 70s

[@monkeyeagle1921]

As a child growing up in South Africa around this time I very much agree that these and the E12 were the sporting choice. Crucially in the early 80s the Toyota Cressida with RWD and immaculate quality came to dominate the local family car market. I confess that I loved the BMWs - they raced against GTVs and Cortina’s and put on a brilliant show!

[@friendlypiranha774]

@amokeyeagle - Do you remember the Eddie Keizan BMW 530 from 1977?

[@johnclayden1670]

I've had several interesting cars over the years from MGB's, lotus cortina, interceptor and most recently a corvette, but the car I look back on with most fondness was my Alfetta 2 litre. Wonderful handling, driven all over europe between UK, France. Spain, Italy, Switzerland Germany, mostly on business, about 20,000 miles in a year. Always a smile on the face and the best fun car I ever had. And keep up the great work!

[@normanhalland7039]

Jack, what a pleasant surprise to see an identical replica of my 1975 Alfetta. From the moment you turned the ignition key I was thrown back to the love I had for that car! Your review couldn't have been more accurate - from the problems to the enjoyment! Thanks so much - If feel all young again:-)

[@MLC...]

Thank you for driving my favorite cars, first the 116 Giulietta and now the Alfetta. Driving one of my 116 cars always brings a smile to my face, a happy day. Now please, ask Alex Jupe to arrange an Alfetta GTV6 3.0, the South African homologation special, I know there are quite a few in the UK.

[@155stw]

Good idea! I have a mate who has a beautiful SA 3.0 and SA 3.7 built by Dawie. The 3.7 has a front mounted gearbox. Let me know if you need me to reach out to him.

[@MLC...]

@@155stw How about it Jack?

[@wearetomorrowspast.5617]

Yes.

[@natesteiner5460]

Triumph, Alfa, and BMW competed directly making some interesting if imperfect cars at a time when the whole industry was backsliding into the "malaise era." Imagine what could have been.

[@mrt-ji9qg]

Back in the day I had 2 Alfettas, loved them both. Also had the 1981 Guilietta. No pas, no abs, lovely cars very reliable too. Very under rated.

[@johang7498]

The alfetta was prettiest in its earliest forms as shown here, with the slim bumpers and the round headlights. Just a most lovely saloon. And not all that much went wrong with it, I'd say, when I read that some 450.000 examples were made between 1972 and 1984 - much more if you also count in the related Alfas giulietta, 75 and 90. The reason so few of them are left is just that owners didn't tend to care as much about them, I think, but with E12-BMWs that situation seems much the same: you also don't see many of those around anymore these days. I would have a hard time choosing between alfetta and E12 btw as I find both very appealing saloons.

[@MLC...]

I also love both the E12 or E28 or basically any 101, 105 or 116 Alfa.

[@davidhollenshead4892]

Uh, they rusted out in California, just like the Nissan 240, 260 & 280 did. Not only was the metal poorly prepared for paint, but like the Z cars, there were places in the body that held water. Basically it was a nice car for a few years that rusted into a heap in five to six...

[@johang7498]

@@davidhollenshead4892 Most 1970s cars tended to rust quite quickly. Including the German makes.

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

@@johang7498 Absolutely. No matter Mercedes Pagoda or R107, the aforementioned Bimmers or the crap GM sold under the Opel-brand or Ford's German rubbish or Audi's dumpster food .... they all rusted away like nothing, until VW started to really take steps against corrosion with their Golf II from 83 onwards and others had to follow.

[@Paul-nx4zc]

Had 5 Alfas,2GTVs,GTV6,ALFA90& a 1974 ALFETTA . All fabulous drivers cars,but best was 1.8 ALFETTA for handling. Wish I still had it!!

[@RichardLeTessier]

Hi Jack/Giac, I'm privileged to own one of these. Mine is a Milano 1977 1.8, and i plan to never sell it. I am in Western Australia. Everyone asks me why I didn't get a GTV, but I always preferred the sedan. I fell in love with them when a family friend had one in 1978. As a 10 year old it made a huge impact on me. Being able to buy it in 2015 was a dream. I've looked on "How Many Left" in the UK - about 4 licenced from memory, so this is a genuinely rare car. I'm lucky that mine doesn't have too much rust. They are a pleasure to drive, although I have upgraded springs and torsion bars to reduce body roll. Thank you for doing this review. Fantastic! Alfisto Richard.

[@FamilyBrown88]

As a youngster I had the Alfetta 2000, 1983 model. That's what got me hooked onto Alfa Romeo. Fantastic car!

