Alfa Romeo 166 (1998 - 2005)

Svelte front wheel drive replacement for 164. 15' 6" long by 5' 11" wide and weighing in from 1,420kg to 1,510kg. 2.0 litre 155 bhp Twin-Spark, 2.5 24v 190 bhp V6 or 3.0 24v 220 bhp V6. Autoboxes optional with V6s.

Five year or 60,000 mile warranty from January 2004.

Facelift for 2004. Priced from £21,750 - £29,900 on-the-road, now four models and a choice of three petrol engines; a 2.0 litre 16-valve Twin Spark unit with 6-speed manual transmission, a 3.0 litre 24-valve V6 allied to 4-speed Sportronic automatic transmission, and Alfa Romeo’s 240 bhp 24-valve 3.2 litre V6 powerplant. With 6-speed manual transmission, the all-aluminium 4OHC 3.2 litre V6 in the revised Alfa 166 develops 240 bhp at 6200 rpm, with a maximum torque of 213 lb.ft at 4800 rpm, giving the new Alfa 166 a 0-62 mph acceleration time of just 7.4 seconds, and a maximum speed in excess of 150 mph.