Although the Milano could be considered a pedestrian family sedan, it holds the unique distinction of being the
last car designed and released by Alfa Romeo before the company was acquired by Fiat. The car was introduced in
Europe as the 75 in 1985 and sales were quite successful worldwide. It was based on the chassis of the preceeding
Alfetta line which features a rear mounted transaxle and clutch coupled with the front mounted engine. The suspension
is by torsion bars in the front and deDion system in the rear. The brakes were mounted inboard at the rear. All of
this, in typical Alfa Romeo fashion, oriented toward performance by achieving a balanced weight distribution
front to rear. In practice, it works.
The styling incorporated a wedge shape with a distinctive kick-up rear of the back wheels - reportedly to
increase trunk space. The result is a polarizing quirky shape.
Although the 75 was made with a variety of engines, the US models, the Milano, were equipped with the famous Alfa
2.5l V-6 engine. However, the sports model, the Milano Verde, used the 3.0l version of the engine for sporty performance.
And all of the V-6 engines sound terrific - they're Italian!
I bought the car to experience the design and performance of the car. The fact that the engine uses the Bosch
L-Jetronic fuel injection system and many Bosch components were positives in the purchase decision. This, and the
fact that the car was purchased from an enthusiast who had taken good care of the car, used Santo's shop in
Northridge for mechanical work, and had installed some upgrades.
And finally, the car is a true Alfa Romeo.