[@tedburnard841]

I bought a brand new Alfetta 1.8 sedan in 1976 and loved it. Yeah, the gear change was awful, especially when cold and the gearbox never got really hot as it it never got heat from the engine. It sounded so sweet and rorty and I loved the induction noise from the Dellorto carbs. Mine rusted badly around the windscreen and back window and the general fit and finish left a lot to be desired. It was a reliable and economical car too. I sold it after 4 years and later got a late 81 GTV 2.0 and thoroughly enjoyed it too. Greetings from Adelaide, South Australia.

[@reheller]

Yes, Alfa! My first car was an Alfasud and I loved it for all of its short life. And the Alfetta? Always in my dream list! Thanks for bringing back the memories

[@KimMorgan-hc3rk]

A kindred spirit, scrolling down see any mention of my beloved Alfasud; an exhaust pipe signature tune like no other car,even to date!

[@grantpiper6358]

light and airy, well balanced, surprisingly roomy and sensible small family car. I have a couple - '79 2000L and '91 75TS.

[@manhong4474]

Lovely Alfa 🎉❤ This is my first car in Hong Kong Since 1978🎉❤ Thank you for your video ❤🎉 Fully support ❤🎉 From Montreal ❤🎉

[@Number27]

Thank you for watching!! Big wave to 🇨🇦

[@cristianocastagno9680]

These cars can be a bit tricky for the inexperienced driver on a slippery road, the gearbox too is really not an easy one. The engine was great. There were so many in Italy at the time and almost none left today. Thanks Jack for your reviews I always enjoy. Ciao.

[@grumpy9478]

yes - while it delievered 50/50 weight distribution, it was no mid-engine. lotsa polar motion of inertia that one did not want to allow to take over the steering.

[@johngeren1053]

I can't agree. They are very sensitive to mismatched tires, but with good tires they are very communicative, predictable and responsive on any surface.

[@cristianocastagno9680]

@@johngeren1053 in the 1980’s I worked on a breakdown truck towing away cars after road accidents occurred. When there was rain, there were many accidents and guess which cars were often involved ? The Alfas rear drive models. The BMW’s of the time too but significantly a bit less even though perhaps it was just that there were simply a bit less around, It is interesting. Would it be fair to say that front drive cars are a bit more predictable and safer for the average driver compared to rear drive cars? I think it is possible.

[@johngeren1053]

@@cristianocastagno9680 My personal experience includes putting hundreds of thousands of miles on 116 Alfas, often as fast as I could get away with. In all that I experienced two "fishtailing" situations. Each time I had poor tires. The first incident was totally my fault, becoming distracted on a normal highway commute and driving off the road. We came back on the road completely sideways, into the median, back on the asphalt less sideways and then one small tail wag. There was no traffic on my side of the highway. I did not think any car would have recovered from going 90 degrees at that speed. The second incident was in a GTV6 with undersize, mismatched tires and driving too fast on a rural road. We hit a patch of gravel that had been put down to melt snow days before. The car fishtailed several times and ended up undamaged in a field. The Watt linkage will cause a very small degree of roll steer that gives an oversteering effect, which is not necessarily bad in an understeering car. That effect can be eliminated if you lower the rear to where the Watt links are parallel. On my '79 sedan I had a competent welder add extensions to the outer link brackets to make them parallel at the stock ride height. When I lowered the car the links were unparallel the other way that theoretically made it have a bit of roll understeer. In my experience, if tires are good and evenly inflated 116s are the safest handling, most controllable cars around. Other drivers' results may vary. I was probably a very skillful, but extremely irresponsible motorist when young. Front wheel drive cars are safer if you push them to the limit, but the limit is lower, and it is no fun except in very small, light fwd cars I understeered off a narrow extremely curvy road in the rain one time. That was in the 79 sedan before I dealt with the incredibly heavy 5mph bumper issue. I also went off the side of a mountain on a gravel road, but I was just going too fast in a decreasing radius curve. The car's handling was totally neutral in that instance😁PS: Alfas had wheels and tires that should have been a.bit wider. Some 116s had wheels as small as 5 1/2 by 13. My Alfetta initially had 14 by 5 1/2 but I found some 6 by 14 factory option mags. All our V6s had 15by 6 Campagnolos, except for that one time when the GTV6 was temporarily on Milano steels. My dream 116 would be an Aletta GT with 7by 14 Cromodora Daytonas like Shankle used to sell.

[@cbca6567]

there are many left in ITaly today actually but not many driven daily like in period because they are collection cars now.

