The
Alfa Romeo Arna was a
subcompactA subcompact car is an automobile in a North American vehicle size class, encompassing vehicles smaller than compact cars...
automobileAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
produced by the
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
manufacturer
Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automaker founded on June 24, 1910 in Milan. Alfa Romeo has been a part of the Fiat Group since 1986, and since February 2007 a part of Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. The company was owned by Italian state holding company Istituto per la Ricostruzione...
between 1983 and 1987.
Launched at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Arna was a product of a short-lived partnership between Alfa Romeo and
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese manufacturer Nissan; the car's name was an acronym meaning
Alfa Romeo Nissan Autoveicoli. The Arna was essentially a twin of the N12 series
Nissan PulsarThe Nissan Pulsar was a compact car/small family car produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1978, when it debuted as a subcompact car, to 2007, when it was replaced in all markets by the Nissan Tiida . It was originally conceived as a replacement for Nissan's first front-wheel drive...
/
Nissan CherryThe Datsun Cherry , known later as the Nissan Cherry, was a series of small cars which formed Nissan's first front-wheel-drive model line....
(also known as the
Nissan Cherry Europe in Europe and the
Nissan Pulsar Milano in Japan), but featured Alfa Romeo engines carried over from the
AlfasudThe Alfa Romeo Alfasud is a compact car made by Alfa Romeo of Italy from 1971 to 1989. It was considered one of Alfa Romeo's most successful models, sold 893,719 examples from 1972 to 1983 plus 121,434 Sprint versions from 1976 to 1989...
, as well as an Alfa
transmissionA transmission or gearbox provides speed and torque conversions from a rotating power source to another device using gear ratios, including for a motor vehicle partly because of the limitations of internal combustion engines...
and front
suspensionSuspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose – contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
.
The
Alfa Romeo Arna was a
subcompactA subcompact car is an automobile in a North American vehicle size class, encompassing vehicles smaller than compact cars...
automobileAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
produced by the
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
manufacturer
Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automaker founded on June 24, 1910 in Milan. Alfa Romeo has been a part of the Fiat Group since 1986, and since February 2007 a part of Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. The company was owned by Italian state holding company Istituto per la Ricostruzione...
between 1983 and 1987.
Launched at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Arna was a product of a short-lived partnership between Alfa Romeo and
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese manufacturer Nissan; the car's name was an acronym meaning
Alfa Romeo Nissan Autoveicoli. The Arna was essentially a twin of the N12 series
Nissan PulsarThe Nissan Pulsar was a compact car/small family car produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1978, when it debuted as a subcompact car, to 2007, when it was replaced in all markets by the Nissan Tiida . It was originally conceived as a replacement for Nissan's first front-wheel drive...
/
Nissan CherryThe Datsun Cherry , known later as the Nissan Cherry, was a series of small cars which formed Nissan's first front-wheel-drive model line....
(also known as the
Nissan Cherry Europe in Europe and the
Nissan Pulsar Milano in Japan), but featured Alfa Romeo engines carried over from the
AlfasudThe Alfa Romeo Alfasud is a compact car made by Alfa Romeo of Italy from 1971 to 1989. It was considered one of Alfa Romeo's most successful models, sold 893,719 examples from 1972 to 1983 plus 121,434 Sprint versions from 1976 to 1989...
, as well as an Alfa
transmissionA transmission or gearbox provides speed and torque conversions from a rotating power source to another device using gear ratios, including for a motor vehicle partly because of the limitations of internal combustion engines...
and front
suspensionSuspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose – contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
. It did however use an independent rear suspension from Nissan. The body panels of the car were constructed in Japan by Nissan, then shipped to the then-new Alfa factory in Pratola Serra, near
NaplesNaples in Italy, is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture, architecture, music and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,800 years old...
, for assembly. Italian-built cars badged as Nissan Cherry Europe can be readily identified by their rear lighting clusters, which match those of the Arna rather than the Japanese-built Cherry.
The Arna was however not an economic success, and production ceased after only four years, most likely due to the bizarre fact that the Arna exhibited the worst qualities of each of its parents. While customers would expect an Italian-Japanese vehicle to feature Italian styling and lithe driving dynamics coupled to robust Japanese mechanical and electronic systems, the idiosyncratic Arna was the complete reverse. It carried on some electrical issues and tempestuous mechanicals married to a Nissan body of questionable build and frumpy styling, with insipid handling common to Japanese cars of the time. This mis-match of technical strengths served to kill the sales of the Arna very rapidly. The Arna is listed as number 26 in the Richard Porter book, "Crap Cars".
Models
The Arna was constructed initially as 3-door L version and 5-door SL with Alfasud 1.2 boxer engine (63 PS). In 1984 was introduced
3-door TI version with 1.3 boxer engine, this version was capable to reach top speed. In 1985 came more powerful 1.2 engine with and there was also some TI trim cars built with 1.5 boxer engine, sold also as Nissan Cherry Europe GTI. The 1.5 TI/Cherry GTI had top speed of .
Engines
- 1.2 L (1186 cc
A cubic centimetre or cubic centimeter is a commonly used unit of volume extending the derived SI-unit cubic metre and corresponds to the volume of a cube measuring 1×1×1 cm...
) Flat-4
- 1.2 L (1186 cc
A cubic centimetre or cubic centimeter is a commonly used unit of volume extending the derived SI-unit cubic metre and corresponds to the volume of a cube measuring 1×1×1 cm...
) Flat-4
- 1.4 L (1350 cc) Flat-4 or
- 1.5 L (1490 cc) Flat-4
Today
As long ago as 2000, it was reported that only 340 Alfa Romeo Arnas were still registered with the DVLA. Due to the Arna's serious problems, very few Arnas have survived in Britain, or anywhere for that matter.