Alfa Romeo's Forgotten BMW Rival - 1984 Giulietta 2.0L 116 

Having the head lining the same fabric as the seats looks really nice.

My brother-in-law had the 1.8 L and that's how fondly I remember this extraordinary quirky Alfa. A lot of things were done well and some things are strange from today's point of view, but back then it really was the sporty family saloon and alternative to the BMW 3 series. Super car review and an extremely beautiful car.

The 75 used Giulietta doors and the Ferrari Mondial 8, QV and 3.2 shared the central interior air vents!

Reminds of the old Alfa 75 3.0 V6 I had back in the early 90s. Wonderful car. Almost impossible to find a good one these days. It doesn't matter than the BMWs were better made, etc., You have a love affair with an Alfa Romeo.

South Africa latched on to that car like sunshine and braaivleis. They were everywhere in the 80s. Despite being a sporting saloon, it was named "Tow Car of the Year" several times in several publications.

What a great looking car! I love boxier looking car's over the jelly mold stuff that's pumped out these days..... cracking stuff as always Jack 😉

I think even with questionable quality I’d favour it over a BMW. Nice review

Oh my! I love a Giulietta. I own a dark Grey 1985 2.0, naturally 😍 This silver car is beautiful! Lovely interior. In my opinion the build quality may not be up to BMW or Mercedes standard, but it is surely better than the majority of cars of the era. I have had quite a few of these and they have been superb. And unlike BMW or Mercedes, these dashboards do not tend to crack, not even here in South Africa. By the way these really benefit from a set of Bilstein B6 dampers.

Possibly the coolest Alfa ever built. My dad bough a brand new 1984 in 2.0 QV trim, identical to the one driven here but with steel wheels. Ive driven a few of these more recently and the way they cling to the asphalt despite having very soft suspension, is incredible.

Nice! I can’t wait for you to got your hands on an Alfa 90 Quadrifoglio Oro, if there is any in England.

I’ve got a Alfetta GTV 2.0 and I think it’s one of the best handling cars at any price.

Man, this brings back some memories, these were very popular in South Africa in the 80`s and early 90`s...a good friend of mine`s dad had one, he sold it and instantly regretted it....a few years later he saw it advertised up for sale again and bought it...again...he then spent a year restoring it, as far as I know he still has it... He also has a late 60`s vintage Alfa Spider and his daily was a Mito...

I loved these back when they were new - used to spend many hours pouring over them in a local dealer. A very unusual looking car with the pronounced wedge shape. The central section of the car made it into the later 75 too. Not the finest Alfa, but a very interesting one. And it sounds simply wonderful with lovely twin cam snarl!

Doesn't matter in what body you put that Alfa Nord engine in , it just loves and begs to be thrashed ! Absolutely georgious engine , a golden hart , one of the worlds best fourpots EVER ! ❤❤❤

E21 was in fact the first 3-series! 320 model came with both 4 and 6 cylinders in the '70's

I heard a tale that when the first of them arrived at Fishers (dealer in Edinburgh), the style was such a surprise that they decided to reverse park them - "perhaps the customers won't notice the tail then"

My brother-in-law was the Alfa person in our family, still is (4C, a few QF's, GTV and a 2600) while I went the Fiat route. We were in a race to see which car rusted the most. He had a 116 that put my 131 to shame every where, including the rust. Thanks Jack for reminding me of my younger years.

At that time, sharped lines were in fashion. I bought one in 1981 dark brown color, it was an i.6 litre. The versions available at that years were: 1.3, 1.6 and 1.8. I opted for the middle path. I kept it for 10 years and didn't have any problems with rust. I have traveled in snow many times and by using caution I have always arrived at my destination even without winter tyres. Sometimes I left home in good weather and found snow in the Apennines. It was a car that responded excellently to commands and took you where you wanted without surprises or sudden strange behavior. Then for work reasons, having to travel many kilometers, i had five years later an LPG system installed to save on fuel costs. I had no problems with the valves and seats as the sodium cooled valves were already fitted as standard. I'm nostalgic for those times and i still miss it.

