The Milano is easily one of the coolest sedans Alfa Romeo ever put out.
Elsewhere these were known as simply the "75", to commemorate 75 years of Alfa Romeo making automobiles. Alfa debuted the car in 1985 to replace the obscure 1977-85 Giulietta. The 75/Milano was intended to raise the bar in comfort, handling, performance and quality, and it mostly succeeded.
Underneath the hood lay some impressive statistics. These were offered with four or six cylinders powering the rear-wheels. The Milano was almost perfectly balanced from front to rear, with the engine and torsion bar weighing down the front and the gearbox, rear differential, and de Dion tube shock absorbers in the rear.
The styling by Ermanno Cressoni, however, is perhaps most fascinating. It is a striking combination of crisp hard lines and angles. The body is long and narrow, with a tapered front end and high chunky rear. There are almost no curves, except for the wheel wells and wheels. It has this hardcore, hunkered-down, aggressive techno-industrial kind of look, especially with all the black plastic trim used. It's highly functional looking and yet sculptural at the same time but never pretentious or wasteful. It's extremely edgy and and now seems ahead of it's time. The long hood and large truncated rear has become the 21st century shape of the entry level sports sedan from BMW to Lexus.
The interior is also pure 80s Mod, a stack of squares and rectangles that houses gauges, lights and switches. It also featured a dashboard-mounted diagnostic computer that monitored life signs of all vital systems. When you're inside the cockpit of the Milano, you're in the zone. Also note a pre-airbag steering wheel.
The seller of this immaculate survivor is not the original owner but says only one person has owned it previously since new. The seller says it was bought new in San Francisco and has remained in California since.
Cosmetically, they say it has no rust, a huge plus for a vintage Alfa, and seems to be wearing the original paint. They say the handsome original alloys and Pirelli tires are also intact. Inside, they say the cloth seats are in great shape and the dash is crack-free. The say the headliner is sagging and there is no radio, but the a/c blows cold and all lights and gauges work.
Mechanically, they say the 2.5-liter V6 runs and drives, the 5-speed manual transmission shifts well and steering is tight and responsive. They do note the rear differential whines, however.
Production of the 75/Milano ended in 1992. It was the last Alfa built by them before Fiat's takeover, and the last RWD sedan they offered in North America. In 1995, they pulled out of here altogether.
This could be a nice opportunity to snag a fun sedan for relatively cheap. Maintenance is key, so check and see if the seller has any records. Be prepared to invest in repairs and expensive parts. Other than that, pamper it and bring it to the local Italian classics show.
Find it here on ebay in San Carlos, California with bidding starting at $1,987 and a Buy-It-Now of $4,487.
