The Alfa Romeo GTV6 was the six-cylinder evolution of Alfa Romeo’s Giugiaro-designed Alfetta coupé family. It grew out of the earlier Alfetta GTV, but the GTV6 gave the nameplate a distinctly different character by fitting the coupé with Alfa Romeo’s Busso V6, turning the car from a lively four-cylinder sports coupe into one of the brand’s most admired grand tourers of the 1980s. The model reached the market in 1981 and remained in production through 1986.
The GTV6 is remembered as the final and most desirable road-going chapter of the Alfetta coupé lineage, combining the transaxle chassis, rear De Dion suspension and sharp wedge-shaped body with a smoother and more charismatic engine note than the four-cylinder cars. That mix of balance, style and sound gave it a strong enthusiast following in period and a lasting reputation among Alfa Romeo fans.
It also became important in motorsport. The GTV6 was widely campaigned in touring car racing and rallying, helping reinforce Alfa Romeo’s sporting image during the early 1980s. Special-market versions and homologation-focused derivatives added to its legend, but the core road car was always the classic two-door V6 Alfa that bridged the old Alfetta era and the company’s later performance cars.
Because it was the last production evolution of the original Alfetta coupé concept, the GTV6 occupies a special place in Alfa Romeo history: stylish, mechanically distinctive, and closely tied to the brand’s competition heritage.