Alfa Romeo Alfetta

The Alfa Romeo Alfetta (Type 116) was a front-engine, five-passenger saloon and fastback coupe that Alfa Romeo built from 1972 to 1987, over 400,000 units in all. It was known for the rear position of its transaxle, which housed the clutch, transmission and differential together, and for a De Dion tube rear suspension, an arrangement meant to balance weight front to rear and keep the centre of gravity and polar moment of inertia low. Coupe models placed a single tachometer directly in front of the driver. The name means little Alfa and comes from the nickname of the Alfetta Type 159 Formula One car, whose last version of 1951 paired the same transaxle layout with a De Dion tube. A turbodiesel Alfetta Turbo D with a VM Motori engine arrived in late 1979.