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Alfa Romeo has, in the shape of the Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon, launched the first car that combines the versatility and flexibility of a wagon with state of the art technology direct from Formula One for the maximum driving excitement.

The Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon Selespeed is fitted with the Italian car maker's unique sequential manual gearbox, which uses the same technology - hardware and software - as the Ferrari Formula One cars to enable the driver to effortlessly change gears in the manual gearbox using steering wheel-mounted buttons.

"When the Alfa 156 Selespeed saloon was launched, leading commentators announced that the world's sports saloon had just got better," says Rob Dommerson, General Manager for Alfa Romeo in Australia. "With the launch of the Selespeed version of the Alfa Romeo Sportwagon, the only conclusion must be that Alfa Romeo now produces the ultimate cargo carrier!"

The Selespeed system provides the instant response that only a manual gearbox equipped car can provide, yet at the same time there is no clutch pedal. The Selespeed system changes the gears in the manual gearbox and operates the clutch in as little as 0.4 of a second. It also matches engine and road speed during up and down shifts and it even boasts a self-shifting 'City' mode.

Just as in all Formula One cars, the gears are selected without the driver taking their hands off the steering wheel. As an alternative to the steering wheel mounted buttons, the driver may change gears by flicking the gear stick forwards or backwards to move up and down through the gears.

"Driving a Selespeed equipped Alfa Romeo is unlike driving any other car," says Rob Dommerson. "The instant response of the gearbox, combined with the power of the Twin Spark engine makes the Selespeed a delight to hustle through the bends on a winding road. Add this to the space and flexibility of a wagon and Alfa Romeo has produced a uniquely satisfying car to own. Selespeed accounts for more than half of all Alfa 156 saloon sales in Australia and we fully expect this figure to be repeated with the 156 Sportwagon."

The Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon Selespeed will go on sale in Australia on 1 August 2000 alongside its conventional gearbox brother, the Sportwagon Twin Spark. Both share the same advanced 2.0 litre Twin Spark 114 kW engine and an unusually high level of standard equipment. Prices and the full specification will be announced when the Sportwagon goes on sale in Australia.

The Alfa Romeo Selespeed system - How it works

While other automatic gearboxes seek to mimic Formula One style operation - manual operation of a normal automatic gearbox by locking the gearbox in each gear - the Alfa Romeo 156 Selespeed is the real thing. It is directly derived from the Ferrari Formula One programme and offers exactly the same operation characteristics as the car drIt is a five speed manual gearbox with a dry plate clutch. Gear changes are made by the computer system, which not only changes gear but also alters the fuel flow to the engine as the gears change. This means gear changes happen in 0.4 of a second and for maximum acceleration the driver simply keeps his foot flat to the floor and punches through the gears with the buttons on the steering wheel.

From an engineering point of view, a conventional gearshift involves three stages. During the first stage, the clutch is opened to remove power from the wheels; during the second stage, with zero power, the driver selects and engages the gear and during the third stage the clutch closes to resume sending power to the wheels and engine speed begins to rise again.

The Selespeed gearbox implements these manoeuvres in a fully automatic manner. When the driver changes gear, there is no longer any requirement to release the accelerator pedal and depress the clutch; the electronic unit controls the gearbox and requests the clutch opening, it reduces the torque regardless of the accelerator position and it selects and engages the gears.

The Selespeed is to all intents and purposes a robotised manual gearbox. The decision over which speed to be engaged is left to the driver, but three actuators intervene to carry out the actions that are normally performed during conventional gear shifts. One controls the clutch, the other controls the engagement and the third controls the speed selection.

A fourth actuator is linked to the engine's electronic - or fly by wire - throttle. This device manages power delivery on the basis of requests received through the gearbox control system. During gearshifts Selespeed is in charge of the engine to ensure maximum performance and remove any risk of damage to any part of the drivetrain as the Selespeed system runs through its programs.

