Alfa Romeo Type 937

The Alfa Romeo Type 937 is a small/compact executive car (C/D-segment car) produced by Alfa Romeo in two body styles; a three- and five-door hatchback sold as the Alfa Romeo 147 and a coupé sold as the Alfa Romeo GT. A total of around 660,000 units were produced.

History

The 147 was launched at the 2000 Turin Motor Show as a replacement for the Alfa Romeo 145 and 146 hatchbacks. The 147 was designed by Walter de'Silva and Wolfgang Egger, and is based on the running gear of the larger 156 saloon. In 2004, the 147 was joined by the GT, which used a markedly different coupé body style (although sharing several panels such as the wings and bonnet) and longer wheelbase. The GT was designed by Bertone and sold alongside the GTV and later the Brera. The 147 was replaced in 2010 by the Giulietta, whilst the GT went out of production in the same year but had no direct predecessor or successor.

Technical Details

The Type 937 was available with 1.6, 1.8, 2.0, and 3.2-litre petrol engines and a 1.9-litre diesel engine. A sequential, paddle operated 'Selespeed' transmission was available from launch. One significant difference between the 147 and GT was the 2.0 engine, which was the older Twinspark model for the 147 and the newer JTS engine on the more expensive GT. Both cars made use of the 3.2 'Busso' V6 in the high-performance versions, badged as 147 GTA and GT 3.2 V6 - the engines differed slightly in output, with the 147 GTA producing 250PS to the GT's 240. The entry-level engine was different on the two models; both used a Twinspark inline four, but the 147 displaced 1.6 litres and the GT displaced 1.8 litres. Both models also used the 1.9 litre diesel, in a variety of outputs - with the 147 having both 8- and 16-valve versions, and the GT only having 16 valve versions.

Some later models of the Type 937 were offered with a limited-slip differential, badged as Q2 and later Cloverleaf (on the GT only).