Alfa V6 - the best engine ever!!!!!

Alfa designed V6s rule, they make such a great noise, nobody seems to care about the fuel consumption! The newer GM ones don't make a good noise, they seem to be off key in the noise department.

Original V6s on 75s and 155s were utter porn on wheels!

The funny thing is the GM based V6 is no better on fuel..
As well as loosing most of the good points of the Busso.

Why is the Alfa V6 (the original, not the GM unit) one of the best engines ever? I can't put it into words, but as a lad I took a new Alfa 90 (2.5 GTV6 engine) back to Alfa GB. There's a long underpass on the A40. I dropped both front windows and nailed it......God, the noise it made.

That V6 - like the old twin cam 8v, has always been a very high quality engine. Early V6's leaked oil like mad from the head gaskets, the early 24 valve ones threw cambelts off. Best was the late 3 litre 12v. Even in a 164 Automatic it was a great engine and the very essence of Alfa. The new stuff just doesn't interest me - I'll buy a £500 Vectra if I want a GM V6.

Originally Posted by Scudetto

I could write a book on why the Busso Alfa V6 is great. In a nutshell, it amounts to:

noise
response
brio

At every 100rpm, you can detect a difference in note.

At idle, it has a deep, off-beat panting.

From idle to say 2,500k, it has a breathy, effortless sound, as if it's under no stress at all.

From 2,5k to 4k, it sings just the prettiest, richest, deep Italian musical notes. From 4k - 5k, it gets hardcore. The legendary V6 wail enters...and just when you think surely it can't sound any better than this, from 5.5k to redline, it introduces an astonishing, blood-curling, F1 racing car scream. But at all times, from idle to rev-cut out, it's creamy smooth, without a bad or rough vibration anywhere within its rev range.

But too many people make much of how it sounds when the revs rise, but believe me this engine is so cultured, that as the revs drop, it's equally beguiling; as it falls down the rev range, the engine notes are softer, gentler, but equally - or even more - melodious. That's another delicious aspect of the engine, but often overlooked and under appreciated by those who focus mainly on the engine's astonishing enthusiasm for ferociously assaulting the red line.

This engine shares its birth right, response and acoustic splendour with the very best of Italian engines: Alfa -> Maserati -> Lamborghini -> Ferrari. The blood line between the four is so evident.

The Alfa V6 is a thing of culture, a power-plant that brims with heritage (Italy's and Alfa's) and captivates you with its sheer good breeding and brio.

I once dropped my mum off at work in my GTV6. She walked away as i pulled away. In my rear view, i saw her pause, turn around and then look as I drove away. Three hours later, on her break she phoned home, had a chat with my dad, then asked to speak to me. She said: 'g, when you drove away today, your car sounded so beautiful. It stopped me in my tracks. It was like a prince among the peasants'. And that comes from the most car dis-interested person on the planet.

I LOVE the Busso V6.

g

Probaly the perfect answer to my question, thankyou Scudetto

Originally Posted by Squadrone Rosso

Hey Chris. Excellent Did you compare hair products (says he with envy)

Oh Aye, we both agreed on panten pro v

Originally Posted by Scudetto

I could write a book on why the Busso Alfa V6 is great. In a nutshell, it amounts to:

noise
response
brio

At every 100rpm, you can detect a difference in note.

At idle, it has a deep, off-beat panting.

From idle to say 2,500k, it has a breathy, effortless sound, as if it's under no stress at all.

From 2,5k to 4k, it sings just the prettiest, richest, deep Italian musical notes. From 4k - 5k, it gets hardcore. The legendary V6 wail enters...and just when you think surely it can't sound any better than this, from 5.5k to redline, it introduces an astonishing, blood-curling, F1 racing car scream. But at all times, from idle to rev-cut out, it's creamy smooth, without a bad or rough vibration anywhere within its rev range.

But too many people make much of how it sounds when the revs rise, but believe me this engine is so cultured, that as the revs drop, it's equally beguiling; as it falls down the rev range, the engine notes are softer, gentler, but equally - or even more - melodious. That's another delicious aspect of the engine, but often overlooked and under appreciated by those who focus mainly on the engine's astonishing enthusiasm for ferociously assaulting the red line.

