Alfa Romeo 90

The Alfa Romeo 90: The contribution of Bertone to Alfa Romeo cars also involved the complete re-styling of the Alfetta when the model was changed and took the name of Alfa 90 in September 1984. The operation did not get off to a good start, because for reasons of cost Alfa menagement insisted on the retention of the platform and the entire bodyshell of the Alfetta, limiting the facelift to just the external sheet metal. The alfa 90, which was offered with five different engines from the four-cylinder 1779 cc that produced 120 hp at 5500 rpm to the V6 2492 cc of 156 hp at 5600 rpm and the fou-cylinder turbo-diesel of 2393 c that put out 110 hp at 4200 rpm, abandoned a number of the Alfetta’s square edges to become more refined and better built but, obviously, its inside roominess was not improved. Unveiled at the Turin motor show in September 1984, the 90 re-proposed the mechanicals of the Alfetta without changes: transaxle layout (with front engine, rear-wheel drive and gearbox-differential unit at the rear), wishbone front suspension, De Dion rear axle (which also supported the gearbox-differential unit) and disc brakes on all wheels, with the rear ones mounted at the differential exit to reduce unsprung masses. The interior featured the digital instrumentation found on the “Quadrifoglio Oro” version. In the company’s intentions, the 90 was to represent the upper-middle class model in the Alfa Romeo range until the later 1990s, hence the choice of the name. However, the model remained on the list for just three years and was withdrawn from the market prematurely, making way for the more successful 75, whose chassis and mechanics it shared. The car entered the market quietly stayed there until 1991.