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In it's production form the Alfetta is a rather simple vehicle in terms of body shape and functional design. It's a small to mid sized four door sedan, or "saloon" as the Europeans call them, driven at the rear wheels by either a 1.6, 1.8 or 2.0 litre four cylinder engine.

Leg and head room will  hold four adults in comfort with ease, the fifth person having to be rather small to allow all rear seat passengers to travel in comfort. The seats offer good support when the cars age is taken into consideration. The steering wheel is 

A "stock" 1.8 litre Alfetta Sportiva (apart from the wheels).

adjustable vertically but frustratingly it is not able to be pulled closer to the driver so the "Italian" driving position is a problem. It's simply a matter of adjusting the seat and wheel several times before the driver discovers a comfortable position, which often involves the legs being spread either side of the wheel, this may help explain why I have only seen one female Alfetta owner in 5 years.

The car was styled by "Giugiaro" who penned the coupe version two years later. The Alfetta had two body shape and three different grille/headlight changes over it's life time. Model variations will go into this in more detail. As usual the Alfa heart is prominent

on the grille and the front end is quite "Alfasud" like on the 2 litre pictured right. The "wedge" shape is one which the individual will either loathe or love, especially the high cut off boot which is particularly distinctive. Standard from the show room the Alfetta is hardly an attractive car, the large gap between tyre and guard is horrid and the placement of various ugly side strips leaves the car looking like the ugly duckling in the Alfa stable. The body shape itself though is beautiful, go to modifications or the gallery to see how gorgeous these cars can look.

A standard 2 litre

Though offered at different capacities, the engines all have the same standard design with an all alloy block, two valves per cylinder, twin cams and twin carbs. Go to specifications or test drive for greater detail on the engine. As with most Alfas, the gearbox has five speeds in the basic "H" pattern, automatics were produced but not very popular given the cars sporting nature.

The standard 2 litre twin cam.
This has covered 293,000 Km (in Australia's heat)
with little more than regular servicing.

In true Alfa fashion the dash has the tacho' as it's prominent feature with the speedo almost an after thought. This is useful because the engine does not mind pushing towards the red line so the driver needs to keep an eye on the dial. There are an armada of warning lights and guages as well as the humble clock on the dash. Throughout the cabin a host of air vents are handy, especially if one has airconditioning, and the console is  excellent for placing fiddly items such as a wallet and sun glasses.

The dash of the Alfetta 2000 with it's numerous  air vents and warning guages.

The Alfetta is essentially a practical alternative to a sporting coupe. It's body shape and ergonomics satisfy daily driving needs but the drivetrain and suspension dynamics lend themselves to a more sporty drive.

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