Advertisement

Bertone Pandion for Alfa Romeo – a beautiful mess!

March 6, 2010 at 12:23 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Alfa Romeo, Cars, Concept Cars

After a two year absence from the international scene, Bertone returns with a bang by unveiling one of the most memorable cars of this year’s Geneva show – the Pandion concept, as a tribute to Alfa Romeo’s’ 100-year anniversary and also a proposal for the future look of the brand.

The first car penned by Mike Robinson in his new role as Design and Brand Director at Bertone, the Pandion is named after the Pandion Haliaetus, a scientific name for the Osprey sea hawk. And it’s this bird’s wings that inspired the Pandion’s most striking feature – those spectacular doors that open upwards to the air. They incorporate the car’s front and rear fenders and stand exactly 90 degrees straight from the centre of the rear wheels. In the event of a rollover, the doors are designed to fall off for easy exit, says Bertone.

Apparently, the bird’s face also influenced the Pandion’s front design, which its creator describes as looking like the “helmet of ancient warriors” while still recognisable as an Alfa. More interesting is the rear, which sports blades in various width and length intertwined randomly. Bertone designers call this “dematerialization”, which makes the car looks like it’s moving even when standing still. This randomness continues in the cabin that is nestled in “vines”. All very messy, but somehow very beautiful.

Motor shows are about eye candy (we’re not just talking about the ladies), and the dramatic Bertone Pandion is a very sweet example in a store full of increasingly predictable concept cars. Live and official images after the jump!

PS: If you’re wondering who is that old lady in the gallery, she’s Lili, widow of Nuccio Bertone, legendary designer and son of the company’s founder.
[Read more...]

50 Comments      

Special Alfa MiTo courtesy cars for Maserati owners

January 29, 2010 at 12:08 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Alfa Romeo, Cars, International News, Maserati

Courtesy cars are nice to have when you send in your car for dealer attention, but when you own an Italian exotic, not any courtesy car will do, as you still need to look stylish without your mega bucks ride. It’ll be perfect if your temporary car is also Italian, and also exotic.

Well, here is it. The Alfa Romeo MiTo is also Italian and also exotic, albeit on a different level. European Maserati owners will now get MiTo courtesy cars produced exclusively by Alfa Romeo for sister company Maserati. 100 units of these special purpose cars will be made, painted in Maserati Blu Oceano and with a limited edition plaque on the dashboard. The little car’s kick plates will also bear the words “Alfa Romeo for Maserati”.

Based on the range topping MiTo, it will be powered by a 1.4-litre MultiAir turbo engine with 170 bhp. Creature comforts include Pelle Frau leather and a radio navigator covering the whole of Europe. Maser’s MiTo will also get 18-inch alloys and Dynamic Suspension electronic shock absorber control system.

Designer casual wear when you’re not in the usual designer suit. Same concept as Aston Martin’s Cygnet, but this one is not for sale! More pictures after the jump!
[Read more...]

24 Comments      


Alfa Giulietta promo video is an absolute bore

January 19, 2010 at 7:52 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Alfa Romeo, Cars, Videos

Alfa Romeo Giulietta

Look after the jump and you’ll find the first video showing the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta in motion. Except the Giulietta isn’t exactly in motion. All that’s moving is the camera shooting the Giulietta in a rather dramatic style, and you get to hear some ‘inner driver alter ego’ talking to you about how great the car is to drive. All while you watch a white Giulietta just sitting there, doing nothing. You’d think that to set a potential Alfa owner’s heart pulsing we’d get to hear at least the engine. But no. We do get to see how the tail lamps light up in the dark though.
[Read more...]

28 Comments      

Alfa Romeo 159 price revised upwards

December 31, 2009 at 4:50 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Alfa Romeo, Local News

Sime Darby Auto ConneXion, the company behind Ford, Land Rover and Alfa Romeo, has announced a new price for the Alfa Romeo 159. Available only in 2.2 JTS spec with Selespeed gearbox, it is now priced at RM195,888 (nett selling price excluding insurance, road tax and registration fees). The previous price was RM188,888.

For your RM200,000, the 159 comes with 9 airbags (front, rear, window, driver’s knee), Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), auto lights and wipers, bi-xenons, three-zone climate control, sunroof and 18-inch alloys, among other kit.

