18.02.2004 THE NEW FOUR WHEEL DRIVE CROSSWAGON WILL LEAD OUT ALFA ROMEO'S DISPLAY IN GENEVA
Alfa Romeo and
its fabled sporting heart return to the 74th Geneva Motor Show on a stand
featuring standard production models and prototypes to emphasise the Make's true
vocation and the great character of all its cars. The place of honour is
naturally reserved for the latest arrival: the Alfa Crosswagon.
The new model, here seen at its world premier, marks Alfa Romeo's return to the
world of four wheel drive cars. The Alfa Crosswagon transmission features 4
permanently engaged drive wheels, three differentials and torque distribution
preferentially to the rear. The Torsen C differential continuously modulates
torque distribution between front and rear axles according to grip. This feature
makes for a sporty drive that in turn increases active safety. On the market
from the second half of this year, both Crosswagon versions on show are equipped
with the vivacious 150 bhp (110 kW) 1.9 JTD 16v Multijet and offer a very
distinctive interpretation of an all road vehicle as far as style and design are
concerned.
The Alfa Crosswagon thus reflects the importance Alfa attaches to the concept of
substance over form. Customers love Alfa Romeo cars for their renowned Italian
styling and good looks, but also come to appreciate their handling and
engineering when they try them for themselves. They also recognise the driving
satisfaction that typifies an Alfa car over any type of road in any situation
and in any weather. The slogan 'beauty is not enough' is the concept that
underpins Alfa Romeo's new advertising strategy. And all the cars on show in
Geneva are ambassadors of this philosophy.
Beginning with the attractive concept car that has been such a hit at recent
international Motor Shows: the 8c Competizione. The car, designed and produced
by the Alfa Romeo style centre, stands as an icon of the brand, its very name
evocative of Alfa's great motorsport tradition. This is borne out by the code
'8c' used to identify cars (racing and on-road) of the Thirties and Forties
equipped with the revolutionary eight cylinder engine produced by the celebrated
designer Vittorio Jano. The second term 'Competizione' is intended as a homage
to the 6C 2500 Competizione, a sports coupé driven in 1950 by the team of Fangio
- Zanardi in the famous Mille Miglia race.
Alfa Romeo has also been responsible for many other memorable chapters of
automotive history, including one entitled 'The Giulietta'. Fifty years have
gone by since its first creation and now Alfa intends to use the Geneva Motor
Show to mark the official opening of a long series of events, meetings and
exhibitions to celebrate the anniversary. Visitors to the stand can admire a
Giulietta and trace a fundamental stage in the technological and professional
heritage of Alfa Romeo through an interesting photo exhibition.
Near to the Crosswagon, the indisputable star of the Alfa Romeo stand, you can
also see an Alfa GT. The model was created in conjunction with Bertone for
original styling coupled with exhilarating performance. It is a revolutionary
new concept of sportiness geared to comfort and elegance. Two versions are on
show: one equipped with a 240 bhp 3.2 and one with a 150 bhp (110 kW) 1.9 JTD
16v Multijet engine.
The Swiss catwalk is also home to the New Alfa 156 and Sportwagon, good looking
cars packed with innovative ideas and engineering features. As reworked by the
prestigious hand of Giorgetto Giugiaro himself, the two models represent an
ideal marriage between sportiness and elegance, performance and formal balance.
All the hallmarks of the brand, in other words. Two versions are on show: a 156
2.0 JTS Selespeed and a Sportwagon 2.4 JTD 20v Multijet in the TI (Turismo
Internazionale) sports version. During the Sixties, Alfa Romeo assigned this
code only to its most feature-packed cars. Nowadays those two simple yet
glorious letters reappear on a special line that may be requested on Alfa Romeo
models. The same sporty tag also graces a 147 2.0 Selespeed, near to another
147, equipped with a 1.9 JTD 16v Multijet engine.
Finally, a prototype developed by Autodelta on an Alfa 156 base, characterised
by a decidedly sporty imprint and fitted with a new 3.5 V6 24v engine, is being
displayed on the stand. The GTA family is represented in Geneva by the Alfa 147
GTA - one of the fastest, most powerful cars in its segment (250 bhp - 184 kW) -
equipped with a Selespeed sequential gearbox. The Selespeed gearbox is no
ordinary automatic transmission but a manual gearbox with robotised action that
combines the convenience of an automatic device with the operating speed of a
conventional control. You can also choose a conventional up-and-down
joystick-type clutch. Or steering wheel controls located behind the rim. Still
on the Alfa Romeo stand, visitors can appreciate the New 166, Alfa Romeo's
flagship that expresses harmony of form and content while wedding the style of a
great saloon with the sporting traits of a coupé. The model complements these
successful features on the inside and outside with aesthetic motifs of great
visual impact. Its trim and colour matches are also very attractive and
sophisticated. The car on show in Geneva features the most sumptuous
specification (Luxury) and is equipped with the powerful 175 bhp (129 kW) 2.4
JTD 20v Multijet combined with the sophisticated Sportronic gearbox.
Space is also given to the Alfa Spider and Alfa GTV, models which have always
evoked driving satisfaction as far as sportiness and style are concerned and
their appeal is unaltered. The cars on show include a Spider 2.0 JTS and a 240
bhp (176 kW) GTV 3.2 V6 24v. The latter version, in particular, is capable of
255 km/h, a performance that makes it the fastest on-road car in Alfa Romeo's
history. A special series of the Spider version has been produced and is
available in four countries: Italy, Germany, Spain and Austria. The 450 cars in
the new series are all equipped with the 2.0 JTS power unit and, for the first
time, with two new body shades: Reims Blue and Nuvola Red.
The true heart and soul of every Alfa Romeo model is its engine. Alfa cars'
attractive, personality-packed looks conceal a diverse range of outstanding
high-tech power units that offer generous performance. To allow visitors to
examine them in detail, Alfa has prepared four aluminium, glass and Plexiglas
show cases for the Geneva show that house the same number of engines. Firstly,
the brand new 2.4 JTD 5 cylinder 20v Multijet delivering 129 kW (175 bhp) and
385 Nm (39.3 kgm) of torque and the familiar 103 kW (140 bhp) 1.9 JTD 16v
Multijet, both members of the latest generation of Common Rail power units,
multivalve JTD engines featuring Multijet technology.
So much for the turbodiesels. But Alfa Romeo also leads the field when it comes
to petrol engines. First up is a 121 kW (165 bhp) 2.0 JTS available with
Selespeed transmission, the first direct injection petrol engine with a specific
power output of 61.4 kW/l (83.8 bhp/l). The 2.0 JTS is a top-performing power
unit that owes its name of JTS (Jet Thrust Stoichiometric) to its specific
combustion system.
This is joined by the 24 valve 3.2 V6, the powerful unit adopted on Alfa 147,
156 and Sportwagon in the GTA family, the Alfa GTV and Spider and the new Alfa
GT. This gem of automotive engineering develops a power output of 184 kW (250
bhp) at 6200 rpm with a maximum torque of 300 Nm (30.6 kgm) at 4800 rpm (on the
GTV and Spider, the power output is 240 bhp and the torque curve is 289 Nm).
The Swiss show ends with three showcases containing cutaway models of the four
wheel drive system, the Torsen C system and the rear suspension fitted to the
Alfa Crosswagon. This is another way to make visitors aware of the
state-of-the-art technology that comes with any Alfa Romeo.
The youthful stand features a series of special 'chambers'. These are made out
of aluminium and glass to form big curvy container-like rooms that act as a
high-tech backdrop to the different activities conducted within.
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