In this series, we take a look at cars from the past to see if they have aged well or poorly from an aesthetic point of view. Driving dynamics, practicality, and the ownership experience are pushed aside entirely to allow a complete take on cars’ appearances since their production.
Alfa Romeos of the 2005-2015 period were a strange set of cars with a challenging task: creating cars with a premium brand image, but with mechanical underpinnings borrowed from downmarket sister-company Fiat.
Due to their fairly inconsistent reputation, Alfa couldn’t just expect buyers to accept a premium price tag, unlike their Germanic competitors Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Thus, Alfa was forced to try and create premium-looking, feeling and performing cars, without enormous budgets or a consistent and predictable customer base.
But, wow, they didn’t half try.
The Alfa Romeo 159 is still a remarkably handsome car, both as a saloon or in the Sportwagon estate body style. Designed by the legendary Giorgetto Guigiaro, in collaboration with Alfa Romeo’s Central Design Studio, the 159 combines classic Alfa Romeo design cues, such as the V-shaped grille and bonnet, with a cleanliness of execution that has stood the test of time.
Cleanliness should not be mistaken for simplicity however, the 159 has a high waistline that starts at the front bumper and continues, unbroken, along the length of the car before concluding at the boot. The lightly flared wheel arches add a subtle hint of performance potential, and give the car a wonderful stance – it sits on the road neatly, and its proportions are trim.
The front end is tidy, with small lights, that allow the 159’s bodywork surfaces to breathe in comparison with the angular edges that are so commonplace in contemporary car design. The Alfa smartly dodges the oversized brake light clusters that age so many cars built in the same period, with its small blade-like rear lights.
Combined with the ten-spoke 19 inch wheels, the 159 looks remarkably contemporary and could perhaps even be mistaken for a car released in 2021. It certainly is a car that benefits from low-profile tyres, which help prevent the wheels from looking buried in their arches.
The important point of this is that rivals from the same period, such as the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series from 2008 have begun to show their age. Both manufacturers have continually released new versions of these models, which leaves their older cars looking increasingly dated.
The combination of the 159’s simple yet classic shape and its lack of a successor since 2005 has preserved it as a timeless beauty. This car has definitely aged well…
Kerbside 