[@georgebettiol8338]

The Busso designed Alfa twin cam engine first appeared in 1954 in the Giulietta 750 series. It was subject to a modest revision in circa 1958 when the 101 series Giulietta was introduced - which is the engine that the 105 series Alfas and 116 Alfetta twin cam engines are based on. With regards to the in-board rear brakes, they remained in that location for the entire duration of the 'Alfetta platform' that included the (modern) Giulietta, Alfa GTV, Alfa GTV6, Alfa 75, Alfa 90 and ES 30 - so at no time were the rear brakes relocated to the perimeter of the rear axle. On the subject of rust, thankfully they didn't deteriorate like the Alfa Sud because they were not manufactured at the strike ridden, under manned and 'work ethics' compromised Pomigliano d'Arco plant. However they did have a propensity to rust but were no worse than most cars of the era and probably better that the horrendously rust prone Mark 3 Cortina - which a have a liking for - especially the 2-door version of the Ford.

[@WazzaG076]

My first Alfa was a secondhand Berlina bought in 1975 lovely but the dreaded rust forced me to trade up to a red Alfetta identical to this one. It was such a joy to drive with its equal weight distribution etc. I always said it was so communicative that it was like an extension of your fingers and toes. One difference I noticed in the steering from the Berlina was on initial turn in there was like initial understeer whilst the front suspension settled then it gripped and was wonderfully communicative thereafter. After more than 6 years of really trouble free ownership my wife was pregnant and the hot Sydney Summer was taking its toll without air conditioning and rust was appearing. So I went searching for a replacement but in 1985 there was only the Giulietta or Alfa 33 to choose from so my first new Alfa was a 2L Giulietta which had the same underpinnings and in which I collected our first daughter from the Hospital. Twenty four years of ownership with no body rust and few troubles thanks to a great mechanic. It had to be sold as I was the only family member left who could drive a manual and my health issues were intruding. Thank you Jack for bringing back such happy memories. You have done the marque proud.

[@mo155]

My uncle had a 1.8 and loved it! This sparked my love for Alfa Romeo and changed my life. Currently driving a Giulia which I absolutely love. But still would love to own an Alfetta or GTV ( with the chrome bumpers)

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

The 1.8 would have been a livelier engine than the 2 litre.... smoother at higher revs. It wasn't till the late 80s and balancer shafts that 2 litre and above engines could rev nicely.

[@Suprahampton]

I bought a 75 V6 in 2008 & it was my daily driver, wonderful handling & still had the inboard rear brakes

[@danieleregoli812]

I love the pure, clean lines of the 'prima serie' with the chrome bumpers. That one is a truly magnicent example. Un abbraccio dear Giacomo ❤

[@Soulburn89]

Great video. I have a 75 with a 2.0 with carbs, basically same car. You should have put a microphone near the air intake, the intake sound from those two double barreled carbs is insane.

[@gaetanoflorio6277]

I've had the opportunity to own many rear transaxle Alfa's here in OZ. My first was a 1979 2.0lt Alfetta sedan, which I restored in 1989. Sold it to a close friend in 1990 and swapped traded for his 1983 Giulietta sedan. He still owns my old Alfetta til today, and it's in excellent condition. I've also owned 3 Alfa 75', all 2.5 V6, and an Alfa 90 2.5 V6. Its obvious that I love them so much that I'm currently looking for another 75 again. Love the rear wheel drive 🇦🇺🇮🇹

[@TheReinhardL]

As an Alfa Romeo aficionado, un Alfista con tutto il mio cuore, I was of course enthusiastic to learn that your newest video is about the Alfetta. In my humble view you missed one, only one point: the Alfetta is very gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful shapes for a family car. Notwithstanding my first sentence I like all your test drive videos of veteran cars and there is still a lot of cars left which I would like to see you drive. The Lamborghini Espada for instance, or a Monteverdi High Speed 375 S Fissore. Or a step (a hugh step, more precisely) down: the Peugeot 504 Cabriolet. Or a Lotus Esprit S1.

[@global_nomad.]

ongoing joy as you bring us all these lovely cars from the past..brings some perspective to the complication of modern cars...

[@natjes6017]

Wonderful! As a kid we had a ´75 Alfetta 1.8 and later a ´77 Alfetta 2.0. The 1.8 was explosive in contrast to the 2.0 which was a bit more sedate, but awesome cars 😁 After the sedans we had a ´77 Alfetta US GT2000, which was even more sedate as it was a total smog car. Thank you for this vid, made my heart sing ❤

[@scottdyke7853]

Jack, This is your best review so far. The smile on your face and your bursting enthusiasm shone all the way through. Keep doing what your doing and keep enjoying what your doing. It really does show.

