17.09.2004 'Beauty is not enough' will be the underlying concept of Alfa Romeo's spacious red AND metallic finish stand next week in Paris where the new Alfa 147 will be presented for the first time

The slogan 'Beauty is not enough' is the underlying concept of Alfa Romeo's new advertising campaign and expresses the importance of 'content 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 under any situation and in any weather.

And all the cars on show at the Paris International Motor Show are ambassadors of this philosophy.

They are the absolute stars of an exhibition area extending to nearly 1.200m2 in the distinctive red and metallic grey livery: the colours that perennially represent the sportiness and sophisticated technology of Alfa cars. The set is complemented by a large elevated structure.

The place of honour is naturally reserved for the latest arrival: the New Alfa 147. With its well-proportioned yet muscular lines, the look of the new car has changed inside and out. This major world premier emphasises the heritage of a winning model that is now bigger, more powerful and with more personality. It introduces a number of new products in the field of mechanicals and equipment, including the spirited 150 bhp 1.9 JTD 16v M-Jet engine, a brand new robotised gearbox, a new Comfort suspension and the most sophisticated safety devices: including VDC, ASR, ABS with EBD and curtain bags.

Good looking, sporty and stylish: the New Alfa 147 stimulates your driving instincts and thrills you to the core. Three cars are on show in Paris: a 5 door version with the powerful 150 bhp 1.9 M-Jet located near the lighted gallery - and a 3 door housed in the middle of the stand on a backlit platform. This latter version is equipped with the 150 bhp 2.0 T.S. 16v unit paired with a Selespeed. 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, whether you choose to use the clutch, which moves up and down like a joystick, or prefer the steering wheel controls located behind the rim.

So much for the world premier of the New 147, but Alfa Romeo also offers more new treats at the 76th Paris Motor Show, all characterised by the sporting heart and great temperament typical of all Alfa prototypes and production models. An example? The Alfa Crosswagon Q4, a new model that marks Alfa Romeo's return to the world of four wheel drive vehicles. 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. Both Crosswagon versions on show are equipped with the vivacious 150 bhp (110 kW) 1.9 JTD 16v M-Jet and offer a very distinctive interpretation of an all road vehicle as far as style and design are concerned.

The Alfa Crosswagon reflects the importance that Alfa attaches to the concept of substance over form. The same concept is evident in 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 motorsports 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 famous 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 Paris Motor Show to conclude the long series of events, meetings and exhibitions that have been held 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.

The Alfa GT is also present at the French event. The model was created in conjunction with Bertone for original styling coupled with exhilarating performance. It is a revolutionary new concept of sportiness geared for comfort and elegance. The car on show is equipped with a 240 bhp 3.2 engine.

One side of the stand also houses a lighted gallery where you can discover the Alfa Romeo range. These cars include 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 M-Jet in the TI (Turismo Internazionale) sports version. During the Seventies, Alfa Romeo assigned this code only to its best equipped cars. Nowadays those two simple yet glorious letters reappear on a special range that may be requested on Alfa Romeo models.

The same sporting spirit is evident on a prototype developed by Autodelta on the base of an Alfa 156 and powered by a 300 bhp 3.5 V6 24v engine. The area entitled Racing houses three plasma screens showing beautifully shot films of races. Everyone is aware that Alfa takes part in motor races directly - such as the European Touring Championship and the European Alfa Challenge - but not so many people know that it has always expressed an interest in sport as a whole, e.g. by sponsoring events in different disciplines. For example, its Australian yacht 'Alfa Romeo' is currently overcoming the toughest challenges with excellent results. The Alfa Romeo brand logo is also present on the official uniform of the Italian national ski team. In short, the name of Alfa Romeo is synonymous with sport.

Visitors to the Alfa Romeo stand can also admire a 240 bhp Alfa Spider 3.2 V6 24v (176 kW) and an Alfa 166 in the most opulent specification (Luxury) and equipped with the powerful 175 bhp (129 kW) 2.4 JTD 20v M-Jet engine combined with the sophisticated Sportronic gearbox. While the former car conjures up the satisfaction of driving in terms of sportiness and elegance, the Alfa Romeo flagship expresses harmony of form and content while combining the sophistication of a great saloon with the sporting traits of a coupé. The Alfa 166 complements these successful features on the inside and outside with aesthetic motifs of great visual impact and colour schemes of great appeal and sophistication.

The true heart and the true strength of every Alfa Romeo model is its engine. The 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 show chambers for the Paris show that house four engines. Firstly, the brand new 2.4 JTD 5 cylinder M-Jet 20v delivering 129 kW (175 bhp) and 385 Nm (39.3 kgm) of torque and the familiar 103 kW (140 bhp) 1.9 JTD M-Jet 16v, 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 power unit adopted on Alfa 147, 156 and Sportwagon in the GTA family, the Alfa GTV, the 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 stand at the French Motor Show also includes another showcase containing a cross-section through the Alfa Crosswagon Q4 four wheel drive system and other showcases that display accessories and items from the Alfa range. This is another way to make visitors aware of the state-of-the-art technology and sporty flair that are part and parcel of any Alfa Romeo.