Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Sportwagon Castagna

Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Sportwagon Castagna was a one-off Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Sportwagon built by Castagna for Lapo Elkann. The conversion retained the five-door Sportwagon body style and reworked both ends of the car. Its front and rear incorporated styling elements from the Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon, while the underlying 156 GTA Sportwagon form remained clear. Castagna completed the exterior in blue, black and grey, using the colour division as part of the overall body treatment.

The revised end sections distinguished the car from the standard Sportwagon. At the front, Castagna introduced 159 Sportwagon styling references into the 156 GTA Sportwagon bodywork; the rear received a corresponding reinterpretation. The work did not change the car into another body style. Instead, it kept the Sportwagon silhouette intact and concentrated the visual changes at the front and rear. Alfa Romeo cues remained present within the reworked exterior.

Blue, black and grey established the car’s two-tone exterior scheme. The palette drew on the aesthetic traditions of Casa Agnelli and extended across the bodywork rather than appearing as an isolated decorative detail. Its colour divisions worked with the revised front and rear sections, linking the 159 Sportwagon references with the existing 156 GTA Sportwagon proportions. The result was a coordinated exterior treatment in which the restyled end panels and the three-colour finish formed the principal alterations.

Castagna built the car as an individual commission for Elkann rather than as a series-bodied derivative. It made its public debut on the Borromeo Islands during the wedding celebrations of John Elkann, Lapo Elkann’s brother. The car appeared with its Castagna bodywork and two-tone finish complete. Produced as a single example, it combined the 156 GTA Sportwagon basis with front and rear restyling derived from the Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon and the blue, black and grey Casa Agnelli-inspired palette.

The conversion remained centred on exterior design. Its five-door Sportwagon profile continued to define the car, while the altered front and rear gave each end a distinct treatment. Castagna paired those changes with the blue, black and grey finish throughout the bodywork. The completed car was one bespoke example built for Lapo Elkann and shown on the Borromeo Islands.