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Awesome car. Thank you for showcasing these cars and the history of them. Keep up the good work.

[@MarkJVSomers]

I had a Giulietta and two 75's, and they were all great and reliable.

[@gdwlaw5549]

My fathers first Alfasud was delivered new and rusting around the boot area. He did a deal and to took a slightly better one with hatchback and carried to own another four or five….all sorts of models . He loved them!

[@alfaradbean]

I had a silvermetallic with sunroof and black leather. 1983 years, loved that car

[@murrieteacher]

I tested one of these in 1974 and also the FIAT 125S. While the Fiat was down a little on power it was also cheaper and handled almost a well. But they are a prettier car than the 125S. Thanks for the memories.

[@MrNikodemus5]

Always been one of my favorites - drove a few 2000 in end 70, beginning 80ies. The shift was a bit tricky, but a lot of fun.

[@pan68]

One of my favorite Alfas of all time and the color is sublime!

[@sebastiend.5335]

Just home after a long days work.... New video awaits. Excellent! Greetings from the Netherlands

[@tonyray4565]

You can say whatever you want but all you have to do is drive it once, and you are hooked.

[@johnvaneeden1455]

After totaling my Fiat 125S in British racing green, I acquired my first Alfetta in Gunston orange and right when it won COTY in 1978, at one stage had 12 of them on my property serving as spares for the running 2. The spares served all the way through to the 159i where the VIVT was brilliant ! Sadly rust took its toll , but still delivered enough miles to get me to the moon and back ! This brought back instant memories, thank you from a South African fan.

[@tnk657]

I owned an Alfetta. As for driving it was better than BMW. It was more silky on rough roads. I had a patch of road near my home full of potholes and compared to a BMW owned by a friend of mine Alfetta was better. Surprisingly it was firmer in turns. Fantastic. I was told by a mechanic that this was because of the De Dion tube suspension. I don't know how to explain De Dion but if you google it you'll find it easily. As for the problems , as you mentioned the gearbox was really bad and i know it has failed on low mileage on owners. Mine began to have problems and kind of ruined for me. Also i had all sorts of electrical problems . The driving experience though was from another league.

[@italianduded1161]

Alfetta 1.8 … such a beauty! And a wonderful classic 💪🏻🇮🇹 I think Alfas were the actual drift kings of Italy

[@alfanovanta]

The 105 surely were with their gearbox attached to the engine, but for a 116 transaxle to go wild you really had to do your best (believe me I've tried). That heavy gearbox on the rear really pushes the tires to the ground. Also the center of gravity on the 116 is more rearward where the 105 is more like BMW really with a tail happy rear end. Once you got the 116 going you found that the steering was quite slow/indirect so you really had to work the wheel, resulting you often being too slow. Obviously it takes practice.

[@Liban46227]

My first car in 1992 was 1978 alfetta then i owned 7 of them till the start buying 75 and 90 Finaly a month ago i bought one again 1982 model dark blue color The alfetta us fantastic car

[@studiocalder818]

The Alfetta had a huge impact and great success in Italy. Although the Alfisti split up between lovers of tradition (Giulia, 1750, 2000, not to mention the unsurpassed derivates GT), with their perfect gearbox and sweet line, and the one that adapted and adopted Alfetta and derivatives. This division continued for years; their reunification occurred when Alfa switched to front-wheel drive: then everyone was against the new course 😂, with the faithful to the 105 finally discovering and accepting the qualities of the subsequent Alfetta. Personally, the first time I drove an Alfetta (initiative of the dealerships: you left your car there and for the day they gave you an Alfetta 2.0) I was ecstatic, impressed. Since then 3 75 and many historical ones

[@terryhand]

I had an Alfetta GTV in the 80's. The gearchange wasn't it's strong point. I actually had the gearbox rebuild, which back then was not an expensive job if you went to an independant specialist. But it did eventually succumb to the rust bug. It was the first sporty car I ever owned and I probably enjoyed it more than any of the cars I owned afterwards.

[@bagpusslxv4858]

Same here - gearbox would pop out of reverse on a whim and wheel arches and sills rusted terribly. Great 2 litre twin cam engine though and nice looks.

[@James-ld2jc]

Enjoyed that Jack, a lovely car. You didn't mention its looks anywhere near enough (in my opinion). It's very delicate, subtle and really quite beautiful.

[@AndreasMartinLaute]

I studied in Milan in the 1980s and I remember watching my favourite TV - series “La Piovra”. Those beautiful Alfas were used by the Carabinieri and Polizia. Thanks so much for this wonderful video!!