This engine shares its birth right, response and acoustic splendour with the very best of Italian engines: Alfa -> Maserati -> Lamborghini -> Ferrari. The blood line between the four is so evident.

The Alfa V6 is a thing of culture, a power-plant that brims with heritage (Italy's and Alfa's) and captivates you with its sheer good breeding and brio.

I once dropped my mum off at work in my GTV6. She walked away as i pulled away. In my rear view, i saw her pause, turn around and then look as I drove away. Three hours later, on her break she phoned home, had a chat with my dad, then asked to speak to me. She said: 'g, when you drove away today, your car sounded so beautiful. It stopped me in my tracks. It was like a prince among the peasants'. And that comes from the most car dis-interested person on the planet.

I LOVE the Busso V6.

g

Oh that's just beautifull

You really should be a romantic writer

Originally Posted by symonh2000

The funny thing is the GM based V6 is no better on fuel..
As well as loosing most of the good points of the Busso.

It was nothing to do with fuel, more to do with emissions I'm afraid.

Originally Posted by symonh2000

The funny thing is the GM based V6 is no better on fuel..

Not sure we can compare them, really, with them never having been in the same car. We don't know what economy the new V6 would give in a GTV, nor the old one in a 159.

Originally Posted by Mitch166

It was nothing to do with fuel, more to do with emissions I'm afraid.

I can't understand that, most emmisions seem to focus on carbon dioxide, and if you use a certain amount of fuel to do a certain distance, then the amount of CO2 produced will be the same no matter what engine it comes from.

I just bought James May's book 'May on Motors' and there is a column where he says of the 156:

"There's something spooky going on at teh man/machine interface. This much I have discovered during a week spent with the Alfa Romeo 156 V6.
Now Here is a car I genuinely desire and one I would actually buy if I had a real job. (This was written in 1998 and James was working for CAR magazine at the time) It is a proper motor car, with a burbly engine endowed with a respectable number of cylinders, lovely responses, and all that. My only complaint was that the V6 had too many gears. Otherwise it was seductive, powerful, a thing of beauty and a joy."

Sorry to break it to all of you but the Arese V6 is no more, the last one left the factory some months ago.

Which means those who have one need to look after them.

They will surely increase in value and desirability.

I still can't believe the sound and the value for money...probably owe the devil my soul, must check the small print on the receipt...

I would love to sit hear writing a long post on how great the Alfa V6 is but i am off to empty the wife's bank account and go buy a V6 75.

When did Alfa introduce the GM based V6? Are any of the newer models still powered by the Arese V6? Why they would decide to stop production of the Alfa V6 is beyond me, really saddened to hear this to say the least...

Originally Posted by GBrutus

When did Alfa introduce the GM based V6? Are any of the newer models still powered by the Arese V6? Why they would decide to stop production of the Alfa V6 is beyond me, really saddened to hear this to say the least...

Around 2005 with the 159/Brera. They stopped Arese V6 production because of emissions set by the EU (another reason to hate the EU). Thought this was common knowledge around here...

I'm not sure, but is'nt the Holden (monaro) v6 a pretty decent engine?

Originally Posted by rabw

Around 2005 with the 159/Brera. They stopped Arese V6 production because of emissions set by the EU (another reason to hate the EU). Thought this was common knowledge around here...

Ok, thanks. I've only recently joined this site and somehow missed this news.

Originally Posted by Saiyek

I'm not sure, but is'nt the Holden (monaro) v6 a pretty decent engine?

I thought the Monaro was a V8?

I am pretty sure GM use the V6 in the new Vectra and Saab use it as well in smaller capacity turbo form.

Originally Posted by Jim145

I thought the Monaro was a V8?

You are quite correct , forget my earlier stupid statement

One more question...

Do Alfa plan on developing another V6 that will get by the EU regs or is the GM V6 here to stay? I just can't imagine how Ferrari manage to build V8's and V12's that conform to the new rules.

Originally Posted by GBrutus

One more question...

Do Alfa plan on developing another V6 that will get by the EU regs or is the GM V6 here to stay? I just can't imagine how Ferrari manage to build V8's and V12's that conform to the new rules.

I think the Fiat group is developing a new V6 as we speak. Also a V6 diesel is supposedly in the pipeline too.