The direct injection 2.2 JTS engine comes with 185 bhp and 230 Nm of torque, good for 0-100 km/h in 8.8 seconds and a top speed of 222 km/h.

106 Comments      

Alfa Romeo Giulietta: new photos released!

December 24, 2009 at 12:14 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Alfa Romeo, Cars

Alfa Romeo has released fresh images of the Giulietta ahead of its world debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Earlier this month we posted up three pics of a white example of Alfa’s 147 replacement; you can now see the car in red (a more appropriate colour for an Alfa, I think) and a view of the interior, which features some exquisite detailing for what’s essentially a mainstream Golf-class hatchback.

The Italians have an effortless sense of style that seems to come with their genes – Alfa Romeos (in general) are not only a treat to the eyes, but have really sweet engines as well, which adds to the allure.

For more technical info, check out our previous post. The gallery is after the jump.

[Read more...]

49 Comments      

Alfa Romeo Brera Italia Independent

December 11, 2009 at 4:03 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Alfa Romeo, Cars, International News

alfa-brera-italia-independent

Alfa Romeos are stylish things, and the brand possesses a somewhat exotic image among mass market manufacturers. Perhaps it’s the Italian heritage, or the usually sexy design of its cars, but many of us do have a craving for these Alfas, even if our wallets disapprove. And to further cement its high fashion image, Alfa has collaborated with fashion house Italia Independent for a special edition Brera that’s limited to 900 units.

According to the maker of “personal belongings” the Italia Independent concept is “an eye for detail and the continuous search for quality with a distinctive style”. Our detailed eye spots out “titanium” paint, 18-inch turbine-style dark alloys and red brake calipers hiding inside, plus an aluminum fuel cap with the Alfa logo. The cabin is full of carbonfibre, black leather and red stitching, and a smattering of Italia Independent logos. Not sure if this is nicer than the red leather with gunmetal grey trim Brera that you can view at Auto ConneXion showrooms.

The standard Brera with 2.2 JTS engine sold in Malaysia is poor value for money at RM308,888, and it doesn’t need the VW Scirocco (more power, faster, more space) to point that out – Alfa’s own 159 saloon, which shares the coupe’s engine, Selespeed gearbox and nice dash design goes for RM188,888! I prefer the saloon too in terms of driving – it has better ride quality and feels more light footed.

Check out more pics of the Brera Italia Independent after the jump.

[Read more...]

15 Comments      

Alfa Romeo Giulietta – a long overdue first look

December 2, 2009 at 10:50 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Alfa Romeo, Cars, International News

Alfa Romeo Giulietta

These are the first 3 photos released of the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta, which is finally here! The Alfa Romeo 147 was a really fun little car even in 2.0 litre guise, and no one else has been able to make inline-4 engines sound like how Alfa 4-potters sound. But even so, the 147 is really getting abit old – it’s been around since 2000!

Alfa Romeo Giulietta

The new Giulietta has been a long time coming. Until just a few days ago it wasn’t even going to be called Giulietta. We first heard of the name 149, and then the name Alfa Romeo Milano. The Giulietta will join the Mito as the second of Alfa Romeo’s new modern range of cars that do not use a numeric naming scheme. The next generation 159 will probably follow suit.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta

The new Alfa Romeo Giulietta is 4,350mm long, 1,450mm tall and 1,800mm wide with a wheelbase of 2,630mm. The entire engine range will be turbocharged, starting from a small 120 horsepower turbo 1.4 litre up to a 170 horsepower version of the 1.4 litre turbo engine. The other two engines are turbodiesels, rated at 105 hp from a 1.6 litre and 170hp from a 2.0 litre. A range-topping Quadrifoglio (four leaf clover) version will come with the new 1.8 litre TBi engine making 235 horses.

We only have these three photos for now but the car will be fully unveiled to the public at the Geneva show next year. The car is Golf-sized and technically should be cheaper than the 159, so could it be priced in Malaysia between the Mito and the 159? That would put it somewhere smack in the middle of the RM100k to RM200k range. It definitely looks good, but try covering up the front end – do you see a bit of Subaru Impreza hatch in it?

