Alfa 147 - 5 door version

["John Griffiths" <john_alfa_griffiths@domain.elided>]

In AD 1364 Andrew Halket asked if Alfa Romeo will be producing a 5-door
version of the forthcoming 147. According to Autocar magazine (UK) and
Quattroroute (Italia) the answer is YES, and it will include the 156 style
"disguised" rear door-handles in the c-pillar. Other than that the only
difference between 3 7 5 door models will be in the length of the front
doors and the shape of that rear c-pillar. Quoting from the Autocar article
in January "The 147 will be available in 3 and 5 door versions, to be
launched in Europe in late 2000 and expected to go on sale in the UK in
March or April 2001" (My local dealer contact confirms this estimate). "An
early plan to base the 147 on the shorter wheelbase using the 145's
suspension was thrown out  following the runaway success of the 156. Alfa
admits that building the 147 with the same sophisticated suspension as the
156 adds considerably to the manufacturing cost, but Fiat Auto justify the
expense as part of the corporate philosophy of giving each marque a
different suspension system to help ensure each brand develops a distinct
personality.  Although shorter than the 156 saloon, the 147 has at least as
much interior room and more rear headroom. Alfa plans a range of four
cylinder petrol engines and 2 turbo-diesels. The Selespeed transmission will
be offered on the 2 litre model. There are no official plans for a V6
version at present."
Certainly the 'official' photo at www.alfa147.com looks *a lot* prettier
than the enhanced spy photos from Quattroroute, which has some rather ugly
horizontal bars in the 'heart' grille. I suggest that all UK Alfa digesti
keep an eye on Autocar magazine, there has been a lot of Alfa content in
recent weeks, including spy pics of the 156 Sport Wagon estate and
speculation about a 156 GTA version with a 3.2 V6 24V . - 280 bhp? 4WD? -
bring it on!  More realistically for me, a 147 2.0 16V T-Spark Selespeed
could fit the bill nicely. Maybe UK car prices will become more aligned to
European prices by mid 2001...

Cheers

John G
Leicestershire, UK
146 ti

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