After a long gestation, in the spring of 1972 the Alfetta arrives in dealerships: a car that will mark an era, and that will casually take on the role of family sports sedan as well as those of the police forces, arriving by force of scoured up to the cinema, 'protagonist' of the policemen with Maurizio Merli.
Born in the Alfa Romeo Style Center led by Giuseppe Scarnati, it owes its success to the taut and angular lines that distinguished it, and to the project that characterized it: captivating and gritty style with a brilliant engine, sophisticated mechanics and great care in construction.
The engine was the proven 1.8 twin-shaft four-cylinder engine with 122 hp for a top speed of 180 km / h.
Just over 1000 kg, distributed over the 4.28 meters in length.
The Alfetta is striking for its line, born from a careful study to combine a compact external shape with a large interior space and a trunk of over half a cubic meter.
In 1975 the model range expanded with a version equipped with a 109 HP 1.6 engine (externally recognizable by the front with only two headlights), while the 1.8 underwent some retouching.
The Alfetta 2.0, on the other hand, is different, which sees the light of day two years later: the redesigned front is ten centimeters longer;
the headlights became rectangular;
they change grille, bumpers, rear lights and, of course, the interior.
The dashboard is more linear (from '78, on the 2000 L it will also be covered with briar), the saddlery and door panels are in fine cloth.
Finally, the steering wheel, the profile of the seats and the instrumentation are also different.
The larger displacement allows for better driveability and makes the Alfetta one of the most balanced cars in its class.
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Alfa Romeo Alfetta
At the turn of the five years, in 1977, the car underwent a full restyling.
The front light clusters have been modified - via the double round headlight in favor of a single rectangular headlight - and the rear ones: the thin mustache was replaced, here too, by a rectangular headlight.
The Alfetta 2.0, with 130 HP, made its debut in the same year.
In 1979 Alfetta also marks another first: it is the first Italian car with a turbodiesel engine.
The engine crankcase solution is original: it has a particular shape called "tunnel", while the cylinder head is made up of four single pieces, one for each cylinder.
The solution allows to better withstand the thermal stresses (and the consequent deformations) and to use the same components for motors with different fractionations.
The displacement is 1995 cm3 for a maximum power of 82 HP (according to DGM standards) at 4300 rpm.
The speed is 155 km / h.
New facelifts in 1981, with the bumpers becoming plastic, and in 1983, with the introduction of the bumper strips.
In 1983 it was the turn of the 2.0i "Quadrifoglio Oro" version: an evolution of the 2.0 L, it returned to adopting the double circular headlights with an integrated Bosch Motronic electronic injection and ignition system and a timing adjustment device.
The latter, acting on the camshaft relative to the intake valves, anticipates or delays their opening moment allowing ideal filling of the combustion chambers, regardless of the engine speed.
The device is very effective and inaugurates a real technical trend that will also be taken up by other manufacturers in the following years.
Numerous, over the years, the special versions and the changes made.
Like the 1981 Alfetta 2.0 America: specifically designed for the overseas market - where it was already known - it had structural characteristics in compliance with the strict local legislation on road safety.
The important novelty was the mechanical injection engine with mechanisms that supervised the entire fueling process, with particular attention to consumption thanks to a primordial Start & Stop that is also found on the Quadrifoglio Oro.
The engine would shut down if the foot was removed from the accelerator at a speed above 1300 rpm, and restarted when it went below.
Available only in the light gray metallic color, it had alloy wheels, burnished athermic glasses, rubber side strip,
shock absorbing bumpers.
In 1982, centralized locks arrived as an option for the entire range, together with a substantial facelift.
Speed and handling made Alfetta the ideal car for law enforcement, gradually replacing the Giulia.
Gazelle of the carabinieri, panther of the state police and vehicles for the activities of the Finance Police, Alfetta has covered all the roles and gained fame, even reaching the cinema.
On the big screen the Alfetta appeared at the turn of the seventies and eighties, especially in police-style films, in which he almost shared the leading role with Maurizio Merli, alias Commissioner Betti.
From 'The police is watching' to 'Rome at gunpoint' to 'Violent Naples': racing, skidding and unscrupulous maneuvers that still today make the hearts of the Alfists jump.