I have an 84 model here in Australia and have owned it since 2004. In the next year or so, I plan to restore it and have a full body respray. As a side note, a friend has owned two, a Red one in the UK and Brown one here in Melbourne. In 1994 we drove it from Melbourne to Adelaide and then on to Coober Pedy (opal town) for an overnight stay in a dug out motel, and finally on to Uluru (Ayre's Rock). In about 38*C it gave up about 2 hours from the rock. We put it down to fuel vapourisration, so after about 45 minutes with the bonnet up, it restarted and we made it to the camp site. On the return journey we co drove it for 13 hours straight from Uluru to Adelaide. Great little car.

What’s not to love about an old Alfa ?

Never seen this model live, and I was born in ’81. Must have dissolved quickly in the salty roads.

Such a lovely little Alfa!!! I remember as a brash 20 yr old looking for my first new car, I had looked at the 3.0l V6 Alfa Romeo 75 which I must say I really loved, for all the reasons you mentioned plus that simply Amazing V6! In the mix I also looked at the Nissan 300ZX (the early one, not the one everyone wants now), the Maserati BiTurbo, again which I thought was lovely but a bit of a dog in the corners with the engine so far forward. But it was the Japanese that finally got me, with them clearing old stock of the wedge shaped 1985 Celica Supra which I bought for a song and loved that car in every measurable way, it handled well, it went like stink (for the mid 80's) and was pretty comfy on extended trips, in fact many years later in the mid 2000's we were looking for a second car and I found an 83 Cressida that had that lovely inline 6 and the underpinnings of the supra as well and we kept that car until 2016 when I had my right leg amputated (long story). Looking back I don't regret buying the Toyota, but I do wish my older self would have been there to nudge me into the Alfa, just that magical V6 alone should have been enough, let alone the "tuff" Boy Racer looks and Rosa Red Paint Job with a tan interior. If I could go back I think I would have gone with the 75 and would have loved it, ah the difference a few decades makes. Thanks for the excellent review, Jack! Should you happen upon a Celica Supra or the 86 and up Mk 3 Supra (my all time favourite Supra) I would love to see and hear your thoughts on them. Cheers - Dave

I've had 3 of these and a GTV. Miss them all. Had two of the Giuliettas on track days in Alfa club meetings and they were fantastic when whipped a bit. Felt like they just wanted more...

The gear selector functions via a rod + linkage system, not cable. The bushings can wear down which makes the shift wonky. When working as it should it's just fine but the throws are long as you'd expect with such a system.

The essence of the Alfa Romeo brand - the oil leak - it’s at the heart of every car, they start with the oil leak as the core and then design and build the car around it, amazing

Everyone who has driven an Alfa will fall in love with it. Also, the design is just gorgeous. Their engines are marvels but unfortunately, they share a common problem for 70's and 80's cars..rust.

The Giulietta looked awesome in the Carabinieri livery!

Love the matching head lining

Just look at the damn headliner matching with the seats, it's like an italian suits. That interior is glamorous.

That was one of the best platforms for a daily driver ever made. It made the competition very basic which is why it lasted so long, and was used on so many models. I had that same spec in deep red and bought a BMW 320 at the same time. Beemer was smooth, nicer gearbox but it had no go nor could it tow my Hobiecat. So it was handed down to the then other half. The 16v 2.0l Golf GTi that I had a few years later couldn't match the torque of the Alfa. I've had 3 Guiliettas, 3 Alfettas and 2 GTV6s (1 still parked on my drive). So the platform is one I know and love well. IMO the Giulietta is a nicer looking car than the Alfetta as the boot is too long and not in proportion to the car. I forgot the Alfa 6 (Sei) that was also in my list of cars.

My uncle had one in the eighties! A red one with a grey underside. Was a special that was custom build for the Italian embassy in Bonn in Western-Germany. Interior was complete in black with velours and remember the digital red clock above the interior mirror. The engine was the 170bhp Turbo engine which was slightly tuned. Drove from Bonn to Lugano in Switzerland in under 6 hours. Great times!

