A very clean Alfa Romeo 156 Selespeed, seen in the far south of the Chinese capital Beijing, in a day with a lot of stink in the air. But the beauty of the Alfa just made that all go away.
The Alfa Romeo 156 was manufactured from 1996 until 2007, with facelifts in 2002 and in 2003. Our Beijing car is an original pre-facelift example.
When launched the 156 was much loved for its looks, and it sold reasonable well in Europe. Sadly, problems with quality and reliability stopped it from being a really big success.
These wheels need a good cleanup!
The Alfa Romeo was officially sold in China, and distributed by the Nanjing-Fiat dealer network. There was only one version available: a 2.0 mated to the five-speed ‘Selespeed‘ semi-automatic gearbox. Output was 165 hp and 206 Nm. Power went to the front wheels. Price in 2004 was 468.000 yuan.
A brilliant interior with sporty looks, lots on Italian leather, and the odd-looking Selespeed gear-lever. This special gearbox was a big marketing theme for Alfa Romeo in China, they were advertising it everywhere.
More black leather in the back.
The 156 was relatively small for its price, and sales in China weren’t very good. Still, there are quite a few of these great Italian sedans around today.
The Selespeed badge in a very sleek handwriting.
Just love how they did the mirrors, perfect in color and shape.
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