Beschreibung
Trinity Car Solutions present for sale the "marmite" hot hatch of the 1990's the Alfa Romeo 145 Cloverleaf, twin spark. Some say you have to own an Alfa of some description in your life, well why not this rapid 145, with the correct badge and that delightful "revvy" Twin Spark Alfa power plant, with the engine note to give you that smug knowing look.
An Alfa Romeo for the common man. It was a concept which worked brilliantly with the Alfasud in the Seventies but went disastrously wrong with the 33 that replaced it. When the time came to develop that car's successor, the 145, the Milanese engineers knew they couldn't afford another mistake. To their credit, they took an adventurous route, creating an unusually styled three-door hatchback that appeared in late 1994 and was a direct hit with traditional Alfa fans. Its reliability and build quality, however, made it just as popular with those new to the marque. The 145 offered buyers a wide choice of four-cylinder engines. These were initially the traditional 'boxer' type, carried over from the 33 range. Quieter and more powerful Twin Spark engines followed soon after, however, and were introduced across the line up.
The 145 arrived in the UK to a cautious welcome in November 1994. Potential buyers loved the dramatic styling but the carried over mechanicals that were the best and worst aspects of the old 33 worried many Alfa fans. Needlessly so, as it turned out. The transmission 'shunt' that could make driving a 33 a somewhat less than silky smooth experience was thankfully banished. The 145 is a solid and relatively heavy car, however, so the old 1. 6 litre versions, with their melodious exhaust notes, sound faster than they are. The 16-valve 1. 7 litre cars that were launched alongside the 1. 6 litre base and 'L' models certainly offered far brisker performance and were, deservedly, more popular. At the start of 1996, Alfa released what many consider to be the definitive version, the 145 Cloverleaf , which gained the 2. 0 litre, 16 valve Twin Spark engine from the bigger 155 executive saloon. In March 1997, the old 1. 6 and 1. 7 litre 'boxer' engines, whose origins could be traced to the Alfasud of the early '70s, were at last laid to rest. Their 1. 6 and 1. 8 litre replacements featured Alfa's trademark 'Twin Spark' system, two sparkplugs for each of the four cylinders. Both these 16 valve units are closely related to the bigger 2. 0 litre engine which remained unchanged in the Cloverleaf flagship. In July 1998 the TS model designation was replaced by the historically evocative 'Junior' moniker, and a sportier level of trim was applied. The last round of 145 changes came in May 1999 when the car received a new nose section and slight equipment revisions. The range was also rationalised to three models, the1. 6 and 1. 8 Twin Sparks and the 2. 0 Cloverleaf. The 145 was replaced by the all new 147 early in 2000.
Our example has been enthusiast owned and is in good condition considering he has covered 120k miles from new. This car is an economical way to get into the 1990's hot hatch scene and you will not be disappointed at this type of money. He drives well, he sounds good, handles as you would expect and retains all the appeal and charm of an Italian hot hatch, despite its radical and off the wall interior and exterior styling. One for the individualist.
Any inspection welcome as this amazing car has undergone a complete pre sale inspection schedule by the team at Trinity Car Solutions.
Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any further questions or to arrange a viewing. Here at Trinity our mission is to supply top quality specialist marques to our valued customers.
For your added peace of mind Trinity Car Solutions are accredited members of the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF) providing high quality, value for money services to the motoring public.
