The Alfa Romeo

The Alfa Romeo

The Alfa Romeo Scighera (pronounced Shigeera) is a fully working futuristically-styled concept car designed and constructed by Italdesign of Turin, Italy in 1997. The Scighera is derived from the 164, and has an all aluminium body and frame structure is made of aluminium-carbon fibre composite, and powered by an Alfa Romeo TwinTurbo 3-liter V6 engine, and could accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. Horsepower was rated at 400 at 7,500 rpm, Scighera had a top speed of 186 mph (299 km/h) and its four-wheel drive gave it crisp handling. The four wheel drive system was derived from Alfa Romeo 155. Italdesign was considering even a small scale production but that never happened.

The car is featured in the 1998 racing computer game Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit, but only in the PC version.^[5] The PSX version uses the Nazca C2 instead.

The Alfa Romeo
The Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Scighera
Alfa Romeo Scighera
Alfa Romeo Scighera

Alfa Romeo Brera

The Alfa Romeo Brera is a sports car produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo since 2005. The Spider roadster has been produced since 2006. Both cars are manufactured by Pininfarina.

The Brera originally appeared as a concept car at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show. It was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign Giugiaro. The concept version was powered with Maserati V8 engine producing around 400 PS (395 hp/294 kW). The Brera was widely acclaimed, and production plans were subsequently announced for 2005.

The Alfa Romeo Brera was introduced in production form at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. It maintained the original's exterior appearance almost exactly but on a much smaller scale, becoming a mid-size coupe on the GM/Fiat Premium platform (shared with the Alfa Romeo 159), and designed to replace the outgoing GTV. A convertible Spider version of the Brera was also announced, to be launched shortly after the coupe and to replace the existing GTV-based Spider.

In Europe, the Brera is available with two petrol engines, the 185 PS (182 hp/136 kW) 2.2-litre JTS and 260 PS (256 hp/191 kW) 3.2-litre V6; and a 210 PS (207 hp/154 kW) 2.4-litre JTD turbodiesel. Cars with the diesel or 2.2 petrol are front-wheel drive, whilst the V6 comes with a Torsen four-wheel drive system similar to the 156 and 159's Q4.

For the "model year" 2008 Alfa Romeo Brera/Spider changes were made to the mechanics and the interiors of the cars. The 3.2 litre V6 version will now be offered in front wheel drive, as well as a four wheel drive version, allowing for a top speed of 250 kilometres per hour (160 mph). All model variants will be fitted with electronic Q2 limited slip differential. By using more aluminium parts a weight reduction of several kilos is achieved. These new versions were introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 2008.

For "model year" 2009 Alfa Romeo is introducing a new turbocharged petrol engine badged as "TBi", this 1742 cc unit has direct injection and variable valve timing in both inlet and exhaust cams. This new engine has 200 PS (147 kW; 197 hp) and 320 N·m (240 lb·ft) of torque. A 230 PS (169 kW; 227 bhp) version of the "Tbi" 1.75 litre will also be available later in the year which will give Brera a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of about 7.3 seconds.

Brera S

In Spring 2008 the Brera 'S' Special Edition was announced. This Alfa Romeo-approved British-only limited-run version was developed by British engineering specialists Prodrive and was intended to address criticism regarding the handling of the standard car. The suspension and chassis settings of the 'S' have been amended from the standard car, altering the handling characteristics. Alfa Romeo and Prodrive had previously collaborated in Motorsport, campaigning an Alfa Romeo 155 in the BTCC during 1994 and 1995.

Performance

Model Top Speed (km/h) (mph) Acc. (s/0–100 km/h)

1.8 TBi 235 (146) 7.7
2.2 JTS 222 (138) 8.6
2.2 JTS Selespeed 222 (138) 8.6
2.0 JTDM 218 (135) 8.8
2.4 JTDM 228 (142) 8.1
2.4 JTDM (210 PS) 230 (143) 7.9
2.4 JTDM (200 PS) Q-Tronic 225 (138) 8.3
3.2 V6 Q4 240 (149) 240 (149) 6.8
3.2 V6 FWD 250 (155) 7.0

Spider

The New Spider version (Type 939) was introduced at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, where it also received "Cabrio of the Year" award. Spider is based on the Brera coupe but is a pure 2-seater convertible.

At the beginning there were two engine options available: the 2.2L straight-4 and 3.2L V6 JTS engines, and the JTD common rail turbodiesel was introduced at 2007 Geneva Motor Show. This car replaced Spider 916 model, introduced in 1995. This Spider version can be seen as 6th generation of Alfa Spiders, the first version of which was released in 1966.