35 Comments      

Fancy a pair of jeans with your new MiTo?

September 2, 2009 at 6:19 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Alfa Romeo, Cars

Alfa Romeo MiTo Jeans

Now this is quite interesting, you can now grab a pair of jeans to go with your newly launched (in Malaysia) Alfa Romeo MiTo. Alfa Romeo teamed up with fashion expert Louise Roe and London-based fashion designers Bjork and McElligott to design a range of MiTo jeans. Alfa Romeo icons such as the Alfa Romeo badge’s serpent are used to decorate the designs. The jeans are going for £75 a pair and are available for sale at two Donna Ida retail outlets in the UK. Proceeds from the sales will go towards the Jeans for Genes charity.

Look after the jump for more pix of the MiTo and the jeans.
[Read more...]

15 Comments      

Alfa Romeo’s new 1750 TBi turbo engine

August 29, 2009 at 6:38 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Alfa Romeo, Cars

Alfa Romeo 159 1750 TBi

The new 1.8 litre turbocharged Alfa Romeo engine is now officially available in the 2010 Alfa Romeo 159 range, after being previewed to the public earlier this year at Geneva in March. The new model variant is called the Alfa Romeo 159 1750 TBi and is positioned between the 2.2 JTS and the 3.2 JTS.

The 1.8 litre (1,742cc) engine makes a peak torque of 320Nm from just 1,400rpm, and peak power of 200 PS is achieved between 4,750rpm and 5,500rpm. These are very impressive power stats as lots of power is made throughout a rather wide range (thanks to variable valve timing, turbocharging and direct injection).

Alfa Romeo 159 1750 TBi

I believe there’s some very good tuning potential here, at the expense of narrower powerbands as a trade-off. The variable valve timing is configured to set valve overlap times in a way (VVT is on both intake and exhaust) that helps spool up the KKK fixed geometry microcast steel turbocharger up faster. 0 to 100km/h takes 7.7 seconds.

Other than what’s described above, the engine has a few more tricks up its sleeve. The 9.5:1 compression pistons have flexible rings and use materials that are designed to reduce wear. The aluminium alloy cylinder head uses roller rocker arms to help reduce losses through sliding contact by up to 65% at 2,000rpm, compared to normal cylinder heads. In Malaysia, only the 2.2 JTS version is available as of now.
[Read more...]

17 Comments      

Cute little turbocharged Alfa Romeo MiTo can be yours for RM153,888++

August 20, 2009 at 11:43 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Alfa Romeo, Cars, Local News

Alfa Romeo MiTo

Think small, expensive but remarkably charming small hatchbacks and only three cars will come to mind – the MINI, and more recently the Fiat 500 and the Alfa Romeo MiTo. As of today, all three are now available in Malaysia. The MiTo offers a much more affordable price compared to the MINI Cooper and Cooper S, retailing at RM153,888 OTR excluding insurance, registration and road tax.

The 3-door MiTo shares the same engine as the Fiat Bravo – a 1.4 litre turbocharged engine producing 155 horsepower, and in the MiTO it is mated to a 6-speed manual. It is the only transmission available in the car right now, so you’ll have to work your left leg a little if you want to cruise around town with style in this particular Italian baby. 0 to 100km/h takes 8 seconds, and the car is rated to drink only 6.5 litres of petrol per 100km traveled.

Alfa Romeo MiTo

There is a decent list of equipment including cruise control, auto clmate control, LED rear lamps, steering wheel audio, VDC with hill holder function (great for starting on a slope if you’re still rusty with the manual’s clutch), a 6-speaker audio system.

There is a little three-position switch near the gear lever which will alter the throttle response and steering assist for three driving environments – Dynamic, Normal and All Weather. This is called the Alfa Romeo DNA system. The MiTo is also equipped with the Q2 electronic limited slip differential, a grand total of 7 airbags including a driver’s kneebag, and finally the chassis is rated 5 stars by Euro NCAP.

Public viewing and test drives are available at the Auto ConneXion Alfa Romeo 3S Centre at Jalan 13/2 Petaling Jaya. More photos of the MiTo available after the jump.
[Read more...]

115 Comments