ALFA ROMEO TIPO 939 20TH ANNIVERSARY
The story of the Alfa Romeo Tipo 939 doesn’t begin with its Geneva premiere in 2005, nor even with Giorgetto Giugiaro’s stunning Brera concept in 2002. The foundation of the Alfa 159 and its derivatives was laid much earlier, during a pivotal moment for the Italian automotive industry in March 2000, when Fiat acquired a 5% stake in General Motors, while the American giant took a 20% share in Fiat, with an eye toward a potential full acquisition in the coming years.
In this newly forged alliance, development began swiftly on a Premium platform initially intended for use across five brands and up to 25 models, ranging from executive sedans to seven-seaters. Supposedly all front wheel drive and all drive drive vehicles would have benefited it, including the replacement of the Alfa 166 and Lancia These, Opel Insignia, Saab 9-5, or across the ocean models like the Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac DTS. In Northern Europe, Saab engineers commenced testing in the harsh conditions of the Arctic Circle, while in Italy, Centro Stile designers, along with independent studios such as Fioravanti and Italdesign, began shaping stylistic proposals for what would become the successor to the highly successful 156.
However, the typical iterative design process underwent a complete reset with the unveiling of the Brera concept in 2002. “A flower that blooms,” as Giugiaro romantically described it, the Brera became the defining aesthetic theme for Alfa Romeo’s new D-segment range. The production 159 and Brera debuted in 2005, followed by the SportWagon and Spider in 2006. What had initially been conceived as a global, cross-brand platform ultimately became exclusive to Alfa Romeo - much to the delight of Alfa’s engineers, as revealed by a speaker at the Backstage conference at Museo Storico Alfa Romeo, where the accompanying images were taken. With SAAB’s departure from the project, Alfa Romeo took full control of development, tuning the platform to meet the brand’s distinct driving characteristics. The result was class-leading longitudinal and torsional rigidity, greatly enhancing road-holding capabilities - an advantage in an era when even some of the industry’s most prestigious names were struggling with stability issues, as evidenced by the infamous Moose Test.
Solid and stable, the 159 embodied a cross-continental spirit more akin to a grand tourer than a conventional family car. This brings us to the controversial 3.2-liter V6 engine - because what would an Alfa be without a touch of controversy? Officially designated as the HFV6 3.2 SIDI, it originated as a GM global engine family, with variants used across GM-NAO (3.6 PFI), Opel and SAAB (2.8 Turbo), and Holden (3.6 PFI). Alfa Romeo, however, applied its expertise from the 2.0 JTS engine, developing a direct-injection version with significant modifications. While the engine was assembled in Holden’s Melbourne plant, Alfa Romeo engineered the combustion system, direct injection, cylinder heads, and pistons. By the project’s completion, numerous components had been redesigned and revalidated to Alfa Romeo’s specifications - making it, arguably, an Alfa project supported by GM rather than the other way around.
Photo courtesy of Alex Stroe.
Responding to criticism, Alfa Romeo discreetly refined the 159 in 2008, incorporating lighter high-strength steel into the chassis, revising suspension components, and making subtle interior improvements, shedding 45 kg for sharper handling. A year later, the introduction of the 1.8 TBi engine - a 1,750 cc turbocharged direct-injection petrol unit - brought 200 hp and 320 Nm of torque, paired with a six-speed manual transmission. Replacing the 2.2 JTS, the 1.8 TBi delivered stronger mid-range torque, superior efficiency, and compliance with Euro 5 emissions standards. Today, it remains one of the most sought-after engines in the range, particularly among enthusiasts.
Surprisingly, even given the aknowledged rarity of the 1.8 TBi, the Museo Storico raduno celebrating the Tipo 939 family featured perhaps much fewer 159 Berlinas and SportWagons than expected. Instead, the spotlight belonged to the more exclusive Brera and Spider models, of which nearly half of the 50 cars present for the parade around the Museo Storico’s test trac were brought over by the 939 Privilege Owners Club.
Among the many memorable moments from the event, one story stood out - shared by the former Alfa Romeo engineer Domenico Martino, sometimes acting as a test driver back in the day: he recalled a late-night drive from the Balocco proving grounds back to Milan when his rearview mirror was suddenly filled with an unexpected flood of lights gaining on him. Knowing there were few cars capable of such a feat, he was momentarily puzzled - until he realized it wasn’t another vehicle at all, but a high-speed FrecciaRossa train on the newly opened Turin-Milan line, running parallel to the autostrada. A fitting metaphor, perhaps, for the 159 itself: a car designed for effortless high-speed travel, spacious, capable and with a style capable of withstanding the cruel passage of time.
Photo Gallery courtesy of Luca Danilo Orsi.
