It happens to us all the time - one minute, we are minding our own business on our way in to work, and the next we are being chased down by bad actors, forced off the highway and into a fast-paced pursuit through residential areas. We are about to lose the bad guys when we wash out in a turn as we apply the throttle just a moment too soon - FWD strikes again.

Joking aside, our point is that on most drives, we don't push our car to the point where the driven wheels really matter. We might accelerate at 8/10 while entering the highway, might rev match a couple of unnecessary downshifts, and probably will skip braking on a couple of turns, but we never approach the limits of adhesion on most drives. So, for us, a FWD car is never something to shy away from.

Today's Alfa Romeo 155 brings Fiat development cash in the form of the Tipo-based Type Three Fiat platform. We have never driven one and can't attest to the performance of the platform, but we would imagine that Alfa Romeo chassis engineers optimized what they were given, much in the way that they made the 164 perform like a true Alfa Romeo. The vestigial 2.5L Busso V6 is a bonus here, so while the interior and controls have Fiat written all over them, the soundtrack will be unmistakably Alfa Romeo.

Year: 1997
Model:  Alfa Romeo 155
Engine: 2.5L V6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage:  115,500km
Price: Auction, ~25,760 USD BIN
Location: Ottawa, Canada

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1997 Alfa Romeo 155

It is with great regret that I have to sell my baby, "Francesca." This extremely rare 1997 Alfa Romeo 155 is a Widebody Limited Edition model that was sold new in Japan and came to Canada in 2012. Mileage is 115,500 kilometres (about 72,000 miles). The car is powered by a the legendary 2.5-liter Busso V6 paired with a five-speed manual transmission, and as part of the Limited Edition is also is equipped with 16″ Speedline wheels, a Sportpack rear spoiler, factory sport suspension, Over Racing cat-back exhaust, and a Zender body kit. This car is one of only a few left of the Limited Editions. Very very rare. See links below for videos to hear the engine and startup, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i00OmFPLYUU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwLHNoKUvEA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqwKdqGu1P4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGyQcThGFi4


Modifications include a Pipercross Venom CDA intake, Glenwood high-lift performance camshafts, an Autodelta ECU chip, an FSE adjustable fuel pressure regulator, and PS Harry Schulze long-tube headers (only 155 I know of that has these fitted). All original parts are also included with the car. The car comes with complete records. Title is clean and in my name. The paint is original to the car, and the decals and wheels are part of the Ltd. Edition package. 

Car is free of rust of any kind, and is extremely clean and in excellent shape cosmetically and mechanically, with very few issues. Those issues being: a small sag in the middle of the headliner (easily fixed without removing headliner), a crack in the dash near one of the defroster vents (very small), and a sticky driver’s side rear door lock that does not always work with the central locking. Also the turn signal does not self-cancel when turning right. Finally, the car needs a few cranks to start upon cold startup due to a faulty fuel pump check valve. After the first startup, it starts fine. I just say that is extra insurance on cold start that the oil is well circulated by the time the car fires up. The car had a scratch measuring approximately 10cm in length on the left rear door which was professionally touched up at Mark Motors Porsche. No accidents of any kind. This car will be equally happy on the concours at an Italian car show, or carving up the back roads, that Busso V6 wailing to the hills.

The 16″ Speedline wheels are fitted with Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires which only have one summer on them. The car is equipped with factory Recaro sport seats. Replacing the JDM stereo is a good Kenwood deck, which is installed at the base of the center stack. Factory equipment includes pushbutton automatic climate control, power windows, and power locks. Air conditioning blows cold. 

A timing belt and water pump service was performed in 2018, and in 2020 the car received an exhaust valve adjustment, an oil and filter change, a brake fluid flush, and a coolant flush. All other maintenance was done to keep the car in perfect shape, I have full records and no expense was spared.

If you would like to know anything else about the car, please do not hesitate to contact me.

To the lucky buyer, we can arrange shipment if not locally picking up the car. I know a very good reputable company that has shipped overseas many times for members of my car club.

We can't quite decipher what the special edition offered here is called. In any case, it's got a nice Zender body kit and excellent Recaro seats, which sport a tasteful but interesting Alfa Romeo script in the fabric pattern. 16" Sportline 5-spokes look right at home and could not be a better match for the overall design. The proportions of the 155 are what they are, but we have to say that we really love the way Alfa Romeo handled the many details on the car. From the dashboard layout to the taillights, all of the minor bits on the car tie in nicely with one another.

Owning a 155 in North America will present its challenges, but keeping up on engine maintenance won't be quite as challenging, given its similarity to other 12V V6s sold on these shores. Fuel system, emissions, accessories, and exhaust should be the major differences, while the base engine should be mostly carryover. Always fans of the 164, we think that the 155 offers a unique option for those in North America wondering what could have been if Alfa Romeo had offered us a successor to the Milano. If the seller can get realistic on price (they are off by $10k - rarity does not equal value in this case), we think that the new buyer will be very pleased with this example.

-Graham