The two major advantages of the Selespeed system are the speed of its gear change and the absence of the torque converter used in automatic gearboxes that saps the performance.

Shift time is measured from the beginning of the power removal to the end of the re-application of the power. With a conventional manual gearbox, this operation takes a minimum of between one and one and a half seconds with even the most expert of drivers. In normal driving mode, Selespeed takes approximately the same amount of time, for driving comfort. However, when the gearbox is used in 'Sport' mode, which is engaged simply by pressing the accelerator through more than 60 per cent of its travel and the engine speed is above 5000 rpm, gearshifts are accomplished in less than 0.4 of a second.

The Selespeed gearbox makes it possible to push performance driving to the edge of the envelope without altering engine performance, which means that unlike any other conventional automatic gearbox, there is no blunting of either acceleration or top speed with the Selespeed gearbox.

With gear selection operated by two buttons on the steering wheel, the driver is left free to concentrate on steering and braking, which are more strong points of the Alfa Romeo 156 saloon and Sportwagon. And if the driver forgets to change gear under full-bore acceleration, the Selespeed system will change gear automatically.

Sporty and performance orientated when needed, Selespeed is also comfortable and easy to drive. The Selespeed can work in two modes: manual shifting and self shifting. In the first the driver changes the gears manually using the buttons on the steering wheel and the system automatically operates the clutch, selects the gears, engages them and operates the engine during shifts. In the second case, when the city button is pressed, shift controls and decisions over the type of gear to be engaged are delegated to the Selespeed computer and the driver is left free to enjoy a relaxed drive that is particularly useful in city driving conditions.

Selespeed:
How it is used to drive the Alfa Romeo 156 saloon and Sportwagon

The Alfa Romeo 156 Selespeed is a very easy car to drive. To start the car moving, simply depress the brake pedal and engage first, second (in slippery conditions) or reverse gears by using the gear stick, as the buttons on the steering wheel do not become active until the car is doing more than 10 kmh.

With a gear engaged, simply release the foot brake, press the accelerator and the Selespeed moves off. Once the car is doing more than 10 kmh, either the gear stick or the steering wheel buttons can be used to change gears. If both controls are accidentally used at the same time, the gearstick has priority. As mentioned above, there is no requirement to ease off on the accelerator during up-shifts or to bring the revs up on down shifts: this is handled automatically by the Selespeed system.

The built-in safety system means that the drive train is fully protected from gearchanges that would damage it. In other words if the engine and road speeds in the gear chosen are not compatible, Selespeed will not change the gear and a visual warning will be presented on the dashboard gear indicator. The system will not leave the driver stranded in neutral, though, as it will select a suitable gear for the road and engine speed.

In emergency braking manoeuvers, the Selespeed system automatically changes down through the gears, providing additional braking force and balance for the car under braking. Likewise, the car can detect when it is descending a hill and will shift down through the gears for engine braking and increased balance.

Going down through the gearbox is just as easy as accelerating and Selespeed removes the need for heel and toeing as each time it engages a lower gear it raises the engine speed to match the road speed in the new gear automatically.

As the car comes to a halt, the clutch automatically disengages preventing the car from stalling. If the car does not come to a complete halt, the system automatically selects the ideal gear for moving off at any given speed.

To disengage the system, press the brake pedal and move the gear lever to one side. For safety reasons, the system will not engage neutral at speeds over 40 kmh.

For safe parking, the 156 Selespeed must be left in a gear. If this not done, a buzzer reminds the driver that he must leave the car in a gear. When the engine is started, Selespeed puts the car in neutral before activating the starter motor.

Once the engine has been switched off, Selespeed deactivates itself, but not before it has run a self-diagnostic program and stored the data from that programme and from the just completed trip in its memory.

Selespeed and safety

The Alfa Romeo Selespeed boasts a series of features designed to prevent the driver making incorrect decisions that could create dangerous situations or damage the system. Selespeed is, therefore, able to ensure maximum safety in all situations.

