This is the 1989 Alfa Romeo 75 V6 3.0 Veloce that was bought by Jeremy Clarkson to take part in the Alfa Romeo Top Gear Challenge.
This challenge took place in episode 3 of season 11 which first aired on July 6th, 2008. The car now remains preserved in the same condition it was in after filming wrapped, and it’s now being offered for sale out of long-term ownership.
Fast Facts: The Ex-Top Gear Alfa Romeo 75
- The 1989 Alfa Romeo 75 V6 3.0 Veloce featured here is the same car bought by Jeremy Clarkson for the “Alfa Challenge” in Top Gear Season 11, Episode 3. The episode, which aired on July 6, 2008, had the presenters each buy an Alfa for under £1,000. Clarkson’s car survived a hard day at the track and even a concours attempt.
- The Alfa 75 debuted in 1985 with engineering aimed at keen drivers. It offered 50/50 weight distribution via a rear-mounted transaxle, four-wheel disc brakes (with inboard rear discs), independent front suspension, and a rear de Dion setup. Higher-spec models received a limited-slip differential and upgraded interiors.
- Powertrain options ranged from 1.6 liter inline-fours to 3.0 liter V6s, with turbocharged petrol and diesel variants also offered. The 75 achieved competition success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including wins in the Italian Superturismo Championship and multiple Giro d’Italia automobilistico events.
- Clarkson’s ex-Top Gear Alfa remains cosmetically untouched from filming, preserving dents and scrapes, though it has been mechanically overhauled with over £4,500 spent on servicing. It is offered with spare doors and a hood and is set to be auctioned by Iconic Auctioneers on August 24, with an estimated price of £12,000–£15,000.
History Speedrun: The Alfa Romeo 75
The Alfa Romeo 75 made its debut in 1985, and for the more sporting-minded sedan driver the car was very promising indeed. It featured styling by the head of Centro Stile Alfa Romeo, Ermanno Cressoni, a stiff unibody shell, near perfect 50/50 weight distribution, front and rear disc brakes, and well-tuned suspension.
In the North American market, the Alfa Romeo 75 was marked as the Alfa Romeo Milano, and only the 2.5 and 3.0 liter versions were offered. Image courtesy of Alfa Romeo.
This weight distribution had been achieved by the fitment of a rear-mounted transaxle, similar to the contemporary Porsche 944. This shifted the transmission into the same casing as the differential, moving a lot of weight back in the car and improving handling as a result.
Suspension consisted of an independent torsion bar arrangement up front, with a de Dion tube in the rear – a significant improvement over the more traditional live axle setup. Higher end versions of the 75, the 2.0 liter Twin Spark and the 3.0 liter V6, were also fitted with a limited-slip differential as standard.
The front disc brakes were located at the hubs as you might expect, but the rear discs were inboard to reduce the unsprung mass at the back wheels – a decision made to further help with handling. A fairly broad variety of engines were offered in the car, from the small 1.6 liter inline-four Alfa Twin Cam up to the 3.0 liter Alfa V6. There were also turbo petrol and turbo diesel versions.
The Alfa 75 enjoyed some race track success, winning the 1988 Italian Superturismo Championship series (Alfa 75 Turbo), the 9th and 10th Giro d’Italia automobilistico, and an additional second place in the 1991 Italian Superturismo Championship.
The car would be a key sales success for the Italian automaker, with 386,767 sold between its introduction in 1985 and its production ending in 1992. Higher-powered versions of the 75, like the 75 Turbo, 3.0 V6, and Turbo Evoluzione models, are now much sought after by Alfa collectors and enthusiasts.
The Alfa Romeo Top Gear Challenge
In the 3rd episode of season 11 of the venerable British automotive TV show Top Gear, the producers set the challenge that each of the three presenters – Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond – to buy an Alfa Romeo for under £1,000.
In the 3rd episode of season 11 of the venerable British automotive TV show Top Gear, the producers set the challenge that each of the three presenters – Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond – to buy an Alfa Romeo for under £1,000.
The three had often waxed lyrical about Alfas, Clarkson even went so far to say that you’re not a real car guy until you’ve owned one. The challenge would see him buy a 1989 Alfa Romeo 75 V6 3.0 Veloce, with Hammond choosing an Alfa Spider, and May buying an Alfa Romeo GTV.
The challenge saw the three men take their cars to a track day, where they all began to breakdown and watch parts fall off their cars. The Alfa 75 was even flipped up onto its side at one point. The cars were later entered into a concours competition, so the three set to work and Clarkson decided to paint his – with somewhat mixed results.
I won’t go into too much detail here in case you haven’t seen the episode, but I will say it’s one of the better challenges from this era as it highlighted a lot of the reliability issues that many vintage Alfa owners face.
The Ex-Clarkson Alfa Romeo 75 Shown Here
As noted in the introduction, this is the 1989 Alfa Romeo 75 V6 3.0 Veloce that was bought by Clarkson for the Alfa Top Gear Challenge. After filming wrapped the car was sold off, and the new owner lavished it with £4,500 of servicing – including a cam belt service, new clutch, a fully rebuilt gearbox, and more.
It was decided to keep the battle scars from filming all in place, a wise move, but it is being sold with replacement doors and a replacement hood should its next owner wish to put the car back to standard specification.
It was decided to keep the battle scars from filming all in place, a wise move, but it is being sold with replacement doors and a replacement hood should its next owner wish to put the car back to standard specification.
It’s now due to roll across the auction block with Iconic Auctioneers on the 24th of August and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or place a bid. The guide price is currently £12,000 – £15,000 or approximately $15,500 – $19,300 USD.
Images courtesy of Iconic Auctioneers + the BBC.
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.