Archive for Alfa Romeo

Guangzhou Automobile will be developing a new large sedan using the platform of the Alfa Romeo 166, fully licensed and paid for of course.

The 166 has just been discontinued in spring last year, and rumours are that its replacement could return to a rear wheel drive format.

The 166 was a front engined front wheel drive car with double wishbones at the front and a multi-link setup at the rear. The Guangzhou Automobile car to be based on its platform will be styled by Bertone.

Autodelta has unveiled a tuned up version of the Alfa Romeo 159 2.2 JTS sporting a Rotrex C30-74 supercharger that boosts the car’s power from a quick 185 horses to a rapid 245 horsepower, and torque up from 230Nm to 290Nm. The following are the technical enhancements that Autodelta has given the 159 2.2 JTS, turning it into what it calls the Autodelta 159 J4 2.2 C:

• Intercooled Rotrex C30-75 supercharger running at 0.65 bar boost
• New aluminium intake manifold to replace the plastic OEM manifold to handle the supercharger’s boost level, with improved reduced volume design.
• New ECU featuring improved variator control strategy for intake and exhaust valves improved to suit supercharger.
• NGK Iridium IX spark plugs
• Mechanical LSD to reign in all 245 horsepower going to the front wheels
• New fully adjustable (ride height and bound/rebound adjustment) suspension with retuned damper and spring rates
• Upgrade perforated brake discs on front and rear, and new brake pads with special compounds that allow higher operation temperature
• Quad tail pipe Autodelta exhaust system
• Lightweight 19 inch OZ Wheels Botticelli HLT alloys with Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT tyres in 245/35 ZR19 size
• Overall car with additional equipment is 5kg lighter than stock 159 2.2 JTS

View more high resolution photos after the jump.

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The Cloverleaf badge is making a re-entry into the Alfa Romeo line-up with the Alfa GT Cloverleaf Series, but this time the badge means nothing more than a couple of unique aesthetic enhancements.

The Alfa GT Cloverleaf Series is available as a 1.8TS, 2.0 JTS, and in both 150hp and 170hp 1.9 JTDM turbodiesel form. The “Cloverleaf Series” name means the cars get 18” double spoke alloys, satin-effect front grille and door mirrors as well as brake calipers that are painted red. The Cloverleaf badge is put on the bootlid, btu the 170hp turbodiesel model gets an additional badge in a white triangle above the front wheel arch.

The 170hp turbodiesel model also gets Alfa’s Q2 LSD as well as a sport button that can select between two different accelerator pedal response patterns - one more sedan and another sharper and sportier.

Alfa Romeo has released a whole photo gallery of the new Bravo-based Alfa Romeo Mi.To. We’ve already seen most of the Mi.To’s angles in the previously released motion footage of it, but after the jump you will find some nicely done still images including some of the Mi.To posing with its larger sibling, the Alfa 8C Competizione.

The MiTo is 4,060mm long, 1,440mm high and 1,720mm wide. The baseline MiTo is revealed to have a 1.4 liter engine producing 78 horsepower at 6,00rpm and 125Nm of torque at 4,250rpm. A T-JET engine similiar to the one in the Bravo GT produces 155 horsepower and 206Nm of torque from 2,000rpm, with another 24Nm available via a Sports switch labelled Alfa DNA. The only turbodiesel variant for now is a 1.6 liter JTDM engine producing 120hp and a massive 280Nm of torque at 1,500rpm which goes on up to 320Nm at 1,750rpm.

These are the initial launch engines and Alfa Romeo promises more powerful engines later in the product timeline, which will feature technologies like the Multiair electronically controlled variable valve lift system and a twin clutch system that Alfa dubs the DDCT.

The compact car features a rather advanced feature usually found in cars higher up the segments. The feature is part of the Vehicle Dynamic Control system and is called Dynamic Steering Torque, or DST. DST applies slight torque to the steering to suggest the correct manoeuvre to the driver in situations like oversteer, or in situations where grip is different on the two sides of the axle.

