The 155 V6 TI was derived from the road-going Alfa Romeo 155 saloon, but shared little with it beyond basic body proportions. Developed for the ultra-competitive Class 1 regulations that governed the DTM in the early 1990s, the car was built around a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre 60-degree V6 engine rated at 426 PS (313 kW; 420 hp) at 11,500 rpm, mated to a four-wheel-drive system. Class 1 rules demanded production-silhouette bodywork but allowed radical mechanical freedoms, producing cars that were effectively purpose-built racing machines in road-car clothing. The 155 V6 TI weighed approximately 1,060 kilograms and could reach a top speed of around 300 km/h.
Alfa Corse entered two 155 V6 TIs for works drivers Nicola Larini and Alessandro Nannini at the start of the 1993 DTM season. The car proved immediately and devastatingly competitive. Larini dominated the championship, winning 11 of the 22 races and clinching the drivers' title with authority. The team's total race haul that season was exceptional, and the combination of four-wheel drive traction and high-revving V6 power made the 155 V6 TI difficult to challenge on circuits where traction mattered.
In 1994, Mercedes-Benz brought renewed factory pressure to bear and the title fight became closer. Despite Alfa continuing to win races, the Germans delivered more consistent results across the field and claimed the championship. Alfa still managed eleven victories that season, demonstrating the car's outright pace remained largely undiminished.
From the 1995 season, the team raced under new sponsorship from Martini Racing, giving the 155 V6 TI one of its most recognisable liveries. The DTM was reconstituted as the International Touring Car Championship for 1995, expanding to include more rounds and additional manufacturers. A revised variant of the car appeared in 1996 powered by a new 2.5-litre naturally aspirated 90-degree V6 engine based on the PRV architecture, developing 490 PS (360 kW; 483 hp) at 11,900 rpm. The 155 V6 TI finished third in the ITC drivers' standings in 1996 with Nannini.
The 155 V6 TI recorded 38 official championship victories plus three additional wins in non-championship races. Those victories were shared among seven drivers: Nicola Larini led the tally with 17 wins (plus one non-championship), Alessandro Nannini contributed 13 (plus one), Stefano Modena added two, Christian Danner two (plus one), Michael Bartels two, Kris Nissen one, and Gabriele Tarquini one. Larini's 1993 title remained the headline achievement — the dominant performance of a single season that elevated the 155 V6 TI into the canon of great touring car racers.
The car's record was also historically significant: when Mirko Bortolotti won the 2024 DTM title with Lamborghini, he became the first Italian driver in an Italian car to win the DTM since Larini's 1993 triumph with Alfa Romeo.
The Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI stood as the benchmark of Class 1 touring car racing and cemented the reputation of the 155 road car, which had initially received a lukewarm reception from critics. Its success in the DTM — alongside parallel championship wins in the Italian Superturismo, Spanish, and British Touring Car series using the separate 155 GTA variant — established the 155 as one of the most comprehensively successful touring car platforms of its era. Alfa Corse's effort in the DTM was subsequently not repeated at the same level until partnerships with customer teams many years later.
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