Y
es, it’s no shame to admit it: I love the Alfa
Romeo 156 GTA. Glorious Busso V6
soundtrack, 250hp of delicious power, one
of the most handsome shapes of any
saloon, and relatively rare – it’s got a lot
going on. But I’m certainly not blind to the GTA’s foibles.
When it was launched, it was widely criticised – and I
include myself here – for its suspension, which was
clearly set up for smooth racetracks, not potholed
British B-roads. Early cars’ brakes really weren’t up to
much. And the GTA loved to torque-steer with the sort
of manic zeal that few cars, before or since, ever have.
So the notion of shoehorning a supercharger into a
156 GTA may seem like utter overkill. After all, the
GTA already enjoys plenty of power (250hp out of the
box), and it already struggles to put that much down
through the front wheels. Adding even more power by
’charging the engine – we’re talking around 320hp
here – looks pretty bonkers. But let’s face it: being
bonkers is almost a prerequisite for GTA ownership,
so why not? It fits.
Jamie Porter at the Alfa Workshop has just handed
me the keys to this supercharged 156 GTA so I can find
out myself how it goes. It’s really not long before I’ll
discover that... well, it’s bonkers. Good, I think we’ve
established that!
But first, let’s get a bit of background on what the
156 GTA is, and why it’s so special, even without a
supercharger. In many ways, the choice of ‘GTA’ badging
for Alfa’s hottest ever 156 was an odd one. When it
was launched in 2001, this was the first time in 26
years that Alfa’s iconic three-letter moniker had been
used, but the ‘A’ in the badge didn’t stand for its
original meaning of ‘Alleggerita’ (or ‘lightened’). No, the
156 GTA was 55kg heavierthan the existing 156 2.5-
litre V6 model. No, I’d say the ‘A’ more fittingly stood for
‘Aggressiva’ because Alfa’s sensational 3.2-litre Busso
V6 delivered fully 250hp. That was about as much as
any front-wheel drive car of the time ever had.
The 156 GTA was always a rare beast. Of a total of
4651 examples built (see panel for the full breakdown
of versions), it’s thought that a mere 350 were
imported to the UK. The owner of this GTA saloon –
who’s had it from new, incidentally – also has a
supercharged Ford Focus RS, so he’s clearly a ‘fully
’charged’ sort of chap. Good man!
The people behind the supercharger conversion on
this 156 GTA are the legendary Alfa specialist,
Autodelta. No, not Alfa’s long-dead racing division, but
the London-based tuner run by Jano Djelalian, theAs if the power and torque of Alfa’s
3.2-litre Busso weren’t already
generous, this 156 GTA adds a
stonking supercharger into the mix.
And after a test drive, we’re feeling
pretty charged up ourselves...