Hot hatches are not just about being the fastest, although this one does a pretty good job of that!
The Alfa 147 was always a good car with its combination of fizzy Twin Spark engines, supermodel looks, and the use of the chassis from the formidable 156, but Alfa wanted to join in the early 2000s craze of bringing the hot hatchback into the limelight, and they did it in just about the coolest way ever.
GTA stands for Grand Turismo Alleggerita or lightweight grand tourer, but there is absolutely nothing lightweight about this little monster.
Widening the track of the standard car, flaring the arches, and lowering the suspension created an unmistakable look with the 147 GTA. A perfect balance of inherent aggression and beautiful Italian design. Then, of course, they gave it a beating heart, a 3.2 liter, 250bhp savage beast best known as the Busso V6.
The Alfa 147 GTA = Real Power
The Busso V6 is a masterpiece of an engine, whatever the guise, but this GTA variant was enlarged from 3 liters to 3.2, upping power from 220 to 250bhp and increasing the rev ceiling to approximately 7500rpm.
This engine was designed to live at that those speeds as well, widely regarded by Alfa Romeo experts of the time to be one of the best-tuned engines in the world. This thing was, and still is, an absolute weapon. Not to mention the noise...seriously, any driver who knows these cars would be desperate to give one an Italian tune-up.
Performance figures for the GTA are insane, with an official 0-60 in 6 seconds and 153mph top speed. However, these figures have been exceeded in testing. If you can get the power down on launch, expect a real 0-60 of 5.6 seconds and apparently 163mph is the indicated top speed on the dash.
Quality Engineering...Enhanced By Time
Alfa Romeo describes the results of their suspension R&D in the 147 GTA as "Ensuring racetrack handling during everyday driving by optimizing tire grip, improving traction and increasing steering precision and sensitivity".
They profess to have achieved this by reinforcing the lower beam, using special struts with altered steering link positioning, revised rear suspension design and fitment, and Fluidodynamic bushings along with lowered specialized springs and a stiffened stabilizer bar.
All of this definitely had an impact, along with tightening up the steering lock to just 1.75 turns lock to lock. On the road, this car feels incredibly sharp and responsive, going round tight bends with just a twitch of the wheel...superb. What’s more superb is that the GTA achieves this without feeling fidgety on the road. In fact, it is quite a wonderful grand tourer, as the name would suggest.
Despite Alfas best efforts, the FWD chassis does struggle to keep those 250 ferocious horses under control. With an open diff, there is simply too much power going to those front wheels, which are already trying to steer this Italian Stallion away from danger.
This is why certain modifications and modern advancements such as bigger 330mm brake calipers, fresh sticky tires, an LSD, Coilover suspension, and a stiffer anti-roll bar help to transform this car from something quite wild and uncontrollable into one of the finest hot hatches on the road even today.
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The Alfa 147 GTA Was One Of A Kind
This combination of small hatch coupled with a monstrous engine is an effective alliance, especially with the above-mentioned mods. You end up with probably the closest thing to a "practical mini-Ferrari" that you possibly could.
When looking at the GTA in comparison to the competition; the Focus RS MK1 and the Golf R32 of the time, it outperforms them in a straight line and has a soundtrack the other two could only dream of, whilst also doing a very good job of matching and exceeding them in the interior stakes. Material quality was very much on par, but with a far more quirky design and extreme-looking leather bucket seats which make a very loud and obvious statement. This car has it all.
This vehicle with a massive naturally aspirated V6 in such a small space is pretty much as rare as a unicorn now due to modern emissions and noise regulations as well as the demand for electric to replace internal combustion.
This is one of the last "true hot hatches" where performance was achieved through tuning and engineering prowess instead of whacking a giant turbo onto a small engine, and it lets you know that every time you turn the key. We will sadly never see its like again. That's a shame really, as it was one of Alfa's great successes.
The Alfa 147 GTA Was Still Relevant
No matter how you look at it 250bhp and 0-60 in sub 6 seconds are still verging on hyper hatch numbers today. The GTA is not likely to be far behind a Civic Type R, Golf , or Focus Mk3 RS, and in terms of character, with that naturally aspirated Busso gem under the bonnet, it completely destroys them. Adding it all together possibly makes this one of the best front-wheel-drive cars on the road.
Just be on the lookout for a few potential pitfalls, including dodgy ECUs that cost a packet to replace and neglectful previous owners not spending the £1000 ($1370) to replace the cambelt and water pump over the years. Just treat the GTA with a bit of respect, and it will look after you for a very long time to come.
A price of around £10,000 (nearly $14,000) for a nice example is quite a bitter pill to swallow when thinking of purchasing a 17-year old hot hatch, but understand that all the depreciation has been done now, and a good one is only going to increase in value. You will certainly get more interest in this modern classic than a savings account right now!