The Alfa Romeo Brera, labelled the sexist new car launched in Europe this year, will get pulses racing at the Sydney International Motor Show in October (14-23 October 2005) with sneak preview in anticipation of its mid-2006 launch in Australia.

"The Alfa Romeo Brera is the very definition of automotive sex appeal,' says David Stone, General Manager of Alfa Romeo in Australia. "From its sensuous lines, that are both lithe and powerful, to the tactile and visual appeal of its leather-lined interior and even the suggestive burble of its powerful all-new high performance engines, the Alfa Romeo Brera has filled everyone who has seen it with a singular desire to get behind the wheel. The Brera was designed to provide extreme arousal and we expect the Brera-effect to be no different in Australia!"

Revealed first as a show car in 2003, penned by the world's master car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, the man named as the "Car Designer of Century", he said of his newest creation that it was "not a repetition, but a bud that will flower". The Sydney International Motor Show will see living proof of his promise. The original show car had praise heaped on it, including: the 'Best of Show', awarded by the magazine Autoweek at the Geneva Motor Show; 'Best of Show' in the Prototype category at the Europe's leading classic and performance car event, the Villa d'Este Concours d'Elégance; two prizes for its category at the Bibendum Challenge 2002, including one as 'one of the most car elegant in the world'; and the title of 'the most fascinating car' at the Super Car Rally 2002. With such universal praise for the original show car, turning it from dream to reality was not going to be an easy task.
 

Giorgetto Giugiaro has worked closely with the Alfa Romeo Styling Centre to ensure that the translation has been true and accurate, so that details, such as the rear window that recalls the Giulietta Sprint, remain authentic, as well as ensuring that the Brera offers real driving depth to match its breathtaking looks. The generous proportions - it is 1,830 mm wide, 4,413 mm long and 1,372 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,525 millimetres - are masked by assertive styling that enables the Brera to offer a spacious and versatile interior in a compact, uncompromising and aggressive coupe body.

The engine is the heart and soul of every Alfa Romeo and reveals the real strength of spirit vested in all Alfa Romeos. The full Brera range - the Australian specification is yet to be revealed - offers a choice of two JTS petrol engines (2.2 delivering 140 kW and 3.2 V6 delivering 195 kW) and a 2.4 JTD turbodiesel that delivers 150 kW combined with two different gearboxes depending on the version: 6-speed mechanical or automatic. In other words, this is a car capable of exciting performance, but is also ideal for everyday use.

"The Alfa Romeo Brera promises to be breathtaking in every sense of the word," explains David Stone. "But while its looks, its performance and the effect it has on people will all be breathtaking, there is one thing about the Brera that won't be breathtaking: The price list. Yes, there will be a few sharp intakes of breath when we reveal the price in 2006, but they will come with the realization that this extraordinary car is actually an affordable dream and that, perhaps, is the most extraordinary thing of all about the Alfa Romeo Brera!"