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Initial details and specifications of the Alfa Romeo Mi.To

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Alfa Romeo UK has unveiled a special 500 unit run of the Alfa Romeo Brera called the Alfa Romeo Brera S. The Brera S gets a specially Prodrive-tuned suspension using Eibach coils, Bilstein shocks, and aluminium components. The suspension also lowers the car by 10mm. It also gets lightweight 19 inch wheels inspired from the alloys on the Alfa 8C Competizione, and hollow anti-roll bars.

The engines in the Brera S range put out the same power as the normal Brera, but the other improvements will make the driving experience very different. For one, the weight reduction in various components like the suspension system shaves off between 35kg to 100kg depending on model, with the 260hp 3.2 liter V6 model losing the most weight. The other would be better handling thanks to the Prodrive-developed suspension.

More photos of the Alfa Romeo Brera S after the jump.

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Alfa Romeo conducted a poll for the public to pick the new Alfa Romeo MiTo’s new logo, much like the earlier poll which allowed the public to pick a name for the car. The result is the logo you see above, though there’s really no certainty if this poll has any effect on what the actual logo will look like at all.

The previous name poll had resulted in Furiosa being the top pick, but the final MiTo name wasn’t even in the choice of names to pick at all!

I’d put my money on a logo that looks something more like number 3 or 4. Such a logo would also look better on the passenger-side dashboard of the car.

Alfa Romeo’s promotional video for the upcoming new Alfa Romeo Mi.To hatchback shows us someone playing what looks like a racing simulation game, picking to race the Mi.To and then going ahead to pick his course, weather and etc.

The Mi.To in this video has camouflage all over it, with only the headlamps and tail lamps exposed. We cannot even see what the dash looks like, although we get to see the driver steer and shift, because even that has camo wrapped around it.

Watch the video after the jump.

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Alfa Romeo has revealed three teaser images of their new B-segment hatchback, recently christened the Alfa Romeo Mi.To. Not Junior, not Furiosa. The name Mi.To is short for Milano and Torino (Milan and Turin), cities which host the Alfa Romeo and Fiat headquarters respectively.

The Alfa Romeo Mi.To will be 4060mm long, 1720mm wide and 1440mm tall. Under its hood will be the same family of Fiat engines ranging from 90 horses up to 155 horses, and all petrol and diesel variants will be force inducted. What’s new would be a new range of dual clutch transmissions, replacing the trademark Selespeed.

It will be equipped with a system Alfa calls DNA - Dynamic, Normal and All-Weather. DNA settings will adjust the responsiveness of the throttle, steering, brakes and gear shifts for sporty, city or slippery roads.

Two more photos and a video after the jump.

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The open top version of the sexy Alfa 8C Competizione, the Alfa 8C Spider will be unveiled at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. It will be powered by the same 4.7 liter V8 producing 450 horsepower at 7,000rpm and 480Nm of torque at 4,750rpm with a redline of 7,500rpm. This engine is mated to a 6-speed transaxle robotized clutch gearbox with an LSD differential.

The Alfa 8C Spider’s roof is constructed from two layers of fabric, and goes up and down automatically with a touch of a button on the dashboard. Like the Alfa 8C Competizione, the Alfa 8C Spider will be available in a limited run of 500 units.

More photos after the jump.

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Tata is inching very closely to acquiring Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford Motor Company, and everyone is already assuming the two companies are in Tata’s hands, in a deal that analysts have pegged at being worth between US$1.5 to US2.0 billion.

One company that is very happy about all of this is Fiat, who has a close relationship with Tata. Tata uses Fiat turbodiesel engines in their cars, and the two companies have a partnership worth Rs 4000 crore (3.3 billion ringgit) in India.

Fiat says this will most likely allow the Italian company to get access to Jaguar’s technologies. It is particularly interested in Jaguar’s rear wheel drive platform as well as Land Rover’s four-wheel drive technology. Yup, you guessed right - the first model from the Fiat group to benefit from this is most likely the new flagship Alfa Romeo 169, which Fiat plans to develop as a rear wheel drive car.

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Ford may forgo retained stake in Jaguar and Land Rover