|
 Emphasising its
racing and sporty pedigree, Alfa Romeo presented an Autodelta built 156
Sportwagon in
Geneva on Tuesday. This concept takes the stylish Guigaro designed saloon to the
extreme with its huge, bulging wheelarches, deep front spoiler, wildly flared
side skirts and racing-style rear spoiler.
The prototype on show aims to reveal Autodelta as Alfa Romeo's high-tech
powerhouse and advanced proving ground, building on a theme that saw the marque
present an M-Jet powered Autodelta styled GT Coupe last December in Bologna.
The stylish prototype is much sportier than the basic model and its mechanical
units are derived directly from racing versions. Visually the wings have been expanded to accommodate 225/40R18-91Y wheels.
To lighten the vehicle, the bonnet is made out of fibre
and bulges slightly to accommodate a new intake chamber. The sideskirts are also
new and the bumpers are specific to the version: the front one comes with a
built-in spoiler while the rear one is designed to take 4 exhaust tail-pipes.
This aggressive shape is also mirrored inside the car. Inside the sporty 'feel'
is created by the use of new chamois leather
and high tech cloth trims.
The model on show is equipped with a
powerful 3.5 V6 24v engine that develops 300 bhp at 6800 rpm and is combined
with a 6-speed gearbox cooled by a supplementary radiator. This brand-new power
unit is derived from the 3.2 V6 24v fitted to GTA versions, with
cylinder capacity increased from 3177 to 3548cc, bore is 97mm and stroke is 78mm.
The ride is sportier than on the standard production model due to Bilstein adjustable shock absorbers and Eibach springs with a special setting.
The callipers and discs on the ventilated, slotted Brembo front brakes are also
oversized to a diameter of 330 millimetres. |