Your reviewing some amazing cars - Thank you for the content. ❤

Absolutely brilliant car, I've owned several of them. The shortened boot actually made the car a lot more fun to drive, but as I remember people didn't like the wedge shape which looked weird at the time (just look at cars today and try to find one with a long boot like in the seventies). Cornering, just lift the throttle slightly to defeat the understeer and let the nose dive into the corner and once you notice the rear following increase throttle again and you'll outrun practically every modern car. Try the same with a contemporary beemer and you'll do at least two 360s ;) Note: there has never been a factory delivered 1.8 turbo. They did build a 2.0 Turbo for a short period and these were all black with red interior. That said, since the chassis remained unaltered from 1972 to 1992 a lot of interesting modifications are possible. The last Giulietta I drove had the undercarriage upgraded to that of a 75TS (bigger brakes) and featured the tighter gear linkage of the 75/90 range. I also know of multiple Giulietta's having had the engine replaced with a Busso V6

Excellent review of this charming old Alfa. I love the individuality of this design, in fact it really does look great from every angle.

This is the first time I see this car and I think it's gorgeous. Front, side and rear look great and very distinct.

With the rear paralleogram suspension set up on these that keeps the rear wheels upright yet allowing the body to roll you have to steer them on the throttle, doing this they handle really well and you just put up with the roll

I'm from that era and had totally forgotten about these... lovely thing and what an interior... like a 1970s cardigan.

Normally, I don't like sedans look but these "square" Alfas (Giulietta + 75 + 155) ... I love them...

Such a quirky cool Alfa seldom seen as you say. Great interior and that headlining was fabulous - so refreshing to see this period of design against all the jelly moulds we get now……

How nice to see this Alfa driven. I had many Alfas, but this Giulietta is special to me as I had 2 of them when I was 20 and had no money nor skills to work on then (they were very cheap at the time but needed work) lovely memories about swapping engines and disassembling the interior. I got to know them really well but never got to drive them on public roads. I had a 75 later that drove like a dream but I prefer the design of the Giulietta. I think that it's actually very pretty and combines the wedge shape with some rounded parts that do not show in the video but irl it looks so good. Great to see you drive it

Love a video on a late model, Alfa Romeo 6, if you can find one lovely looking car.

A stunningly beautiful car to see cornering.

My boss had one and he absolutely loved it!

My Mum had a Guiletta 2.0 twin spark. It was written off by a guy who drove into the side. My Mum missed it immensely.

Maybe this is what should be your next daily driver! I had an Alfetta sedan, a couple of 75s, and I would have loved to have this Giulietta...and I love the looks. Great videos like this keep up Alfa lovers very happy.

They were the coolest car in South Africa when I was in junior school in Cape Town - there were lots running around there in the 1980's. Since you've sold your 308 - buy one of these ! The 2nd BMW 3-series I always think of as the 'Italianate 3', in that they nailed Guigaro's design language of the 1970's, in house - even though he was by then doing new things.

I had a 1:24 scale model of a Giulietta back then. My dad had two Alfasuds in the mid to late seventies. Great cars, tending to rust pretty quickly but so was the Golf or any other car of that era. Then my aunt bought one of those infamous white Alfasud Corsa and that was utterly bonkers. It took just a few weeks until you could see the rust bubbles. Neither my aunt nor my dad bought an Alfa afterwards. Nonetheless, I loved most of the Alfas that came after the Alfasud. Not every car looked great but they all looked unique (let's forget the Arna) and the chassis and engine were top notch.

In mz childhood this car was the police car from an italian TV series about the mafia - La Piovra. Also a neighbour had one

Had one of these 2nd hand in the early 80s mine was a 1.8 remember the lite stearing for unassisted,and good sounding tourqe engine.Good to drive and something a bit different from the norm, Loved it. Nice video

Beautiful looking car. Far nicer than the modern blob shaped things that all look the same.