[@garyferrari1366]

I had a 1979 model, by 1981 the boot floor had rotted away, but the drive was amazing

[@martinlagrange8821]

I have always adored these - the 'Long Nose, Square Light' 2000 is my favourite, and the later 164 was that design's stylistic successor. A great car.

[@peterledwitch-madsen2524]

Che bella macchina! Want one, or the GT version which is just so pretty. My old 75 twin spark had a similar feel I reckon and still the best handling/driving car I ever had. Like Alex Jupe, a lot of specialists around that can get even more out of these beauties, but there are just too few around outside of Italy unfortunately. Great video, been waiting for an honest review of the Alfetta. Many thanks!

[@rhettcorcoran2879]

These have aged really well, another excellent video.

[@Number27]

Thanks buddy!!!

[@marcusott2973]

I had a 2nd series square headlight 2.0l in Rosso Amaranto, in the mid 90's. Drove it to Dubrovnik and back with 2 mates, just after the war had ended, stupid idea, great drive.

[@gordonbos5447]

I commented on the gearbox thing before when you drove the (80's, 116) Giulietta, models starting from the Alfa 75 featured a different gear linkage that gave it much more solid feel. For a right side driver this difference will be enormous as you will no longer need to bend your left knee to the right to reach fifth gear or reverse. Rear discs have always been on the inside, reducing unsprung weight, and it stayed that way when the platform was 'sold' to Maserati (a FIAT group internal write-off) and later 'borrowed' back for the Alfa 8C. Also getting a bit tired of the rust fable. Every car rusts and in particular the first cars that featured a load-bearing chassis turned out to be seriously susceptible to rust from the inside of hollow sections. Try find an 80's Ford Fiesta today, or an Audi 80 of the same age as this Alfetta, they're just as rare now even though they didn't make some of the mistakes that Alfa did - like foam filling gaps between overlapping panels with polyurethane.

[@trisrush9155]

Yes! Glad someone has said this.. has anyone owned a Mercedes sprinter? It would rival any Alfa or lancia I have ever owned in 30 years…including many alfasuds…!

[@stuffhappens5681]

Yes. All cars used to rust. Badly. In the USA we used to call Mustangs Rustangs. There was no real attention to building car bodies that resisted the tin worm until around the late 80s early 90s. That was the turning point after which rust prevention steadily improved.

[@gordonbos5447]

@@trisrush9155 I still own a '77 Alfasud Cinque Marche (5M) and whenever I ask the kids what car we'll use for summer vacation the Alfasud always wins. Have had the car for 17 years now and not planning to let it go.

[@trisrush9155]

@@gordonbos5447 awesome! My favourite car of all time. Bought my first one when I was 16.. had a few more since, and very sad not to have one now! Fantastic you still have one to inspire the next generation! 👍👍

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Mercedes have a recall for 8 models built between 2010 & 2022 with rear subframe rust issues……..strange how the Daily Mail isn’t doing a ‘Lancia’ on them for that!

[@garyallsopp6369]

Your Italian pronunciation makes my teeth itch! Love it! Never stop. 😁

[@daniellee9015]

Absolutely brilliant video jack ❤👍what another beautiful Alfa love it brilliant

[@ryanmccormick2150]

Another fantastic bit of content Jack.... you get some amazing cars on this channel buddy 👍

[@Number27]

Thank you dude!!

[@marcelhandsome6042]

Beautiful car! just can't understand how Alfa Romeo the creator and inventor of the sports saloon back in 1955 with the original Giulietta could not maintain its lead in the market, they should have been the benchmark for decades anyway let's look to the future! because Stellantis group has made huge investments in Alfa Romeo and has already achieved record worldwide annual sales figures!!! beating the 1990 record!!! The new 2025 electric Giulia and 1000hp Giulia QV! are something to look forward to!

[@cbca6567]

Alfa Romeo were class leading in the 50s/60s/70s and early 80s. The Alfa Romeo Nord cars were never cheap cars new and in the 60s a Giulia GTV was the same price nearly as a Jaguar E type. BMW were in awe of Alfa Romeo in the the 50s/60s/70s and were behind with single cam block engines into the 80s along with all front weight distribution, highish unspring weight and semi trailing arm rear suspension inferior to the dedion of the Alfetta, notwithstanding the BMW's higher unsprung weight. However the BMWs had very clever marketing that played on the strengths of German machinery from the past with perceived build quality and reliability; actually Alfa Romeo all alloy twin cams were more robust and reliable than the BMW single cam iron block ones and their build quality was only slighty inferior in reality. Alfa Romeo were never conservative cars and were not conservative enough to attract the average joe which fell for the untrue but clever BMW marketing, backed up by a superior dealer network. Alfa Romeo died in 1986 with engineering shifting to Turin and Alfa design philosophy stopped by Fiat. From 1992 all new Alfa platforms were Fiat tipo based and FWD and Alfa Romeo lost its considerable market share in italy and its reputation across Europe from which it has never fully recovered. The new Giulia and Stelvio were skunkworks projects produced mainly by ex Ferrari engineers, nothing to do with Fiat/Alfa Romeo in Turin where Alfa Romeo from 1986 was only a brand and not a marque with its own philosophy and way of engineering.

