The Alfa Romeo 145 (Type 930A) and the Alfa Romeo 146 (Type 930B) are
small family car
The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States.
In 2011, the C ...
s produced by Italian automobile manufacturer
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...
between 1994 and 2000. The 145 is a three-door
hatchback
A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
and was launched at the 1994
Turin Motor Show
The Turin Motor Show ( it, Salone dell'Automobile di Torino) was an auto show held annually in Turin, Italy. The first official show took place between 21 and 24 April 1900, at the Castle of Valentino, becoming a permanent fixture in Turin from 1 ...
, while the 146 is a five-door hatchback, launched in 1995 to replace the
Alfa Romeo 33
The Alfa Romeo 33 (Type 905 and 907) is a small family car produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo between 1983 and 1995. From a mechanical standpoint it was essentially an evolution of its predecessor, the Alfasud, whose floorpan, chassi ...
.
The 145 and 146 share exterior and interior components from the
B-pillar
The pillars on a car with permanent roof body style (such as four-door sedans) are the vertical or nearly vertical supports of its window area or greenhouse—designated respectively as the ''A, B, C'' and (in larger cars such as 4-door stat ...
forwards. A total of 221,037 145s and 233,295 146s were built.
History
![Alfa Romeo 145 002](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Alfa_Romeo_145_002.JPG)
Development of ''Tipo 930'', the replacement for the ageing
33 in the competitive family
hatchback
A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
market, lasted four years.
The first offspring of the project, the three door 145, made its début on static display at the April 1994
Turin Motor Show
The Turin Motor Show ( it, Salone dell'Automobile di Torino) was an auto show held annually in Turin, Italy. The first official show took place between 21 and 24 April 1900, at the Castle of Valentino, becoming a permanent fixture in Turin from 1 ...
and then at the
Paris Motor Show
The Paris Motor Show (french: Mondial de l'Automobile) is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently take ...
in July;
a simultaneous European commercial launch was planned for 9 September, but it was delayed until October.
In April 1992 work began on a second car, the 146 or ''Tipo 930B'', derived from and to be sold alongside the 145; with its more traditional Alfa Romeo style, it was aimed at a different clientele, that of the outgoing 33.
The 146 premiered in November 1994 at the
Bologna Motor Show
The Bologna Motor Show (known as the "''Salone internazionale dell'auto e della moto di Bologna''" in Italian) was an auto show which was scheduled to be held annually in December, in Bologna, Italy.
The editions of 2009 and 2012 were the shor ...
and went on sale in May 1995.
At launch, the engine line up for both cars comprised a 1.9 litre inline four
turbo diesel
The term turbo-diesel, also written as turbodiesel and turbo diesel, refers to any diesel engine equipped with a turbocharger. As with other engine types, turbocharging a diesel engine can significantly increase its efficiency and power output, ...
and the
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
petrol engines from the 33, in 1.3 8 valve, 1.6 8 valve and range topping 1.7 16 valve forms.
Depending on the market, the engines were available in either or both base and better equipped L (for "Lusso")
trim levels
Trim levels are used by manufacturers to identify a vehicle's level of equipment or special features. The equipment/features fitted to a particular vehicle also depend on any #Options packages, options packages or individual options that the car w ...
; L trim standard equipment was richer on larger engined cars.
Quadrifoglio and ''ti''
Flagship sport models with the two litre 16 valve
Twin Spark inline four engine from the
155 arrived a year after the début: the 145 Quadrifoglio and 146 ''ti''. Each of the two litre versions had a unique trim level; both included more standard equipment than the L trims, like
ABS, leather wrapped steering wheel and shifter knob and
Momo
Momo may refer to:
Geography
* Momo (department), a division of Northwest Province in Cameroon
* Momo, Gabon, a town in the Woleu-Ntem province of Gabon
* Momo, Piedmont, a town in the province of Novara, in northern Italy
* Joffrey Tower, in ...
sport seats.
The 145 Quadrifoglio (145 Cloverleaf in the United Kingdom), launched at the September 1995
Frankfurt Motor Show
The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility shows. It cons ...
and on sale from October, had deep body colour side skirts with "green cloverleaf" badges and five hole alloy wheels.
The 146 ''ti'' went on sale in February 1996.
It came with painted side skirts, a boot spoiler and twelve hole alloy wheels. Two litre cars were equipped with stiffer suspension, uprated all
disk
Disk or disc may refer to:
* Disk (mathematics), a geometric shape
* Disk storage
Music
* Disc (band), an American experimental music band
* ''Disk'' (album), a 1995 EP by Moby
Other uses
* Disk (functional analysis), a subset of a vector sp ...
braking system, ABS, wider, lower profile tyres and 'quick rack' direct steering (also seen on the 155, GTV and Spider) which improved responsiveness, but also compromised the turning circle.