Alfa Romeo Mito Car Pictures

The Alfa Romeo MiTo (known internally as the type 955) is a three door sporty supermini officially introduced on 19 June 2008 in Castello Sforzesco in Milan and the international introduction was at British Motor Show in 2008. The car was available in all Alfa's major markets in stages from July. The three-door hatchback is front-wheel drive and will be sold to compete with the MINI and the upcoming Audi A1. Designed by Centro Stile Alfa Romeo, the design is believed to be inspired by the 8C Competizione.

The MiTo is built on Fiat/GM SCSS platform used on Fiat Grande Punto, also employed by the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa D.

The new car was provisionally named the "Junior". In 2007, a European competition was launched where the public had the chance to name the car. The winner from each country could win an Alfa Romeo Spider or an Alfa Romeo mountain bike. The winning name was "Furiosa", which scored well in Italy, France, UK and Germany but not in Spain.

However, on March 14 2008, Alfa Romeo announced officially that the name would instead be 'MiTo', an abbreviation of Milano (Milan) and Torino (Turin), because it was designed in the first and is going to be built in the second; the name is also a play on Italian «mito», meaning «myth» or «legend».

The car has new "Alfa DNA" system which allows driver to choose between three different driving settings; Dynamic, Normal and All-Weather, this setting controls the behaviour of engine, brakes, steering, suspension and gearbox. The MiTo has also LED tail lights and 250-litre (8.8 cu ft) boot space. The MiTo also features a Q2 electronic differential on the front wheels, which allows for faster and tighter cornering without loss of traction. The aggressiveness of the differential is linked to the DNA switch.

T H E C O N C E P T C A R S

Design has always been an important factor for Alfa Romeo. In fact, it's the combination of design and engine that has made it into the legend it certainly is today. There has been made quite a few Alfa concept cars over the years by the Alfa in-house design department Centero Stile, and by outside design houses like Pininfarina, Bertone, Zagato and Giugiaro/ItalDesign. Below are some of these concepts, - and cars made in very limited numbers. Most of these are not actually working, and were just made for showing off at different Motor Shows.

Pandion working concept by Bertone 2010
B.A.T. [Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica] 11 concept by Bertone 2008
Alfa Coleus by Scuola Politecnica di Design 2008
Diva concept by Alfa Romeo/Elasis 2006
8C Competizione concept by Alfa Romeo 2003

Alfa Romeo RZ Zagato Cars

The SZ had done the job it was meant to, but ultimately was quite hard to sell because of its extreme looks. A special racing class (the SZ Trophy) was introduced so the SZ (and RZ) could be used in competition on tracks all over Europe. Participants received a 25% discount on the not even exorbitant price of the cars in order to boost sales and to promote the series.

Regardless of the lacking commercial success of the SZ a new version appeared in 1992: the Roadster Zagato (RZ). Like the name indicates it was a convertible version of the SZ coupe. A year before Zagato had presented a SZ spider styling study, a remarkably elegant looking prototype SZ convertible with some curvy, almost feminine forms. But the actual RZ looked more like its SZ brother with angular shapes and the high waist line; more as if the SZ had been decapitated. However this car, unlike the SZ, was an original Zagato design.

A limited production of only 350 cars was announced, but the RZ proved to be even harder to sell than the SZ. Only 278 roadsters left the factory; 50 in 1992 and 228 in 1993. Like the SZ the RZ was sold and distributed outside Italy mostly by enthusiasts and specialists, and not by the official Alfa Romeo channels.

A remarkable feature in the interior are the "Kevlar" panels in the dashboard of the SZ, which give a racy light-weight impression. But it isn't really (expensive) carbon fibre material, only Fablon with a plastic coating. In the RZ these panels have been replaced by black coated aluminum panels.
The seats have no height adjustment and this means that taller people have reduced visibility in the RZ because of the low windscreen with the large top edge. The windscreen rim also acts as a roll-over bar in the RZ, hence its size.

Underneath the body not much was changed. Like the SZ the new RZ featured the 3.0 litre V6 with 210 hp and 245 Nm. A nice aspect of this engine is the even availability of torque: between 2500 and 6000 rpm there's always at least 230 Nm available. This makes the SZ and RZ flexible cars to drive, equally competent at touring as at performance driving. A downside to the RZ is its weight: 1380 kg, an increase by 120 kg causing it to be less nimble than the SZ. Maximum speed of the RZ is 230 kph and the car is capable of a 0-100 kph acceleration in 7.5 seconds.

The body of the RZ shows some revisions from that of the SZ. Most notably of course the (unlined) fold away top which disappears in a space behind the seats, under a lid with two typical Zagato bulges. Other changes include different side windows to fit the top, a new engine cover, now without the ribbed segment in the middle part in front of the windscreen, more concealed window wipers, a higher front spoiler to offer more ground clearance, revised side-skirts and a darker rear light strip.

