156 Series II

The late-2003 makeover saw a pointer nose of debatable appearance, refreshed tail-lights and titivated interior, plus upgrades to the car’s rigidity, handling and safety.

The sweet 121kW/206Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder JTS engines carried over from the last 156 update that replaced the lovely 2.0 Twin Spark unit in August 2002, as did the 141kW/218Nm 3.0-litre V6.

Five-speed manual and sequential manual Selespeed are the JTS gearbox choices, while the V6’s five-speed manual is preferable to the quaint four-speed clutchless manual Q-System.

The updated four-door 156 JTS wagon arrived from November 2003.