[@Haffschlappe]

Bankrupted as Fiat later

[@Haffschlappe]

Nobody except Chinese buy EV crap

[@kenwood5575]

My father owned one of these. Loved it. He reckoned it was the best car he ever owned BUT, when the rear gearbox was cold only 1st was available. Honestly, it took about 1/2 a mile of road before he could get second.

[@cbca6567]

my father also bought one from new, and i maintain it now, but if you warmed the engine up before driving which took awhile and needed, the gears all went into place, second gear included.

[@johngeren1053]

I never had the problem to that degree, but because the gearbox is not attached directly to the motor and because it holds a lot of heavy oil it takes a while to loosen up.

[@155stw]

OMG this is one of my all time favorites!!!! The looks is just fantastic. The dashboard layout is great! I prefer this over the serie 2

[@evertdevries8814]

I had one in sky blue. It was brilliant and could really handle !

[@gordonmynard855]

I had a few Alfettas. I found a mechanic who helped me negotiate the foibles. I’m in Australia so rust was not an issue. And they were cheap at the time. Made sense then 20 years ago. Very enjoyable

[@nichallam174]

Another fascinating insight into how Alfa nearly made it. I loved all my three Alfas , 1.3 Sud, 1.5 Sud Sprint Green Cloverleaf and best of all 75 V6. Amongst all these I had a Strada 130TC which was the most fun ever had in a car while clothed. Can you find one of these to cast your eye over, not many left I know.

[@jimtaylor294]

Very cool car. Personally I consider the 1959 Jaguar MK.2 as the first car in this category, as she was not only fast, but had the best brakes of any car upon launch. The Rover P6 and various Jag's also had inboard rear brakes (among other features like secondary fuel tanks, electric windows and air conditioning), and aye by most accounts they are a pain to mantain, yet are also really cool. The Alfetta deserves credit I'd say, for combining so many good features in one package.

[@bimbettocavallo]

The Alfa twin cam engine was first mounted on the 1954 Giulietta Sprint, in its first 1300cc incarnation.

[@philippatten2766]

My boss had one in the early 80's. It was 2 or 3 years old when I first went in it. He'd already had a lot of respray done as it was rusting. Inside it was hilarious: the door cards in the front were disintegrating, one of the horn buttons on the steering wheel was hanging out and, as I reached to adjust the air vent, my boss said "no!". Too late though and as I touched it it fell off! I drove it from London to the north west. The gear change was horrendous. Long throws, very sloppy and loose with only a very vague connection to the gears. Having worked with Italians I found them highly competent at design but poor at execution, with an attitude of 'if it doesn't work we' ll fix it'.

[@rhiantaylor3446]

Back in the day the 1750 engine was seen as the sweet spot, still revving well but with more torque than the 1600 (we drove a Guilia 1600).

[@psircos]

In person at the Italian days I've attended, they look like lovely little cars. I'd love a drive in something Italian of this era. I've driven Allegros, Vivas, a Mk II escort and an original mini and, I think it was an 82' Cherry.

[@waapeterm]

My Dad had an Alfasud in the late 70's and we adored the Alfetta - I am just so glad to have experienced such magnificent Italian cars...

[@3ducs]

That Alfa twin cam engine started in the 1950s as a 1300cc. Great engine.

[@TheInstructor66]

Yes. In 1954 in the Giulietta. Great engines indeed! I have a 1969 1300 gt Junior, with a 1750 serie 2 engine. I had american musclecars before, but they not as fun as the little Alfa. Mine is a keeper.🍀

[@3ducs]

@@TheInstructor66 You have a wonderful car! That model looks so right, very beautiful! I would love to have one.

[@nickduncan1505]

Great review Jack - I had an 8 year old one in the early 1980s when living in Perth, WA. It was exactly as you described, great fun to drive but sadly let down by poor build quality, dodgy electrics and rust. Yes even in the relatively dry climate Perth has mine suffered from corrosion... no wonder there’s so few left. Despite all that I didn’t regret buying it and was sorry to see it go when I left the country.

