CAR OF 1979 ALFA ROMEO ALFA 6

The Alfa 6’s six carburettors and six cylinders often didn’t communicate.

It’s something of a forgotten Alfa Romeo these days, but it was the marque’s luxury flagship when it was launched in 1979. While the looks were quite conventional – a four-door saloon, with a family resemblance to (and shared parts and panels with) the Alfetta – it came with a high level of equipment as standard, such as power steering, electric windows, central locking and a limited-slip differential.

However, what made it really stand out was its new 156bhp 2.5-litre V6 engine, which endowed the 6 with a good level of performance. Well, that’s when it was working as it should, for six carburettors were employed to deliver fuel, and they rarely did their job in total unison. Unsurprisingly, Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection replaced the carburettors when the car was revamped in 1983, although surprisingly, power remained the same. Production finally ended in 1986.