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While Italian sports cars and supercars are desirable and great for enthusiastic driving, many of them are not suited for daily use.
Italian automakers make some of the most desirable cars on the planet – from the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Pagani to more affordable carmakers such as Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Lancia. While many motoring enthusiasts desire to one day own a Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Maserati, most of them are less practical and not suited for everyday use.
Luckily, Italian manufacturers have built cars for daily use but remain exciting and fun to drive. Alfa Romeo had some luck in this segment as they had their glorious Busso V6 which they stuffed into the front of not only their smaller sedans but also their run-of-the-mill hatchback. Fiat has a history of cheap and fun everyday vehicles, one of which is the Panda 100HP – a sort of sub-compact hot hatchback to rival the older French models. Among the best of the exciting Italian daily drivers is the automaker known as Lancia. The Delta was their mid-size hatchback offering and the HF Integrale, a sporty version, was specifically designed as a homologation model for rallying.
So, while Italian sports cars and supercars are extremely desirable and great for enthusiastic driving, many of them are not suited for everyday use. With that, here are ten times Italian carmakers built super-desirable everyday cars.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia streamed back into dealerships in 2016 and hasn’t stopped since. It is a fantastic alternative to the likes of the BMW 3-Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. While the standard models include the Veloce with the 2.0-liter turbo-4 and even a 2.2-liter turbo diesel in Europe, it is the top-spec Quadrifoglio Verde that caught everyone’s attention.
The Giulia QV is fitted with a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6, which is essentially the same engine Ferrari use in their V8 cars – just with two cylinders lobbed off. The Giulia QV is brilliant as it is comfortable, fast, and sounds amazing, easily able to do both track days around Monza and sit in the daily traffic of Rome.
The Maserati Quattroporte has a long history of being Poseidon’s Trident’s go-to luxury sedan. The fifth generation of the Quattroporte is arguably the best of the bunch with its Ferrari-Maserati V8 and incredible styling.
The Quattroporte V was originally sold with the Duo-Select automated-manual transmission used in Ferraris but was ditched for a more conventional ZF torque-converter automatic to create the Quattroporte Automatica, one of the best sports sedans on the planet. It also makes for a comfortable daily driver.
Related: A Detailed Look At The 2006 Maserati Quattroporte
The Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evolutione was the top-spec of the road-going Delta models and has since become quite the collectible. The HF Integrale featured a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 which produced an impressive 207 hp – upped to 217 in the Evolutione II – and 220 lb-ft of torque.
The Delta HF Integrale sent power to all four wheels via a 5-speed manual and completed the 0-60 mph sprint in just 5.7 seconds – not bad for an early 1990s hot hatchback. The Delta HF may be gone, but multiple companies – including Automobilli Amos – have set up shop to both modify and restore older models.
The Alfa Romeo 156 was the Italian marque’s mid-tier sedan designed to do battle with the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4. It mostly had 4-cylinder engines in both naturally aspirated gasoline and turbocharged diesel configurations. The best of the range was the 156 GTA.
Inspired by the original GTA of the 1960s, Alfa Romeo stuffed the glorious Busso V6 in the front of the vehicle and lightened the rest of the car. The Busso was enlarged to 3.2 liters – the largest iteration built by Alfa Romeo. It produced 250 hp and 220 lb-ft of torque, sending all the rampaging Italian horses to the front wheels only via a 6-speed manual.
The 147 was developed alongside the 156 and shared a platform – much like the BMW F20 1-Series and F30 3-Series did. The 147 was on the market between 2000 and 2010, but the best version, the 147 GTA, only lasted until 2005.
The 147 GTA shared the 3.2-liter capacity of the 156’s Busso V6, meaning the same 250 hp and 220 lb-ft went through a 6-speed manual to the front wheels. The car was criticized for its lack of steering feel but was abundantly praised for its engine characteristics and driving experience – even within cities.
The 159 replaced the 156 and while Alfa Romeo never made a specific Quadrifiglio model for the 159, the top-spec model featured the same 3.2-liter Busso V6 as the previous Four-Leaf Clover model. The V6 in this application produced 256 hp and 237 lb-ft, thanks to some reworking.
Unlike the 156 GTA, the 159 3.2 was available as a four-wheel-drive sedan and wagon in Q4 trim, as well as the normal front-drive configuration. Interestingly, the base gearbox was a 6-speed manual, with a special 6-speed automated manual as an option for those who didn’t want to shift gears themselves on an everyday basis.
Related: Here's Our Verdict On The Alfa Romeo 159 (And Whether You Should Buy One)
The Fiat 500 was the Italian people’s cheap car with which to help rebuild the country after the end of the Second World War. In the late 2000s, Fiat revived the 500 nameplate and created a super-mini and a fantastic city car. Today, the 500 is available as an electric vehicle.
The sporty version of the 500 is the Abarth, which features a 1.4-liter turbocharged inline-4. The 500 Abarth stays front-wheel-drive but gains a sportier gearshift, more tech, and an exhaust note which would scare a Golf GTI. It is a fantastic little hot hatchback that is faster than a Mazda MX-5 and Fiat 124 Spider.
The Fiat Dino was a sporty GT-like coupe that was sold by the Italian automaker between 1966 and 1973. The Dino got its name thanks to the engine, which came straight from the House of Ferrari. The 2.0-liter – and later 2.4-liter – V6 was the brainchild of Enzo Ferrari’s son, Dino, who had tragically died in 1956 due to health problems.
The Fiat Dino was styled by Bertone and the Coupe featured a 2+2 layout. The engine produced 158 hp between 1966 and 1969, before being enlarged and upgraded to 178 hp between 1969 and 1973. The later car also gained a better gearbox with a dog-leg layout, improving driving dynamics and the overall experience.
The original Fiat Panda arrived in 1980 and remained in production until 2003 when the second generation took over. The new Panda was much improved and had more modern technology. It was such a massive hit in Europe that Fiat even produced a sportier version called the Panda 100HP.
The Panda 100HP produced, as probably guessed, 100 hp from its 1.4-liter inline-4 engine. The car was also lowered, widened, and had a completely revised suspension setup, firming up the ride. It also came with a 6-speed manual transmission, an upgrade over the 5-speed used in the normal Panda models. The Panda 100HP is a fantastic daily driver as it offers sportiness and fun, even when driving at city speed limits.
The Ferrari Roma is one of the newer Ferrari models to grace the world, and it is one of the best-looking cars to come out of the Pininfarina design house in a long time. The beautiful curves and bulges all along the side of the vehicle give it a presence rarely seen these days.
The Roma, being the smaller GT-orientated car below the big V12 flagship, is softer and more compliant for everyday use. You can easily thrash it around Fiorano at top speed, only to be driven back to the Riviera in true grand touring fashion. The Roma is definitely one of the recent super-desirable Ferrari models which can be driven every day.
Michael De Kock is passionate about cars and everything from avocados to particle accelerators. He has studied psychology and knows a little bit about fixing cars (old Land Rovers mostly). He also blogs and has a book, 125 Creative Writing Prompts for Petrolheads, available on Amazon. His philosophy in life: Stop the hate - Adopt a V8.