[@chriskappert1365]

It was a masterpiece that lasted at best 10 to 11 years . I know , I had the GTV 2.0 . Fenomenal on a track , boulky and stubborn in traffic .

[@davidhollenshead4892]

More like 6 to 8 if they salted the roads or 7 if you lived on the coast...

[@stanislas4990]

Great review. It's not a perfect car, but it has a great design, and a fantastic engine. This Alfetta has a soul. I saw the Alfetta at the Alfa Romeo museum in Arese, another time for a special Alfa Romeo expo in Brussels, and even one time on the road. I love the Alfetta.

[@gregculverwell]

You are a decade out on the origins of the twincam. It first appeared in the 1954 Gulietta as a 1.3. It remained in production in one form or another for 40 years!

[@philipdubuque9596]

You're "preaching to choir" with me about the Alpha brand in general and what could have been. I've said before that I have a soft spot in my heart (and in my head?) for Alpha Romeo cars. Alphas provided my first experience of tossing spindly little machines through the ubiquitous two-lane roads of Europe in the 1970's. Your assesment of the gear box as 'rubbish' sounded harsh but was probably accurate. This model may not have the solidity of its nearest BMW equivalent but cars from this marque do have a way of stealing your heart. Either way, another delightful and informative video!

[@lucfranssen226]

I had when i was younger some Alfa's......!!!!!! Beautifull ans "fragile"!!!!!❤❤❤❤ They have stolen my ❤!!! Thank You Sir!!!!!

[@katywalker8322]

Alfa continued using inbooard disks throughout the transaxle cars, including the 75 and the SZ

[@alessandromeyer4888]

they are all the same, alfa didnt have much money to do anything at this point. Great cars thought much much more character than whatever followed with Fiat.

[@155stw]

Yup, inboards on ALL transaxles till the end.

[@155stw]

@@alessandromeyer4888only minor difference was the SZ which had vented rear inboard rear discs

[@alfanovanta]

Exactly. Transaxles up until the SZ had inboard brakes. Nothing wrong with them as far as I'm aware. My Alfa 90, which is the successor to the Alfetta, is basically the exact same car but in a new stylish Bertone shell. And way more luxurious, although both the Alfa 6 and Alfetta were pretty well equipped already.

[@katywalker8322]

@@alfanovanta , Alfa 6 being an odd one out with its non transaxle setup . At least made the Alfa 6 engine more in demand years ago for those putting a V6 into a 105 coupe! Does your 90 have the 2L V6 by any chance? Completely different fuel injection to the 2.5 and I would love to see more info on it.

[@Xaltar_]

There were a lot of Alfas built (assembled) in South Africa from the 60s to the early 80s. If memory serves, for a time at least, the South African assembled models were often heralded as being better built that their Italian counterparts. Not uncommon, many manufacturers have stricter quality rules and guidelines for remote factories that build cars that carry their name. On top of that, labor was cheaper in South Africa so man hours cost less. This only applies to the assembly, fit and finish and possibly wiring, not the internals that would have been shipped assembled and ready to drop into the newly assembled shells.

[@fan-tastic2803]

Yes that quality was better, in ‘81 I owned a ‘76 Alfetta GT , what a car!! Handling was out of this world.

[@markw4263]

The Italians really had the sporty sedan market in their sights in the 70s; I had a couple of variations (Alfa & Fiat) and enjoyed them. The problems were rust and misc. bits, but not mechanical flaws.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Lovely - that Alfa Twin-cam sounds glorious. I’d agree that similar cars of the era were the BMW 5 series and I’d also bung the Triumph Dolly Sprint in there too - 3 cars that started the market for sporty upmarket saloons.

[@motorbikemuso]

In my fantasy five car garage (with categories 1) Local/Everyday; 2) Long distance/Business; 3) Sport; 4) Classic and 5) Miscellaneous) my classic car would be an 80s Giulia (Type 105.) I would love to watch a video of this model of what is for me, the ONLY marque which makes my blood stir. Thanks for your great, entertaining work.

[@htimsid]

These were so much more attractive than contemporary British mid-sized saloons.

[@1240enzo]

Actually Jack, while I agree on paper the Alfetta has such sportscar characteristics (I owned back in the day a 1.8 Alfetta sedan and a Alfetta GT 1.8, the original sports saloon was in fact the Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan. You should know this as you have driven one on your channel previously. Afterall the 105 series Alfas be they the Giulia and or GT/GTV have same chassis. Actually no the twincam Alfa engine goes back to the 1950s with the development of the Giulietta, and an even earlier version as per in the 1900 series. I have to agree with you re the steering on the Alfettas being light and communicative. In respect of the natural competitors to the Alfetta, in my view it wouldn’t have been the BMW as shown but in fact rather the Fiat 131 and especially the Superbrava with the 2l Fiat twincam and the Lancia Beta sedan in both 1.8 and 2.0 twincam versions.