I used to hate them for the looks of the back. But now, I simply love them. So much that a poster of one of them has been hanging over my desk just in front of me for 5 or more years. Btw, a really imaginative story about Romeo and Giulietta and the gauges ❤

As the old saying goes....you`re not a petrol head until you`ve owned an old Alfa Romeo.

You are right about the back end not being the strong point. They changed that on the 75 which was also controversial but I liked the kink. I owned both the 2.5V6 and the 3.0 Verde. Such great cars. The last true quirky Alfa model.

My friend had exactly like this baby in same color and driving her on bumby twisted Lebanon mountain roads is a drive that I will never forget

Alfas of the 80s and 90s are my favourite.

I had one of these lovely cars. handling was good, brisk performance, the back brakes were a bit of a pain, but you could forgive it for the lovely steering wheel, so lovely to drive.

I miss this era of Alfa Romeo very charismatic, uncontrived, exciting, feel-good factor...... it's beautiful in a strange quirky sort of way, and the cloth interior is outstanding! However, as Alfa Romeo was the creator and inventor of the sports saloon, you do sense it was an opportunity missed and should have been best in class. It would be very interesting to see a review of the Alfa Romeo 6 and 90.

I love these Alfa videos, absolutely love them. I owned a 33 & an Alfetta sedan in my youth, there's something about the sound, the smell, the charm - they are just so charismatic. I'm now recommissioning an Alfa Romeo Sprint QV & can't wait to drive it this summer. Keep up the good work Jack & best wishes with the sale of the 308.

Great vid Jack... and like everyone else on here, I absolutely adore this generation Giulietta. A guy who lived across the road from my parents [and who was a policeman back then !] bought a year old red one in 1984 or 1985 and wrote it off in a very high speed accident a few months later. It looked and sounded fantastic before he destroyed it.

Thanks! Your videos are very good. Never the same vehicles as anyone else. I really love that interior. The things I love about older cars are comfy seats & suspension and nice fabrics. My 1983 CX has a glorious tweed-style fabric. The fact that the Giulietta’s extends to the headliner is perfect!

I always loved the Giulietta’s, I owned 4 of them back I the 80’s, two 2.0’s, a 1.8 and a 1.6. My last one replaced a GTV/6 2.5, I owned that 1.6 Giulietta until 1993. All mine were 1982 to 1983 versions so without the big plastic chunk of trim added below the boot and lights (I feel these earlier cars look better without that trim. Just returned to the Alfa fold with a new Giulia Veloce after a gap of 30 years.

My first Alfa was a 1980 Giulietta 1.8 with a 2L swap 10548 cams etc bought in 1989. It was great little car , none of 'fancy stuff' shown in this later spec car. The 75 used much of the same metal on doors and elsewhere. Yes, the Alfetta is a better packaging job as a small 4 seat car - I have a '79 Alfetta also. I liked the style and wedgy look - very 80's I guess.

Thanks, Jack. Another wonderful trip down memory lane. I owned one here in OZ in the early(ish) '80s. Red of course! While I only owned mine for about 18 months or so, I do recall a few characteristics of it. One was the huge nose-dive under hard braking as the weight shifted forward. Another was the mechanical engine sounds and exhaust notes. Particularly nice I thought overall. I also remember the technique to smoothly engage first gear, from a standstill, was to select second just before selecting first. A quirk of that rear transaxle it seemed. Don't see many of them about here in OZ also now. Mine has probably rusted away by now. 😁

I'm italian and I really wanted to say thank you for pronoucing correctly all these names! It's actually the first time I'm hearing an anglophone doing that!

I think David Visard had a book on these. They had steel crank and rods, adjustable cam sprockets and powder filled valves from factory. Dellretto?? Carbs were regarded as the best (webber and solex carbs were also fitted to these),and the syncromesh ring was always worn out on second gear. Great cars, i had a 3 over the years.

No matter how, let's be honest, badly they were designed, you'll still find something to love in an old Alfa

Stylish body and interior for its day. Looks and sounds like a joy to drive despite its few flaws. 😎

I had a ‘78 2 litre Alfetta. For me the best thing about them is that engine. The noise they make is amazing!

