Car Lust--Alfa Romeo 147 GTA
When I think of slick hatchbacks beefed up with strong doses of Vitamin H, my thoughts turn to Europe. There are any number of great sports hatchbacks through the last 30 years of European automaking history; but few make my heart palpitate like the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA.
I'm not entirely sure what it is, but there's something about the 147 GTA that makes it special. It goes beyond the sound of the engine, the car's performance, or even its styling. The only thing I can think is that the 147 GTA has a little bit of that Italian supercar DNA--a few sprinklings of the fairy dust that make Ferraris and Lamborghinis transcendent, beyond any consideration for mere transportation.
This isn't to say the 147 GTA is lacking any of the above considerations. The GTA somehow makes a hatchback look downright sensuous, albeit in a quirky way. That body is married to a thoroughbred 247-horsepower V-6 that belts out as much mellifluous music as it does power, broadcasting Italian car-making passion with every revolution of the camshaft. The handling is compromised somewhat by the presence of the heavy V-6 between the front wheels, but it's still very sharp.
The Alfa's sporting hardware and aggressive bent make it as similar to, say, a Toyota Matrix as a sub-machine gun is to a muzzle-loader. Most of all, the Alfa dares to be different and carves out its own niche as a result.
We've been without new Alfas for more than a decade here in the States, but it's encouraging to know that Alfa Romeo is still making interesting cars for people willing to put up with the quirks. I'm really looking forward to getting the opportunity to cross-shop with Alfa by late next-year.
These professional-quality pictures are from Flickr user rob smith photography, and are completely fantastic. This is the level of photography I try to attain but at which I consistently fail.
--Chris H.
Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame on June 02, 2008 at 01:24 PM
Color me stupid (or inconsistent, since I have lusted after hot hatches ever since I caught on to the concept), but it seems as if cutting off the rear *that* severely has to adversely impact the handling more than any potential gain in acceleration arising from reduced weight.
I think the CRX and Golf weren't chopped off quite *that* short, were they?
Rob the SVX guy on June 02, 2008 at 01:28 PM
Actually, pretty sure the opposite is true. Hatches have more glass and metal above the rear wheels than sedans, so their weight distribution is better.
hunter on June 02, 2008 at 01:40 PM
This car has nearly the same length and wheelbase as the current GTI (and a bit less weight and more power). It's the boxier shape which makes it look more like an assectomy victim, but I dig it.
Mochi Mochi on June 02, 2008 at 01:55 PM
Gorgeous. Italian. Hatchback. What could be better. I'll take it! But...
I'm usually completely head over heels for any strange Italian car - this is no exception. And if the GTA is what comes over to these shores - great - I'll be happy. But honestly I really hope that they send over some of these cars with the smaller euro engines. It would be great to get this car with a 1.6 or 2.0 liter 4. Maybe that seems odd. But if I'm going to have that much power and the weight of a V6, I want it mid-ships driving out to the rear wheels. That would give me the balance I want in a car like this. The 4cyl with a nice suspension set up would be stellar.
This thing is beautiful. I really like it. thanks !
Brian on June 03, 2008 at 12:16 AM
I love it, don't think I don't, with those phone dial looking wheels and the huge acceleration, however I can't shake the feeling that it would be a PITA to actually own one for the long term. It looks fantastic, but the handling, and probably the reliablility, not so great. Think I'd rather have a Jetta or Civic, actually.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on June 03, 2008 at 06:32 AM
Nathan: the current-generation GTI has the back wheels right next to the back bumper, just like the Alfa. The rear glass in the VW is taller, which makes the proportions a little more pleasing.
247 HP in a car that size? Yee-haw!
David Drucker on June 03, 2008 at 08:05 AM
Yet another car that would be fun to lease during the warranty period, not so much afterwards. It'd be an expensive lease, though, given the dismal resale that's a near certainty after three years.
The last Alfa I drove was a brand new Milano, in the late eighties. It had maybe 1200 miles on the clock, and the interior was already raining parts. (Including a friction-fit-into-cardboard interior light!) At the time, Alfa's PR folks were singing Jaguar's "we used to suck but now we're good" song. I wonder if they still know the words to that one!
(Sorry for being so cranky. I've been suckered into, and thrown considerable money at, too many Italian beauties over the years.)
Rob the SVX guy on June 03, 2008 at 08:32 AM
It's pretty attractive, but the front wheel looks really really far back on the fender, it's almost in the door jamb! Why isn't it farther forward? That disproportionate front overhang bugs me. I am a huge fan of the Brera though.
Mochi Mochi on June 03, 2008 at 06:25 PM
Rob: It's a small point. But that over hang that bothers you so much is:
1) the reason this car has some handling issues when the V6 is dropped in.
2) Going to make a lot of mechanics and body shops really happy and well funded. The underside of the snout on this car is going to bounce off of driveways and speed bumps with unpreceDENTED frequency.
Rob the SVX guy on June 03, 2008 at 06:41 PM
I did a quick PS and I think this makes it look a LOT better:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y142/cash68/alfa.jpg
mochi mochi on June 03, 2008 at 10:06 PM
Hey MadDog: Nice work with the Photoshop - you made the car much less "de gaulle-like". Since this is an Italian car I'm wondering if the problem was that they needed to accommodate something completely odd - like an incorrectly spec'd half shaft output from the Transmission - "so it's 300mm to far back, just make the hood longer".
Really it's a beautiful car (especially with the nose job) I should not make fun of italian cars. I love them - at a distance. A safe distance.
gtveloce on June 09, 2008 at 08:51 PM
Yes, it goes like stink but understeers away its speed in the turns. Ooops. In that sense it's not a great track car but on the open road it's fine, if not a wonderful cruiser. Biggest minus in the city is its bus-like turning circle. The engine is the most refined and reliable version of the "old" V6, so it's actually good, but the diff will wear out first (and certainly the front tyres!!). Oh well.
As for weight distribution, an extended boot would indeed help balance the weight, as would just keeping a lump of lead over the back wheels. There's just so much weight over and in front of the front wheels it's difficult/impossible to engineer a "proper" polar moment of inertia for the thing.. ie like they had with the Alfetta in the '80s. It needs a redesign, and apparently the new model will be better, much better... or perhaps we will prefer the Mi.To GTA instead? We can only wait and hope.