The most beautiful coupé in the world, the Alfa Romeo GT, is now even easier to own with the arrival in New Zealand of the JTS version with an opening price of $69,990 and, with the Selespeed sequential manual gearbox a standard fitment, it could not be easier to drive.

"Everything that has made the Alfa GT so special stays the same," says Chris Burger, General Manager for Alfa Romeo in New Zealand. "The stunning looks, the lavish equipment, the hand crafted leather the race track bred chassis and, with a 0-100 time of 8.7 seconds, the new JTS version of the Alfa Romeo GT still has the performance to match the looks. But with a price of $69,990 it will be more than $13,000 easier to get into an Alfa GT from 1 February 2005 and, with Selespeed as standard, it has never been easier to be sexy in the city."

As with the Alfa GT 3.2 litre, which was on sale in New Zealand before Europe, this market is one of the first to get the Alfa GT with the combination of the JTS engine and the Selespeed gearbox.

The 2.0 litre 121 kW engine is the same lean burn, direct petrol injection engine seen in the Alfa Romeo 156 and like that car, this powerful, light weight unit use its supreme efficiency to provide the Alfa GT with strong performance, excellent economy and low emissions. Top speed with the JTS engine is 216 kmh and it dispatches the dash to 100 kmh in 8.7 seconds and to a kilometre in 29.2 seconds. In the European combined fuel consumption test it achieves 6.8 litres per 100 km, a remarkably low figure for such a stylish performance car.

With its best-of-both-worlds offering, the Selespeed gearbox combines the excitement of changing gears manually in the same fashion as a racing car, via Formula One-style paddles on the steering wheel, or the convenience of letting the system change the gears itself. Unlike a conventional automatic the Selespeed is based on a manual gearbox, it offers the performance, economy and emissions of manual gearbox even when changing its own gears.
 
The Alfa Romeo GT JTS is, like its V6 brother, spectacularly well equipped. Naturally there is all the equipment that is expected, such as power windows, remote central locking with remote boot opening, full leather interior and a powerful eight speaker sound system, trip computer, cruise control and heated front seats.

Each of these items has been honed to match Alfa Romeo's requirements. Hand crafted, fine Italian leather is used on the elegantly shaped and styled seats that offer both comfort and the lateral grip required in a sports car. The powerful stereo system is fitted with a Bose power amplifier and speakers, as well as a Bosch stacker CD unit with the ability to play MP3. The central locking includes auto-lock to ensure security; the readout on the trip computer to be changed to suit individual requirements.

Performance is nothing without safety and security. Once again the Alfa Romeo GT has all the features expected of a car in this exacting class.
 

Active safety features include the full range of electronic safety features, such as electronic stability controls (VDC, ASR and MSR) tuned to provide safety but without dampening down the driving experience. As well as the latest generation of ABS anti-lock brakes. Naturally, a responsive chassis aids accident avoidance, as well. Passive safety features are led by six air bags, crumple zones and an occupant safety cell.

Styled by Bertone, the legendary Italian styling house, the Alfa GT takes all the Alfa Romeo elements that have lead to the Alfa Romeo sports cars, the 147, the 156 and the 166 being lauded for their unique elegance, style and eye-catching beauty and have added their own unique qualities to produce a car that is, quite simply a new byword for beauty.

The Alfa Romeo GT has been named the most beautiful Coupé in the World in annual awards that recognise excellence in car design and styling and which are awarded by a jury of the world's leading car designers, artists, architects and engineers.

No less of an achievement is the interior and, like Alfa Romeo's existing range, it can be expected that this interior will, also, become a palette from which other car makers draw their inspiration. But few will match the clarity of view that Alfa Romeo provides to produce an interior that is both snug like a sports car and spacious like a sedan; stylish to the ultimate level, but easy to use and ergonomic. In summation an interior that is always an occasion in which to sit, whether in traffic jam or on a favourite stretch of road.

But practicality has not been sacrificed at the altar of emotion. This is a coupé that is also remarkably practical. There is comfort for four people, space and seat belts for five, matched by a spacious boot of 320 litres, which may be enlarged by folding down the split rear seats and a through loading device only adds to the load carrying options. There are also excellent detail features, such as the lockers on either side of the spacious boot, the twelve volt power point located on one side of the boot and the polished chrome - who says practicality can't also be beautiful - tie luggage down points.

"When the Alfa Romeo GT was launched in mid-2004, it was clear that it offered a remarkable combination of style, performance and value for money," says Chris Burger. "With the launch of the JTS Selespeed, we have enhanced ease of driving, boosted value for money and improved the cost of ownership with out having any affect on the beauty of this fabulous car."

The Alfa Romeo GT JTS Selespeed will have a recommended retail of $69,990 when it goes on sale in New Zealand on 1 February 2005.