Classic Alfa Forums

Thought I’d push the boat out and tell you about my Dads new daily. It’s a 1998 Alfa 156 2.0 Twinspark, a very early one on an ‘R’. He bought it off a gentleman who’d owned it from new and who had always had Alfa’s. I drove it the other day..lovely light clutch, effortless gear change, plenty of poke. Tasteful mods such as updated brakes and a sports exhaust etc. I guess what I’m getting at is that these are often better than you might think, a lovely experience to drive. Belissimo!

Looks smart, love a 156, had loads.
Shame about the frequency of suspension rebuilds but I'm always on, the lookout for the future classic, an early 156 is now in that sweet spot

looks great, good colour and wheels that fit the era. like it.

God I hate teledials! but if they're bolted to a 2.5 V6 or diesel of this platform, I can live with them,

Temporarily!

I’m just glad they’re not curbed and pitted at this age lol.

PETROLHEAD wrote:God I hate teledials! but if they're bolted to a 2.5 V6 or diesel of this platform, I can live with them,

Temporarily!

Ha, that's interesting, as I could not drive round in your 33 with those wheels on either. I just feel they look wrong. Do you have the same view of the teledials ?

Personal choice on wheels is something that's cropped up in many a conversation.
I personally love the teledial wheel on the 156, so much as to say I'd seek a set out if I get one and it's not got them already..
Only bettered by the GTA ones I fitted to the 156 SW I had...

FIGHT ! FIGHT! FIGHT!

I don't know why you hate them so much mate. I am another lover.
I had one looking exactly the same apart from the boot spoiler.
I had 12 years of 156 ownership , with three cars. Two petrol one diesel and all were Veloce spec with teledials
I personally think the style was, and still is design perfection .

This was a nice car, stuff never seemed to stay long though.

I also wonder if I like them as they are similar to the 205 GTi wheels. I had good fun in them and so its the same but bigger !

Also the 165 is a great shape. Very easy on the eye.

I can't think of a factory 205 gti that resembles teledials?

I think I dislike the teledials, because they remind me so much of the four leaf Cloverleaf alloys of the XR3, an utterly disgusting looking wheel for a car, in my opinion of course.

I dislike most factory fitted alfa wheels in fairness, they are too small in the main and just don't raise my pulse one but,

The GTA alloys are bareable, until I found something far smarter like OZ superleggara etc


Wheels really are a personality driven choice and taste, which must explain why I like big and wide!

Each to their own I say. I absolutely love teledials, particularly on the Sud and Sprint as they seem to blend in with the styling of the car so well. The 17” teledials you get with the 916 GTV V6 make the car look like something more than it is and it’s already a beautiful car. Here’s a GTV V6 I had for a few years...

Ooh I can't look!




GTV V6 is such a good looking car, you're quite right.

PETROLHEAD wrote:I can't think of a factory 205 gti that resembles teledials?

I think I dislike the teledials, because they remind me so much of the four leaf Cloverleaf alloys of the XR3, an utterly disgusting looking wheel for a car, in my opinion of course.

Wheels really are a personality driven choice and taste, which must explain why I like big and wide!

Excellent The ones I think they call pepperpots, with the much smaller holes.

Had wiped the XR3 from my mind, an awfull car esp with those wheels. We have consensus.

Shrew/petrolhead I hear you re the XR3 wheels - always reminded me of what you would poach eggs in!
I do like the teledial alloy though.
I did fit 17 inch multispokes from a GT onto my 156SW

Thanks for the pic Mufasa - I have a black wagon and am trying to decide whether to put those wheels or GTA wheels on it. I am in the anti-phone dial wheels camp but might be convinced by the GTA wheels. It's a 2.5V6 black manual wagon and I have a 3l sitting in a dead 166 that is likely to find it's way in.

Reverting to the original thread discussion, I like the 2l twinspark engine. I had the best track day ever in one a 156 2l twinspark - absolutely standard. I was play duelling with a ford escort race car with a 4AGE and had an absolute ball!

My dad had 3 156s, I think they were ( and still are ) great looking cars which drove very well. Loved the quick steering on them and the low slung seating position and driver focused dash layout.

My favourite was his first, an early 1.8 in dark blue with the sports pack and 16in teledials. Then had a last of the prefacelifts in the metallic pinky red with the updated dash and 2.0jts engine, and then a silver facelift 2.0jts.

I always wanted a 156 gta, but had owned a couple of bmw m3s by that point and have become a bit of a rwd snob for powerful vehicles. I would 100% have had a gta if they had been rwd.

Unfortunately Giulias are still well out of my price range but can imagine one in the fleet at some point in the future.

I had a silver 2.4jtd saloon first, a black 2litre ts that was rough so sold son after, a blue 2litre ts Sport wagon that towed a trailer with a fiat coupe on all the way back from Scotland to Lincolnshire, the red 2.4 20v jtd SW as pictured further back on the thread with the GTA wheels on, also I'm fairly sure there's been others but I can't remember them all.

I keep toying with getting an early 1.8 or 2 litre saloon, R or S reg would be great. Enough cars at the moment though..

How could I forget the SW V6.....despite very nearly 200k it ran lovely and hardly any worse on fuel than the ts,,,

Took us on a family farmhouse holiday to the lakes in 2012..

We had a 156 v6 sport pack , it was ok but my least liked Alfa. Terrible on fuel, and the most expensive to maintain out of all cars I’ve owned.

Never had a 2 litre, and have always preferred the 155 both v6 and 2 Litre ts.

Ours was proteo red, with tele dials and the cloth sports seats which were really nice if a bit firm.

I became a bmw snob purely from a ££ perspective when I started doing high miles at work, I knew I could buy a used bmw and run it to 200k miles and still sell them on for £2 to £3k, similar mileage Alfa would be £2 to £300 to sell on. Otherwise I’d still be driving Alfa’s as my main car. I always wanted a 164 and 166.

If I stay at low miles a gta 156, gta 147 or Brera 3.2 might be an option, but prices have already gone upwards on them.

Or I should finally get my 75 done, maybe with a 3.2v6 transplant ? Dream dream and more dreams.....