The saying is probably a tad cliche, but when Jeremy Clarkson said you have to own at least one Alfa Romeo to be a true gearhead, he was on to something. Alfa Romeo cars all prioritize the driver's experience over everything else. If the car happens to be practical like the Stelvio, or as stunning as the 8C Competizione; well that's just a bonus.
Today we'll be looking at one of the most underrated sports sedans ever built by Alfa Romeo, the 156 GTA. Of course, it's based on the normal 156, but there are quite a few attributes that differentiate it from the base model. Not just that, but there are some details about the 156 GTA that many gearheads tend to overlook. So, without further ado, let's dive into why you should buy a 156 GTA before it's too late.
10 The Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Houses The Legendary Busso V6
Most of the legendary Alfa Romeo performance cars, like the iconic GTV6, all inhabited the legendary Busso V6 engine. Not only was it a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship, but it also produced an adequate amount of power, and sounded just as tantalizing as its looks would imply, just have a listen.
The particular Busso V6 found in the 156 GTA has a displacement of 3.2-liters and produces 250 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque. We'll get into performance figures in just a bit...
9 The Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Is A Collector's Item
If you know Alfa Romeo collectors, you know they love to drive and preserve their cars simultaneously... something that can't be said about Ferrari collectors.
There were just 4657 156 GTA examples ever built. 2984 of these were sedans and 1673 were estate cars called the Sportwagen. This is rather odd seeing a German name given to an Italian car, don't you think? For the time being, these aren't outrageously expensive, but we'll talk about prices soon enough.
8 The Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Was Designed By Two Of The Greatest Designers Of All Time
When you think about revolutionary automotive designers, names like Giorgetto Giugiaro and Walter de Silva come to mind. Coincidentally, these are both the main creative minds behind the Alfa Romeo 156's stunning appearance.
Walter de Silva was responsible for the initial design of the 156, and Giorgetto Giugiaro for the facelifted 156. Both cars were equally stunning, and the fact that influential names like de Silva and Giugiaro were involved in the Alfa Romeo 156's existence makes this car all the more valuable.
7 The Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Is Criminally Cheap
The Alfa Romeo 156 GTA was never offered in the U.S. so we'll have to look at European countries to get an average estimate of how valuable these cars are today. Before we unveil the secret, however, just know that back in 2003, a new 156 GTA would have set you back around £11,500 ($12,887.10).
As most Italian cars do, these also depreciated at an alarming rate. The cheapest 156 GTA we found for sale is listed on AutoTrader UK for just £7,950 ($8,908.91). Sure, that's not as cheap as you might have thought it to be, but that's incredibly affordable considering the 156's reputation and rarity.
6 The Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Is The Best Bang-For-Your-Buck Italian Sports Sedan
For comparison's sake, we thought it would be a good idea to weigh the 156 GTA up against some other popular Italian-built sports sedans. Take for instance the Maserati Quattroporte from the 2000s. Depreciation hit this car like no other, and from costing more than $100,000 new to a mere $9,000 definitely makes the deal tempting... but then again, it would probably cost the same to keep it running.
Another, more modern, contender we can compare the 156 GTA against is one of its own family members, the Giulia Quadrofoglio. Yes, the Giulia is much faster and looks more modern, but then again, is it really worth spending more than $50,000 if you could have the 156 GTA for a fraction of the price without losing money on it?
5 The Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Is Not Rear-Wheel-Drive
We'd argue that the main reason many buyers stray away from the 156 GTA is that it didn't come with a traditional rear-wheel-drive system, after all, all of its competitors did. See, there's one crucial part to this argument many tend to neglect, and that's the fact this isn't a front-wheel-drive sedan.
The 156 GTA is a front-wheel-drive sedan built by Alfa Romeo. Alfa never mucks about when it comes to providing their customers with performance and fun.
4 Changes Between The Alfa Romeo 156 GTA And The Base 156
The base model 156 sedan was a beautiful car, but it lacked the ecstatic soul the 156 GTA had. On the surface, you can some differences like the wheels, and the different front- and rear bumper, but underneath the skin is where the most notable changes occur.
The GTA had a revamped front suspension setup in order to enlighten responsiveness and eliminate possible understeer. New shock absorbers got fitted, the overall ride was much stiffer, and it had a larger anti-roll bar. And how could we forget; it housed that precious Busso V6 too.
3 The Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Is One Of The Best Driving Alfa Romeos
As we've stated, many were skeptical of the idea of a fun, front-wheel-drive sedan, but Alfa Romeo is known for accomplishing the impossible. It is worth noting the 156 GTA won't be as quick as an all-wheel-drive Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution in a straight line, after all, it does 0-60 in 6.3 seconds. But the 156 GTA was more than just straight-line speed.
The 156 GTA was all about driver feel, and incredible cornering capabilities. If you haven't had the chance of chucking a front-wheel-drive Alfa Romeo performance car around a corner, we'd highly recommend it, you'll understand what all the fuss is about.
2 The Alfa Romeo 156 GTA's Transmission Choices
There were two different transmission options in regard to the Alfa Romeo 156 GTA. The first is a silky little 6-speed manual gearbox, and the second is an automated 5-speed manual one.
The automated manual transmission, nicknamed the "Selespeed" was actually rather fun too. It resembled the automated manual gearbox found in 2000s Ferrari sports cars, like the 612 Scaglietti.
1 The Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Features A Driver-Focused Interior
As you can see by the illustration above, the 156 GTA's interior wasn't all too cluttered, and neither was its infotainment screen the center of attention. It still had a plethora of luxuries, but all the controls were slightly titled to the driver to remind you who's the star of the show.
The seats were also meant to hug you in place without sacrificing too much comfort at the same time. There truly is something special about all Alfa Romeos, and the 156 GTA is most definitely no exception.