Alfa Romeo 156

2001 July: Alfa Romeo showed 156 GTA (Grand Turismo Alleggerita or Grand Touring Lightweight) versions of the 156 sedan (right) and station wagon (below). The cars will be powered by a 3.2-litre V6 engine of about 190kW with a six speed manual gearbox or a Selespeed gearbox.

The 156 GTAs will have improved suspension and brakes.

The GTAs will be released in 2002. The GTA badge first appeared on Alfa Romeo's Giulia Sprint GTA in 1965.

2001 May: Alfa Romeo tells us that "Fiat Auto (Thailand) Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fiat Auto S.p.A. of Italy, and General Motors (Thailand) Ltd." should start production of the 156 (right) at GM's Rayong, Thailand factory in early 2002.

2001 March: The Alfa Romeo 156 `Monza', left, has leather interior trim, side skirts, and 16" alloy wheels.

ABS brakes, and front and side airbags are standard on the 156 range. The 156 Monza twin spark costs $47,500, the 156 Monza Selespeed $50,500, and the 140kW 156 Monza V6 24V $58,500 (rrp $au 3/2001).

2000 October: The Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon to debut at the 2000 Sydney Motor Show beside the 156 saloon, 166, and Spider and GTV sports cars. The Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon was launched in August 2000.

The 156 wagon is owered by a 2.0 litre 114kW engine with either manual five speed gearbox or a Selespeed five speed sequential gearbox. The sedan also gets the choice of a 2.5 litre 142 kW V6.

ABS brakes, four air bags, remote central locking, CD player, electric windows and mirrors, front and rear fog lights and climate control air conditioning are standard on all 156s. (The V6 has a leather interior.)

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