These features include:

• The engine may only be started in neutral and with the foot brake applied. If the car is in gear when the engine is started it automatically goes into neutral
• The brake pedal must be depressed to engage a gear when the car is at standstill. This prevents the car moving off by accident.
• When the car is stationary only three gears suited for moving off may be engaged, first, second and reverse.
• When the car is traveling at less than 10 kmh, only the gearshift may be used to engage gears, the steering wheel buttons are disabled so that they cannot be used accidentally in low speed manoeuvering.
• If the buttons and gearstick are operated simultaneously, the gearstick has priority.
• Reverse cannot be engaged if the car is moving forwards or backwards.
• Gearchanges are not permitted if they take the engine outside its operational range.
• If the driver passes the redline, the engine will change up a gear of its own accord.
• Neutral is inhibited at speeds above 40 kmh.
• The car moves into neutral and a buzzer sounds when the driver's door is opened with the engine running for more then a second; if the accelerator and brake are not depressed within a minute of a gear being selected; if the oil pressure is too low to safely operate the gearbox.
• City mode is cancelled as soon as the gear stick or buttons on the steering wheel are touched.
• A warning light on the dashboard tells the driver which gear the car is in and the operational status of the system.

The Selespeed system runs full diagnostic checks on itself on start up and close down and recalls all intermittent faults for checking by service technicians. If the system is faulty, it first locks in city mode and then, if the fault or problem becomes worse, closes down systems to protect the car and enable the driver to reach a service centre.

Selespeed: How it works

The Selespeed system is a hydraulically run, computer-operated system that uses an electric pump to produce the energy for the system to operate. The hydraulic system operates both the clutch and the gears. To ensure that there is no delay in setting off while the system comes up to pressure, the pump activates when the driver's door is opened, ensuring that there is sufficient hydraulic pressure the moment the engine is started.

The fuel management and fly-by-wire system is the same Magneti Marelli system used in the Ferrari 360M and it communicates continuously with the Bosch Motronic engine management system that controls the engine.

To achieve this, the fly-by-wire system calls on information from the position of the accelerator pedal, the road speed, engine speed, and the power requirements being indicated by the driver. The system is also supplied with information from speed sensors and potentiometers located at specific points and on various parts of the drivetrain that it uses to monitor the entire drivetrain.

In City mode, the gearbox operates on a single programme that is biased towards urban use or heavy traffic roads.

The 156 Sportwagon: A unique motoring proposition!

Based on the award winning Alfa Romeo 156 sports saloon, the Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon has become the style and performance benchmark in its class in Europe, where this class of car accounts for up to 43 per cent of the sales of the 156's competitors. Alfa Romeo has striven to ensure that, despite the requirements of a wagon, none of the classic character traits that have made Alfa Romeo a byword for performance cars would be diluted.

For this reason Alfa Romeo stylists altered the 156 saloon from the 'B' pillar backwards and gave it new rear doors, rather than only making the changes from the 'C' pillar back and retaining the sedans rear doors. This ensures that the Sportwagon has the full flowing coupe lines of its sedan brother. Likewise the clever rear door that hinges into the roof ensures maximum space and maximum door opening. It even includes an intelligent rear wing that only becomes fully operational when needed by lifting a rubber seal to allow air flow.

Australia will have two versions of the Sportwagon, both fully equipped with the comprehensive level of standard equipment that has, along with performance, become a byword for Alfa Romeo in Australia. They will also share the unique 2.0 litre 114 kW Twin Spark engine with a choice of a five speed manual gearbox or the Formula One sourced Selespeed sequential gearbox.

"The Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon is a remarkable car," says Mr Dommerson. "It has the looks of a coupe, it has the driving experience of a benchmark sports sedan and its boasts the versatility and flexibility of wagon. Add the unique Alfa Romeo Selespeed system and it is easy to see that this is a very special car!"