Alfa Romeo 147 GTA: A farewell to the Busso

Oxford Languages defines charm as ‘the power or quality of delighting, attracting, or fascinating others. Charm is often seen as something intangible, as if we cannot explain why someone or something is charming, it just is. Charm also compensates for flaws through bundles of flair, confidence and positive energy.

This idea of charm perfectly summarises Alfa Romeo, a brand that has built many flawed vehicles that are still adored by many.

Alfa’s take on the hot hatch

Going in the new millennium, the automotive world loved the hot hatch. And with the continuous advancement of cars accelerating rapidly in this period, we were seeing some truly powerful examples.

Before, a hot hatch was light, typically under 1000 kilos, simple, small, but with a fun engine and a blast no matter the condition.

But with the introduction of the Mk4 Golf R32 and the Mk1 Ford Focus RS, we were seeing hot hatches with 4-wheel drive, 6-cylinder engines and massive turbos.

And Alfa Romeo was no different with their 2002 hot hatchback, the 147 GTA, featuring the legendary 3.2L Busso V6, developing 247 brake horsepower.

This meant that the Alfa was more powerful than the VW and the Ford, and made arguably the best noise to ever be heard from a hatchback.

The styling was pure Italian too, taking the already pretty 147 and fitting a beefier body kit, 17" alloy wheels, and splashes of chrome, leather and Rosso Red to make the GTA both beautiful and aggressive.

So, a powerful, stunning and interesting hot hatchback with one of the best engines ever made in history powering it, Alfa Romeo were off to a flyer.

But, and everyone knew there was going to be a but, like a rollercoaster, there are peaks and troughs, and every Alfa Romeo has its peaks, and definitely has its troughs.

A true Alfa (take that how you will)

Now I framed it earlier that a front-engine V6 with 247 brake horsepower was exciting, different, and special.

But, there are some issues.

Now hot hatches have always like to cock one of their back wheels, torque steer, and both have been present in cars with half the power of the Alfa.

So take a car with front wheel drive, a heavy V6 engine sat on the front wheels, hugely powerful, and no limited slip differential (LSD). It was a recipe for pure chaos.

Driving an Alfa Romeo 147 GTA fast on a twisting road felt like wrestling a Lion, and that symphony leaving the exhaust was drowned out by the screeching of your front tires understeering catastrophically.

This meant that despite its impressive on paper performance, a lighter, less powerful and better set-up car such as a Renault Clio 182 was much preferred for thrills and driving enjoyment.

The GTA was also less refined, less well made and not as mass produced as its closer rivals, such as the Mk4 R32 or the Mk1 Focus RS mentioned earlier.

This left the 147 GTA in a grey area, with no real, informed reason to want to buy one.

In the end, just over 5000 units were made, and after 3 years in 2005, the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA had ran its race. Signaling the end of the 26 glorious years of the Busso V6 with it.

Come on. Its an Alfa Romeo.

But this whole argument of ranking the Alfa Romeo amongst its competition is rather pointless, I mean the whole point of buying an Alfa Romeo is to be free from any informed decision at all.

The reason to buy a Renault is different to why you would buy a Volkswagen, and the reason to buy a Volkswagen is different to why you would buy a Ford, you see where I’m coming from.

Those wanting that raw, pure and dynamic driving experience never wanted the Alfa Romeo. Those who wanted some fun mixed with sophistication and reliability, also never wanted to buy the Alfa Romeo.

The Alfa Romeo 147 GTA is built for people who wanted it because they liked it. They knew going in that the handling wasn’t the sharpest (even though many owners fitted their own LSDs after), they knew it wouldn’t be the most reliable, and it wasn’t the best built.

The GTA was for people who would turn up an hour late to a party because they were ‘busy’, people who would cancel on you late minute because they forget, and for people for could leave you in hysterics for hours on end.

The 147 GTA isn’t loved for its brilliance, or its speed, or its precision, it is loved for its character, its noise, and most importantly, its charm.