The first Autodelta special versions of the Alfa 159, 159 Sportwagon, Brera and Spider are provisionally scheduled to be released during the early summer. The programme will kick off with a performance upgrade for the 2.2-litre JTS engined version which will push its power to 260bhp, at a stroke allowing this model to promise a much better power-to-weight ratio than the stock 3.2 V6 model. "The JTS versions are very cost-effective," says Jano. "They offer an excellent platform to build upon and are set to be the popular option with customers. We have had much interest in higher-performance JTS options which will allow customers to gain a more powerful engine at a very competitive price. For us it is very important to keep our services within the reach of as wide a customer base as we can and offer a package that is as flexible as possible."
 
Alongside the 260bhp 2.2 JTS there will be 1.9 JTD with 200bhp, again boasting a better power to weight ratio over the 2.4 JTDm cars. "This is our first venture into offering higher performance options for Alfa Romeo's diesel range," comments Jano. "As diesel car sales' across Europe are now higher the petrol models we want the Alfa Romeo owners' who drive diesels also to benefit from our long-standing expertise. We have been putting much development work over the last year into upgrading the 1.9-litre JTD engine and have been delighted in the results that have been demonstrated by the performance, agility and responsiveness of our test cars. I must say that Alfa Romeo have created really excellent diesel power plants, ones that it has been a pleasure to work with."

Autodelta though is all about extreme Alfa Romeo performance, pushing the horsepower and torque envelope to the very edge, and clothing the results in dynamic, driveable chassis', creating cars that always ably combine blistering capability with everyday ease of convenience. Thus it is no surprise that they have focused their attention - and their boundless enthusiasm - on the all-new Alfa Romeo 3.2-litre V6 JTS Twin Phaser engine. This now replaces the existing Arese-built Alfa V6 unit on which Autodelta built their reputation over the last two decades. In the Autodelta 147 GTA AM, the Alfa V6 was stretched to 3.7-litres and described by Jeremy Clarkson as "the fastest hot hatch - ever" when it appeared on BBC's Top Gear TV programme, where, in the hands of the anonymous 'Stig', it blew its illustrious rivals such as the BMW M3 cleanly away on the track, against the clock. Autodelta's engineers had responded - in front of the TV cameras - to critics' widespread belief that 320bhp could not be put through the front wheels in a driveable manner. Not content with this achievement Autodelta's team, in a final tribute to the glorious Arese V6, added a supercharger and squeezed 400bhp out of this immortal engine. The first example again proving its mettle in public by leading the Autodelta 'European Tour', a mad 3,000 km dash across Europe held last spring.
 
Autodelta are promising to bring two high-powered versions of the new 3.2-litre V6 engine to the market, although Jano is very tight-lipped about giving away any firm details: "It has been a completely fresh start for us with this all-new engine," he says, "but our test bed units have proved to be very responsive and they offer a huge potential. The V6 represents a new chapter for the brand, and although some alfisti have expressed a few reservations, I think people are going to be quite surprised at just how good this engine will become: a true Alfa Romeo power plant for the new generation of cars that we now see in the making. The addition of four wheel drive across the new range of 159, Sportwagon, Brera and Spider models, also offers us much new scope to be get previously unheard of power down onto the road. This is for sure an exciting time for Alfa Romeo and certainly for us too." Jano does reveal though that the first high-powered 3.2 version will be badged as a Q4 AM (Autodelta Maggiorata) and will feature special lightweight new bodywork along with engine, transmission, chassis and braking upgrades.

RM