Mangoletsi, the UK’s largest and longest-established authorised Alfa Romeo dealership, are pleased to announce that they will take part in the Autodelta European Tour 2006 with an Alfa Romeo 159 1.9 JTDM. The Tour gets underway from London tomorrow morning at 0530, and will finish in Monte Carlo on 21st September, after stages that take the cars to stops at Zandvoort, Cologne and Basel. In Monte Carlo the new Autodelta Brera J5 3.2 C will be officially presented at the Hotel Metropole.

Mangoletsi was recently appointed as official supplier of new vehicles to Autodelta for research and development, and participation in the Tour cements a growing relationship between the two companies, both of which are well established, have strong reputations for dedicated customer service, and are at the pinnacle of their respective segments. Emphasising this partnership, the Alfa Brera sports car used to form the basis of the new – bespoke – Autodelta Brera J5 3.2 C, was supplied to Autodelta by Mangoletsi and to emphasise this point, the car will carry the Mangoletsi brand name across the rear window during the Tour and during the official unveiling itself.

The choice of the Alfa 159 1.9 JTDM for the Tour was really a simple one, explains Fraser Hudson, Managing Director of Knutsford-based Mangoletsi (Holdings) Ltd: “The Alfa 159 has really revitalised the Alfa Romeo brand,” he notes, “and the 1.9 JTDM model in particular has been very sought after by our customers; it combines superb styling, excellent performance from its punchy turbodiesel engine, high build quality, all wrapped in a genuinely affordable package. Quite simply it is the perfect all-round sporty saloon, and one that is thus ideal to fly the Mangoletsi flag across Europe for the next week.”

Meanwhile: “The new Alfa 159 model range epitomises the spirit and panache of Alfa Romeo perfectly. It is a car infused with Italian values that is taking the sporty brand into a bright new era,” says Mangoletsi Sales Executive Craig Aspin.  “Not only is it very stylish – although you wouldn’t expect anything less from the pen of Giorgetto Giugiaro – but for the first time, Alfa Romeo has a car that can genuinely take BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz head-on in the premium segment, and beat them hands-down. We know this to be true by the number of owners of German brands that are leaving our dealership in possession of the Alfa 159! We are selling a lot of Alfa 159s – as well as the 159 Sportwagon and Brera - helped particularly by very low monthly payments we can offer on these cars due to their very high residual values. The inherent residual strength of these new models is allowing us to increase their affordability, with the result that we can bring the benefits of Alfa Romeo ownership to a much wider audience.” 

The Mangoletsi Alfa 159 1.9 JTDM will be finished in “Alfa Silver” and feature a red leather interior. The car will be identifiable by its large Mangoletsi insignia – including the famous “arching M” – which will be displayed alongside the Tour’s official colours.
 

Knutsford-based Mangoletsi is the country’s largest, and longest-established, authorised Alfa Romeo and Fiat dealership.  Its Managing Director, Fraser Hudson, is understandably proud of the company’s success. “Everyone who works at Mangoletsi is passionate about the product we represent, and I think our enthusiasm is infectious, because once a customer buys an Alfa Romeo or Fiat from us, they seem to fall in love with their car,” explains Fraser. “It’s a joy to be working with such a premier motor manufacturer because we are able to offer a classic and sophisticated brand with a long heritage, which we know our customers love.”

Many Mangoletsi customers return to the dealership whenever they decide to replace their car. “We have clients who have been buying cars from us for over thirty years. I feel honored that they value and trust us,” says Fraser, who believes Mangoletsi has established an enviable reputation. “We pride ourselves on knowing the product inside out, so the knowledge of our staff is incredible. My after-sales manager, Ken Buckley, has been with the company for 34 years, my senior deputy parts manager, Roy Jeffries, has been with us for 35 years, and my top technician, Nigel Lawton, and is often consulted by the Alfa Romeo technical team in Italy.”

“We’ve achieved a great deal over the 39 years we’ve been here, and we’ve built up an enviable reputation,” says Fraser, who is Vice Chairman of the Alfa Romeo Dealer Association, with responsibility for representing all Alfa Romeo dealerships throughout Great Britain.

“We also represent the UK at Alfa Romeo conferences in Italy,” he adds. “We’re often asked to get involved, and offer our opinions on certain design aspects of new models, and we get to see cars well in advance of their release dates. So it helps enormously that I know what is going on in the industry, and I’m able to steer the business in the right direction.” 

Today Mangoletsi is facing its biggest challenge so far in its 39-year history, as the revival of the Alfa Romeo brand in the UK gets seriously underway with the arrival of the ‘new breed’ of Alfa Romeos: the 159, 159 Sportwagon, Brera and Spider, with two more exciting models scheduled to arrive in 2008. “The new cars epitomise the Alfa Romeo brand totally,” concludes Fraser, “and demand has been strong and instantaneous.” For further information: Mangoletsi (Holdings) Ltd: www.mangoletsi.com