First revisions
![Alfa Romeo 146 base model rear (Portugal)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Alfa_Romeo_146_base_model_rear_%28Portugal%29.jpg)
From January 1997, all the boxers were phased out in favour of 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 versions of the Twin Spark 16 valve engine.
1.8 litre cars adopted the sport chassis, steering and brakes of the Quadrifoglio/''ti'', and also offered some of their optional equipment such as the sport seats. At the same time, the interior was updated: a new
air conditioning
Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
system, a redesigned dashboard and an upholstered insert were fitted for left-hand drive cars. Right-hand drive cars retained the previous dashboard design. Outside changes were minor: new wheel covers and alloy wheels and a wider choice of paint colours.
In September 1997, Alfa Romeo introduced the Junior, a trim level targeted at young buyers that combined the sport styling and chassis setup of the range topping models, with the affordable entry level 1.4 powertrain, later the 1.6 engine was added to this trim as well. Based on the 1.4 L, Junior cars were distinguished by the Quadrifoglio's side skirts with "Junior" badges, specific 15 inch alloy wheels, and the stainless steel exhaust tip (as well as, on the 146, the boot spoiler) from the ''ti''.
By March 1998, 1.8 and 2.0 Twin Spark engines received the updates first introduced on the
156; due to
variable length intake manifold
In internal combustion engines, a variable-length intake manifold (VLIM),variable intake manifold (VIM), or variable intake system (VIS) is an automobile internal combustion engine manifold technology. As the name implies, VLIM/VIM/VIS can vary ...
s the two powertrains gained 4 to 5 PS and reached peak torque at engine speeds some 500 rpm lower.
1999 restyling
![Alfa Romeo 145 first registered in UK October 2000 1598cc photographed at Knebworth](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Alfa_Romeo_145_first_registered_in_UK_October_2000_1598cc_photographed_at_Knebworth.jpg)
At the
Geneva Motor Show
The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...
in March 1999, Alfa Romeo introduced the restyled '99 line up for both models. The new
common rail direct injection 1.9
turbo-diesel JTD engine replaced the 1.9 TD.
The main changes outside were new, body colour bumpers with round fog lights and narrow protection strips; the interior got new upholstery and detail trim changes such as chrome vent surrounds. Optional side airbags complemented the already available passenger and standard driver airbags.
The ''Junior'' trim level was discontinued, in favour of "pack sport" option package that included side skirts, rear spoiler, alloy wheels, leather wrapped steering wheel and sport seats, all standard features on the two litre models. A second "pack lusso" package offered leather steering wheel, velour upholstery and mahogany wood trim.
In September of the next year, at the
Paris Motor Show
The Paris Motor Show (french: Mondial de l'Automobile) is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently take ...
the all-new
147 147 may refer to:
* 147 (number), a natural number
* AD 147, a year of the Julian calendar, in the second century
* 147 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar
* 147 AH, a year in the Islamic calendar that corresponds to 764 – 765 CE
...
was officially launched.
Eventually, in 2000, the 145 and 146 were superseded by the all-new 147, which was a far bigger commercial success, with its acclaimed front end styling and improved quality.
Specifications
Based, as they were, on the Fiat Group's ''Tipo Due'' (Type Two) platform, the 145 and 146 had a unibody structure, front
MacPherson strut
The MacPherson strut is a type of automotive suspension system that uses the top of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in the front suspension of modern vehicles, and is named for American automotive engineer Ear ...
and rear
trailing arm
A (semi) trailing-arm suspension, sometimes referred to as (semi) trailing-link is a vehicle axle or wheel suspension design in which one or more horizontal arms (or "links"), perpendicular to and forward of the axle, are connecting the axle or ...
suspension. A peculiarity of these cars is that they were designed to be fitted with both longitudinal engines (the older Boxers]) and with transverse engines (the diesels and the Twin Spark).
The former were mounted in the same configuration as on the 33 or Alfasud, that is longitudinally overhanging the front axle with the gearbox towards the cabin; the latter in the conventional transverse position with the gearbox to the left side. All engines were coupled to a five speed
manual transmission
A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...
s. Steering was
rack and pinion
A rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a circular gear (the '' pinion'') engaging a linear gear (the ''rack''). Together, they convert rotational motion into linear motion. Rotating the pinion causes the rack to be driven ...
, with standard hydraulic power assistance.
Engines
Performance
Notes
References
External links
Alfa Romeo 145 / 146 Technical Centre
{{Alfa Romeo modern timeline
Compact cars
Hatchbacks
Sedans
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Cars powered by boxer engines
2000s cars
Cars introduced in 1994
Cars introduced in 1995