Launched at the 1992 Geneva Motor Show, the all-new Alfa Romeo 155 would form the basis for two distinct touring cars that both debuted in 1993. This coincided with the adoption of a new set of regulations that distinguished between the altogether more liberal Division 1 (D1) and the tighter Division 2 (D2) categories. D1 was used only by the German DTM series, whereas most national and international series embraced D2, which was similar to the Supertouring rules that had already governed the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) since 1990.

For the 1993 Italian Superturismo Championship, Alfa Corse created a new Division 2 version of the 155. Dubbed the 155 TS, it used the factory shell that was lightened considerably by stripping it of all the unnecessary ancillaries and to bring it to the 950 kg minimum weight. Power came from a naturally aspirated, two-litre engine. It produced 275hp in its first incarnation and would later be developed to exceed 300hp. This power was transferred to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.

Four examples of the 155 TS were entered in the Italian Championship with a driver line-up that included Formula 1 racers Gabriele Tarquini and Gianni Morbidelli....