Back in the 1980s, the penny finally dropped at Alfa Romeo that their cars were totally unreliable.

Sporty, great to drive and nicely designed, they looked great in the workshops of dealerships where they were being continually repaired.

Scratching their heads over how to make cars that could get from A to B without calling the AA on the way, Alfa realised that the makers of the most reliable cars in the world were in fact the Japanese and it was time to chat them up quickly.

After a quick saki- and chianti-fuelled lunch, a deal was struck with Nissan for the car that would replace the Alfasud, a much-loved car that was sadly about as trustworthy as an MP’s accountant.

The Japanese thought it was a great idea because it was high time they sexed up their image, and what better way than getting into bed with a glamorous Italian?

The child of this much-hyped union was born some time later and christened the Arna (Alfa Romeo Nissan Autoveicoli).

Effectively, it was a Nissan Cherry fitted with an old Alfasud engine and gearbox and bolted together in Naples.

So instead of bringing together Japanese reliability with Italian flair, the result was the complete opposite.

The Arna was a slab-sided ugly lump just like the Cherry and handled like a drunk on a skating rink.

It was just as likely to break down as the old Alfasud, with its dodgy electrics and engine, and offered none of the advantages for the good days when it did work.

Nissan at first thought the car was great and also badged it up as the Cherry Europe, so pleased were they at finally producing a piece of Western technology.

But they soon realised they had been ripped off when no-one in Europe or indeed Japan wanted one and they had effectively bought a pig in a poke.

Back in Italy, a quickie divorce between the two companies was hastily arranged and in 1987 the Arna ceased production after just four years.

Alfa went back to producing nice looking tempestuous vehicles which they are good at, while Nissan decided the best way to become more European was to actually build a plant in Sunderland.

andrew.smith@oxfordmail.co.uk