Alfa Romeo 147

2001 January: The European `Auto series' magazines awarded the Alfa Romeo 147 their Auto Number 1 award for 2001, beating the Peugeot 607, Ford Mondeo into 2nd and 3rd places. "The Alfa Romeo 147 will make its Australian debut at the Melbourne International Motor Show in March 2001 and go on sale soon after" [-Alfa Romeo].

2000 November: "The Alfa Romeo 147 has won the world's most prestigious automotive award, the European Car of the Year, with no less than 51 of the 56 judges across the whole of Europe putting the Alfa 147 amongst their favourites" [-Alfa Romeo].

2000 October, left: The three door Alfa Romeo 147, Alfa's 4wd.sofcom.com --> (Fiat's) entry in the hot-hatch stakes.

Alfa Romeo plans to bring the 147 to Australia in 2001, showing the 3-door it at the the Melbourne Motor Show, and the 5-door at the 2001 Sydney International Motor Show.

The 147 is front wheel drive. Australia 4wd.sofcom.com --> will get the 3-door with a 2.0 litre 110 kW engine and Selespeed gearbox, said to reach 208km/h and accelerate from 0-100km/h in 9.3 seconds. The 5-door will come with a new 1.6 litre Twin Spark engine with an output of 88kW, giving a top speed of 195km/h and 0-100km/h in 10.6 seconds.

"There will be a GTA version of the 147 [...] It has not been decided if this car will be powered by a V6 or a development of the 2.0 litre Twin Spark engine."

In Europe, a further engine option from 2001 is a common rail diesel engine with a variable geometry turbo-charger, the 81 kW 1.9 JTD.

The Alfa Romeo 147 (3-door) is currently being built at the rate of 200 per day at the Alfa Romeo factory near Naples. Production of the 5-door 147 begins in April 2001 and the total rate is planned 4wd.sofcom.com --> to increase to "up to 450 a day by the end of 2001."

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