Thank yous to all the people who lend their cars to Number 27.

Absolutely wonderful car to slide around with on winter roads 🙂

RED Alfa in thumbnail just looks / sits / in its driving images. So sweet. They often age so well in design. Always flawed. Always lovely to look at

I’ve never seen one of those before and I’m over 50 years old. Of course I have fond memories of the Alfa 75, but never knew about the Giulietta of that era. It’s a bizarre looking car!

I had a 1.8 when it first came out, and I still have very fond memories of it. Everything you say about it is true, and your running commentary brought back memories of driving it as if it was yesterday. Ultimately it was at its best on long transcontinental journeys on sweeping bends and at its worst going up narrow mountainous roads when the understeer robbed it of any potential for fun.

Could you review some old Saabs, with Turbo, pre GM years? Unfortunately i dont have any.

This car looks like a outdated space craft and I love it

Love these older cars your review and showcase because without your videos I would never know about them. Thank you. Keep up the good work.

When watching road tests of cars from this era, I'm taken by how good they sound. There's complexity -- intake honk, mechanical resonance, exhaust all changing in pitch and intensity throughout the rev range. Yet they don't sound obnoxious outside the car. Modern performance cars seem heavily tilted towards exhaust, I'm assuming because the old stuff often never calmed down and people didn't like the NVH. But the modern approach: loud exhaust with fake pops and crackles just doesn't have a lot of character to me. It's replacing music with noise. Love to see more focus on great sounds *in* the car like the old stuff. And bring back steering feel too!

My first ever car 1.8L 1990. Loved it❤

I owned some examples of old Alfa Romeo cars. Some 75 (3.0, 2.5 and 1.8. Turbo), Alfetta GTV Gran Prix 2.0 and thinking about some next one. It's a really fast and emotionally reach, beautiful, awesome, almost alive, warm and beautiful soul cars. Real petrolheads must have to love it on all of they hearts.

Lovely video, pleasure to watch. One reason why I love living in Italy is for the cars. Been here 30 years, after NE UK.

Was early 1985. Had owned a secondhand Berlina and owned an Alfetta 1.7L but had baby on the way, it was a hot Summer in Sydney and Alfetta had rust and no aircon. My wife was really suffering. Drove everything sensible first but soon came back to a new 2L red Giulietta. Arrived just in time for our first daughter to be picked up from Hospital. It had a 6 year rust warranty which was only ever needed for the black painted window sills. No other body rust ever. My wife learnt to drive on it, loved it too and we kept it 24 years. We had a great mechanic. Trouble free due to regular servicing. Second gear was replaced as was head gasket and clutch towards the end but otherwise muffler replaced a few times plus pads and tyres. That was all. Truly a joy to own. Only sold it due to my serious health issues but as you say delightful handling and ride, sounded wonderful and you could simply steer it on the throttle. It cried out to be well driven. It really became an extension of your fingers and toes. Mine had Dellortos. Not that fast in a straight line but the handling….. Loved the cloth seats and quite big enough to raise two children. I actually really love the shape. You brought tears to my eyes Jack with your review. We still talk about her.

That looks superb in silver. Never seen one in that colour before. I could learn to live with the fussy rear end, I'm sure. Alloys look slightly reminiscent of those fitted to the Maserati Biturbo and bit like Ronal Turbos, as well.

I had a 2.0 TI here in South Africa with side draft Dellorto carbs. Sold it for 3 times more that I bought it for after 2 months of owing it and bought a GTV6.

always liked the look of this car, especially that rear end

Greetings from Austria, i had a white Giulietta in the mid 80`s.The trim before your model - what we would have called a Super - If i remember correct. My car was one owner , hence everything worked fine for years. Also had the Solex carbs. one night a Golf MK1 tried to challenge us on the highway for around 50 km, finally both cars had same speed . Had the Zender rims and super expensive Pirelli P7 on it, - wish I still would have it.

