Alfa Romeo 75 Price Guide

The Alfa Romeo 75 was the last car Alfa designed before Fiat took control, and the last rear-wheel-drive Alfa saloon for over two decades. It was also the last to use the transaxle layout, and the last to carry the Busso V6 in a saloon body. A lot of lasts — and a lot of reasons to pay attention.

The Range

Named to celebrate Alfa Romeo’s 75th anniversary in 1985, the 75 was an extensive rework of the Alfetta Giulietta platform. Ermanno Cressoni’s angular styling divided opinion then and still does — the flat roof and boxy doors from the Giulietta sit awkwardly against the sharp, wedge-shaped nose and high tail. Under the skin, the transaxle layout placed the five-speed gearbox and clutch at the rear axle, connected to the engine by a rigid two-piece propshaft, delivering near-perfect 50:50 weight distribution. De Dion rear suspension with a Watts linkage and torsion bar front suspension completed a chassis that handled far better than its looks suggested.

Engine Choices

Early cars used carburetted 1.6 and 1.8-litre twin-cams. The 2.5-litre Busso V6 arrived at launch, replaced in 1987 by the 3.0-litre producing 185bhp. The 2.0 Twin Spark debuted in February 1987 with eight plugs, variable cam timing, and fuel injection for 148bhp — it was also fitted with a limited-slip differential, as was the 3.0 V6. A 1.8-litre Turbo producing 155bhp was sold across Europe but never officially in the UK. The 500-off Turbo Evoluzione of 1987, built for Group A homologation with its aggressive aero kit and 165bhp, is the rarest and most valuable road car variant.

The Twin Spark Versus V6 Debate

Specialists and journalists consistently argue that the Twin Spark is the better-balanced car. The lighter four-cylinder engine keeps weight off the nose, improving turn-in and mid-corner balance. The V6 is quicker in a straight line and sounds magnificent, but the extra mass over the front axle introduces a hint of understeer that the Twin Spark avoids. Both are deeply rewarding to drive.

What Goes Wrong

The propshaft is the 75’s Achilles heel. It must be assembled with the correct alignment — both segments must be in phase — and almost nobody does it correctly. A misaligned prop causes vibration that feels like engine roughness and accelerates wear on the driveline elastomeric doughnuts, the gearbox synchros, and the engine’s own bearings. Synchromesh wear is common across all 75 gearboxes. Alfa improved the rustproofing significantly over earlier models, but jacking points, door bottoms, floors, and wheelarches still corrode. The ASN limited edition (3,500 Twin Sparks, 1,000 Turbos) built to mark the end of production in 1992 is now highly sought after.