[@studiocalder818]

Well, I'd say the first one was the 1900 sedan. The motto was "the family car that wins races"! The Giulietta 750 was even more extreme than the Alfetta as a sports sedan. A 1300 that ran like a 2000 of the time (it went into production in 1955)

[@1240enzo]

@@studiocalder818A fair call, my brother has a 1900 sedan amongst his vast collection of cars. Yet another project to be restored. Currently he is finishing off the complete restoration/build of a Giulia Super for road rallying/track days.

[@g7542]

Very informative report, now You are transmitting much more impression and experience of the car You are presenting, well done!

[@reitsmaassociates]

Old cars steering is stunning !! I used to own a mk2 golf GTI a few years back and wow what steering ! So pure , better than in my current model A110 . Love these reviews - cheers from Brisbane

[@davidslightdisplays8817]

I bought a new 2.0L version in 1980. It was everything you say, wonderful handling, roomy, comfortable car, but mine hated wet weather, was often towed to the dealership behind my father’s Escort. The drivers door rusted out in less than two years. I traded it in for a Golf GTi in 1981. I had two Alfasuds before that, one a Sprint. Still love Alfa, but have never bought another one.

[@jamesdecross1035]

Delightful little machine.

[@ElectricUAM]

I loved this car. It was my first sedan and it never felt like a tradeoff from the performance Alfas I had before. I felt mature enough to drive to work and drive my colleagues and boss to it. I drove from Nice to Luxembourg many times, although it never cared for those cold morning starts :) It handled so well, that I could keep up with my friends' hot hatchbacks, at least for some time. It was happy on long-distance highway trips, or winding through the Alpes. I don't feel as strongly about the gearbox as you do. Sure, it's a long throw but for some reason, Alfa worked it out just right. Once you got into it, you could handle it quickly and precisely. I had a later version, 1984, I believe. Sure, I wish it would have had the V6 in it, but the 2L did the work just fine. I wish I wouldn't have let go of it, but I left abroad and couldn't keep it. The fellow who asked me to take care of it said he would do a good job. She ended up rusting on a small road in the south of France. I still have a pit in my stomach thinking of it. I eventually got two 75 or Milanos as they are known in the US. I had one of the very last one sold in California before Alfa pulled out. Although I originally wanted as GTV6, the 75 impressed me so much I never got a GTV6. I sold that one to a friend for a pittance. I'm still sick thinking about it.

[@stefs9316]

My first car. Loved it, you could steer it with the back wheels. Very comfortable seats, with rotating headrests. An unscheduled farming trip wrote it off before it completely rusted away.

[@staffanlinde9138]

I owned one of these 1978 models back in the early 80'ies. for a young man in the early twenties, this was a dream car. I am now in my mid sixties and none of the cars I have owned since then come close to the joy of driving the 78 alfetta. But there was rust... It ate my beloved alfetta alive, sigh.

[@tuner1mart]

Thanks for another interesting event! The alfa nord twin cam engine actually appeared already in 1954 in 1300cc format. Last iteration of the engine was produced 1993.

[@berwhaletheavenger]

1997! The final 164 Twin Spark.

[@andrewdawson5281]

That engine just sounds amazing!

[@AlessandroGenTLe]

I remember these when they were used by Polizia and Carabinieri here in Italy. The 2 liter (sometimes also tuned up). You couldn't really escape from these, unless you had a Ferrari or something like that... (I'm no outloaw by the way... Just remember those times). They were SCARY :D About the rear brakes: they stayed inboard also in the Alfa 75. Later cars were Fiat (until the Giulia) so they don't have anything to do with Alfa, really.

[@DanielCurti]

My first car, an 82 2.0 engine. Never drive something similar. Perhaps because it was my first car but I felt so happy and safe there. Still miss her.

[@steadfastandyx4947]

Unbelievably I , at 15, persuaded my dad to buy one of these. About 1982. He loathed it. I adored it. Just the smell of it was wonderful. He went back to Austin princess after a few months.

[@steadfastandyx4947]

Cheers. It may have been earlier. How can we remember so long ago.

[@johngeren1053]

I guess he wanted a thoroughly rust-proof car😂.

[@cheapguitardude]

Alfettas were the cars used by Malaysian Police back in the 70s as far as I can remember.