Owned one of these after three Suds. Only bought it, because my son came along and I needed four doors. I loved it almost as much as my Sud Green Gloverleaf in black. My Guilietta was in a weird beige colour, but it looked cool. Last Alfa I owned, would love to have another. Must have been in the blood, my son went on to own several 147s.

Brings back memories of my 75 2.0TS.

Another great video! Well Done! Keep it coming! Really been enjoying watching the review style! Your Friend Levi, hope to see u soon in the community

I think the original 1977 launch model was a nicer and cleaner design and also was better than the BMW’s of that era. I have the series 1 which are even rarer and better in my view. It was designed by Ermano Cressoni. Build quality was good and rust protection was above average for the time.

my neighbor (who just passed away yully 31.) was certified alfaRomeo servis in 80-2013 had one of this white one , also one of cult giulietta 1.3 Quadrifoglio verde 100ps he solo her in 1994 for 12 000 DM (deusch marke) what was seriously money than Much love and blessings from Adriatic coast of Croatia

Loved the wheels on those too.

The gear change on Alfa transaxle cars is mechanical - and not via cables. In very late 1984, Alfa introduced an upgraded change to its transaxle cars called the iso-static gear change. The said change was a significant upgrade that greatly improved the quality of the gear change - however in typical Alfa fashion was hardly mentioned in its promotional info. Consequently it went unnoticed leading car scribes to continue to denegrate the gear change in subsequent articles - clearly oblivious of the improvement. I only recall one article by Car & Driver in its May 1985 edition that noted the gear change on the late Alfetta GTV6 was an improvement.

Wow, this is a beautiful car. If this was available id buy one, but i'd probably have to import it

Still looks good today

Whoohoooo another Italian beauty! Looks are amazing keep those Italian gems coming Jack!

The side profile always made me think that Alfa took a Lancia Delta in the workshop and just went Ford Orion on its ass!🤣🤣

Alfettas (this Guilietta is on the alfetta platform) will understeer on a trailing throttle through corners. They will reward you if you drive as you are supposed to: approach the corner with revs well above 4000 rpm and as fast as you dare, lift off (or touch the brakes with the left foot) to shift the weight forward and control the car on the throttle by powering the car though the corner. Like a race car. POWER through the corner!!! This moves the car from under- to over- steer without moving the steering wheel. You can then "balance the car on the throttle" holding the car at maximum grip through the corner, no matter how tight. Lift off, car goes wide. More throttle and the car turns in. The flaw in the "handling" in this review is the driving style.This chassis won championships galore both on dirt and tarmac. The gearshift is with a rod, rev matching helps A LOT. If the Alfetta chassis has a "flaw" it is that it requires skill and intention to drive fast and it will reward the driver. Yes I own an Alfetta and have yet to drive car that gives anywhere near the pleasure at the price but to get that pleasure YOU MUST DRIVE it hard.

Always loved this steering wheel.

I had one back in the day. Loved it. Replaced it with a Lancia Delta. Equally as good.

The gear change was by rod linkage, not cable . The change is managed better by fingertips and once practiced can produce a reasonable quick change , no Ford single rail from the 1960s from the early Cortina’s /Escorts admittedly but better than a lot of people make out. One of the things with the ergonomics of Alfas /Fiats on the day was that 5th gear was just a handspan from the steering wheel ( on RHD cars that is ) , whereas the Fords having a shorter fore -aft movement with a shorter lever , you had to move your hand some distance from the wheel to change in the 1st place ! Think about it! Had one of these in 1.6 form but unfortunately a 1983 model , which had a higher back axle ratio to increase gearing to give better cruising fuel economy. Fuel crisis at the time. The downside was you lost that instant throttle response you had with older Alfas in any gear , whereas with the later models you felt the need to change down to get that extra bit of acceleration ( so you didn’t save fuel at all - why didn’t the manufacturer think of that ? ) . Some of these models had a radio antenna built into the front screen , mine packed up after 10,000 miles from new ! ; reducing my music to the glorious Busso - Satta twin cam and repetitive cassette playing. That said , even so , still love Alfas ❤