Less noticeable but also a remarkable difference from the SZ is the utilization of thinner plastic panels in order to reduce weight. In all, creating the RZ required more than 500 new parts and all moulds for the plastic components had to be renewed. Quite expensive for such a limited production run.
With the top down the roadster looks less harmonious than the coupe, it gives an impression of a chunky wedge. It takes a lot of getting used to, but on the other hand it conveys a butch brutality, like a pumped up body-builder. The RZ is definitely a car for those who like to be noticed as non-conformists.

A typical Alfa Romeo characteristic can be found in the drive train of the SZ and RZ: the transaxle transmission construction. This means that the gearbox isn't directly attached to the engine, but to the rear axle, combined with the (limited slip) differential. The construction offers a better weight distribution with enhanced road holding as a result, but always had the downside of an indirect, uncomfortable gear change.

Alfa Romeo Scighera

p align="left">The Alfa Romeo Scighera was one of the oldest show cars present this year. But this design by Fabrizio Giugiaro, son of the well-known designer and founder of the ItalDesign studio Giorgetto Giugiaro, looks timeless. It's a mid-engined super sports car aimed to connect Alfa's modern technology to their famous racing past. At the time of its introduction at the Geneva Auto Show in 1997 the board of the Fiat Group, of which Alfa Romeo is a part, weren't impressed by it and more or less neglected the car., but in the way time works this was all to change, as you'll see further on.
The name of this car refers to a type of fog and in this case indicates secrecy and stealth. Originally it was presented in full red Alfa Romeo racing livery, but later its paint job was changed to this more sedate metallic grey, reminiscent of its ancestor, ItalDesign's BMW Nazca of 1991.

The Scighera is not just some show car, it's actually fully registered for road use. Even a limited scale production was considered for some time by ItalDesign. It's powered by Alfa's 3-litre V6 from the 164 sedan model, which is boosted to produce some 400 hp by a twin-turbo system. To get this amount of power on the road it features the four wheel drive technology from the Lancia Delta Integrale (which was also offered on the Alfa 155) and a 6-speed sequential transmission. At a vehicle weight of 1200 kg it must be a bomb to drive.
To ensure a limited vehicle weight the chassis frame is constructed from aluminum-carbon fibre composite material and the body is made from aluminum. If it gets hot under the dome like glass roof the side panels can be removed to let some air in. For easy access the roof panels fold upwards when the doors are opened.

It's an amazing car to look at, but it must have cost a fortune to build and to be honest: I liked the original Nazca better.

The Brera is a more recent attempt by ItalDesign at designing an Alfa Romeo sports car, and it looks to be a more viable one too. It was first shown at the 2002 Geneva Auto Show and remarkably its characteristics are not that much different from the Scighera, they're only more realistic in execution. The Brera is also constructed from lightweight materials, with a body made entirely from carbon fiber, and features 400 hp with all-wheel drive and sequential transmission as well. Only in this case a 4.2-litre V8 of Maserati origin, placed in front of the passengers compartment, is used to obtain a 402 hp power output.
It seems that ItalDesign is very committed to giving Alfa their sporting heritage back and after getting a shoe in at the Fiat Group by designing the Maserati coupe and spider the Giugiaros seized the opportunity to make another attempt at an Alfa sports car. And this time they found an open door at Alfa for this project. While the Fiat Group is in dire straights at this moment and looking frantically to expand their market, Alfa Romeo is committed to return on the US market. To make a big entry and to establish a selling point of stylish sportiness a model emphatic conveying these aspects is very much needed. And that's where Alfa and ItalDesign found each other.

This time the design is credited to Giugiaro senior and the exterior is not so much timeless as it is modern contemporary. It has the "blob" like appearance as shown by a number of concepts by other manufacturers/designers, apparently the current fashion for 2+2 GT cars. But its razor sharp front-end design, the creases on the sides and the pointy rear makes this design stand out in a positive manner. The long, aggressive nose makes no secret of the road-devouring potential of this car, and its width (1.9 m) combined with its low height (1.3 m) makes it seem to have a rock-solid road holding.

What impressed me most about the Brera was not its exterior design, but its interior. What is it with Italian designers that they can make utilitarian objects like buttons, switches and levers look so desirable? The interior is both wonderfully classic as it is uniquely modern. I love it.

Alfa Romeo is contemplating to start a limited production of 1.000 Breras, slightly adapted to mass production at more or less affordable prices. That reminds me of the Alfa Romeo SZ, Alfa's previous attempt to revive times of old. Still, it would make an enticing addition to the current range of Alfa Romeo models.
Added 2006: now we know that the Brera concept has in fact spawned two production models, the Brera coupe and the Spider cabriolet. The production coupe looks remarkably like the concept, though it has been completely redesigned. Unfortunately the interior design of the concept has not been carried over. The Spider, without the bulgy roof, looks even better than the coupe.