28.11.2002 27TH BOLOGNA MOTOR SHOW
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| The Bologna Motor Show which
opens its doors next Saturday has increased in significance for the Italian
automotive industry with the cancellation of the Turin Motor Show earlier
this year. Essentially a motorsport orientated show, the Italians are to
use Bologna as a convenient shop window and an opportunity to display new
prototypes and concept cars.
Fiat, desperate for some good news after a dreadful year are facing the show in an upbeat fashion. They will roll out several new concepts. The most interesting will be the Simba, a "mini off roader" expected to be heavily based on the "New Small". Then the Doblo Sandstorm, which is a concept off road rally car, in true Paris-Dakar style. The new exhibits are rounded off by the new Barchetta, which has received a heavy interior and exterior makeover, the Punto Natural Power ( dual methane and petrol powered ) which will go on sale next year, and the Punto Student, a car designed with major feedback from students. Alfa Romeo weigh in with the fearsome 156 GTAm, a 3.5-litre V6 engined road car based on the racing 156 GTA which won this year's European Touring Car Championship in the hands of Fabrizio Giovanardi. Built by N-Technology, Alfa's competition department, it produces an estimated 300 bhp. Finally of significance are the Itadesign Brera and Carcenaro/Centro Style Grandturismo which receive official recognition by taking pride of place on the Alfa Romeo and Lancia stands respectively. index: |
| >>> Alfa Romeo |
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| Alfa Romeo and its 'cuore
sportivo' are back at the Bologna Motor Show, on a stand where standard
production models and racing versions alternate to underscore the sporty
vocation of the brand and the great character claimed by all its cars.
The cars are definitely the stars of the innovative exhibition area created
by the company 'BonD' and is also a place of entertainment and emotional
involvement.
The heart of the stand is a large theatre surrounded by steps where visitors may sit and admire the cars. The place of honour naturally goes to the GTA family: compellingly-styled sports vehicles that combine a glittering racing pedigree with the cream of contemporary engineering. On the one hand, the 147 GTA: the fastest, most powerful car in its segment (250 bhp - 184 kW). On the other, the 156 GTA, winner of the FIA European Touring Car Championship 2002. These are joined by the Alfa GTAm, a proposed on-road development of the 156 GTA developed by N-Technology, the Alfa Romeo racing team. Nearby, visitors can see the Brera, the concept car designed by Giorgio Giugiaro and with production plans recently revealed, expected to be the biggest attraction on the stand. The four stars of the show are flanked by the Alfa Sportwagon GTA and Alfa 147 GTA Cup. Next season, the latter will race in the single-brand Trophy reserved for customers who are motorsports enthusiasts. The GTA is, amongst other things, a name that conjures up memories of races in the late Sixties when Alfa Romeo dominated the Touring category. From the world of motorsport to the roads of every day, beginning with the Alfa 147. Three versions of the car are on show, all in the Distinctive specification: a 3-door 150 bhp 2.0 T. Spark 16V equipped with a Selespeed sequential gearbox; a 5-door 140 bhp 1.9 JTD 16V Multijet and lastly a 3-door 120 bhp 1.6 T. Spark 16V. The spotlights at the Bologna show are also on the New Alfa 156 and Sportwagon, fine-looking cars packed with innovative technological ideas and solutions. The stand features a saloon and a wagon version, both in the Distinctive specification and equipped with the latest two revolutionary engines: a 165 bhp 2.0 JTS and a 140 bhp 1.9 JTD 16v Multijet. The line-up is completed by an Alfa Spider with a 218 bhp 3.0 V6 24v engine. The exhibition area around the Alfa Romeo theatre also offers other attractions. One area hosts Radio Montecarlo, where live interviews take place with famous personalities. In another area, visitors can try a new Sony Playstation® 2 game starring the 147 GTA. Lastly, the De Adamich Safe Driving Centre driving simulator allows visitors to engage in interactive races aboard a 147 Selespeed. All in all, a youthful, new stand based around the use of special 'chambers'. These are made out of aluminium and glass and take the form of big curvy hi-tech containers where various activities can take place. The set is complemented by a red prism with 8 co-ordinated screens. A large elevated structure made out of aluminium and glass stands on steel elevation rods and functions as a press and VIP lounge. A tunnel flooded with light shows off the Alfa Romeo range. Lastly, showcase chambers in aluminium, glass and plexiglas offer visitors a chance to admire the 250 bhp 3.2 V6 24v (heart of the GTA) and the 165 bhp 2.0 JTS and the 140 bhp 1.9 JTD 16 valve Multijet. Last but not least, a 2000 m2 pavilion houses the 'Bellezza Necessaria' [Sustaining Beauty] exhibition that celebrates Italian style and Alfa successes. The travelling show is now in its seventh year and can be seen for the first time in Italy. >>>
147 GTA & Sony Playstation 2
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| >>> Fiat |
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| The Fiat stand at the Bologna
Motor show has four focal points. First up are two concept cars, each with
an original, fresh, dynamic style of its own. One is the Fiat Simba, the
first European example of a small off-roader that is just as at home beating
a path through the African savannah as it is driving through the asphalt
jungle. The other vehicle on show is the Fiat Doblò Sandstorm, an
off-road version of the Doblò and all set for a desert raid. The
spotlights are also on Fiat's newborn, the Stilo Multi Wagon. The name
encompasses two motoring concepts that are very different to one another
but meet in the new model to create a harmonious whole: the handling of
a Station Wagon coupled with the versatility and modularity of a Multi
Purpose Vehicle. Herein lies the essence of its dual nature: station wagon
outside, MPV inside.
Plenty of space at the Motor Show has therefore been devoted to this model that is shown in three versions, all in the Dynamic specification. Two are equipped with 103 bhp 1.6 16v and 133 bhp 1.8 16v petrol engines; the other comes with a 1.9 JTD engine with maximum power of 115 bhp. The Bologna show would not be complete without 3 and 5-doored versions of the Fiat Stilo. The area set aside for Fiat's medium-sized compact car features a fresh, dynamic setting in the Stilo's own inimitable spirit. Two versions are on show: the five-door version of the 85 kW (115 bhp) 1.9 JTD Dynamic and the three-door 133 bhp 1.8 Dynamic. The third focal point on the stand: low environmental impact vehicles. A dedicated area houses two Fiat Multiplas in Bipower and LPG versions and, for the first time, a Punto Natural Power: a car that offers a dual fuel methane and petrol engine that is the outcome of Fiat's ongoing research into alternative fuels. The show also sees the world premier of the revised Fiat Barchetta, the model that represents a happy blend of our great Italian sports tradition and the shape of things to come. These, then, are the four focal points of the stand. And they are complemented by areas reserved for other models from the extensive Fiat range. For example, the Fiat Ulysse, the people-carrier for customers who want a comfortable, roomy, versatile MPV (Multi Purpose Vehicle) with plenty of seats that offers great practicality. Two versions are on show: one equipped with a 2.2 JTD engine and the other with a 2.0 16v, both with an Emotion specification. The evergreen Punto is also present in five door 1.9 JTD Dynamic, three door 1.2 16v Sporting and 1.2 Feel versions. On a special platform of its own, you can also see a concept car produced on a Punto base: the Punto Student, a car designed by the young for the young. The exhibition continues with the Doblò Malibù and Seicento Sporting, the latter represented by the new range due to go on sale from October. These youthful, informal cars are flanked by three cars with a decidedly sporty look: the Punto Abarth Rally, winner of the Italian Rally Super 1600 Championship with Paolo Andreucci; the Fiat Stilo Abarth Rally to be raced in the 2003 Trophy; and a Stilo 2.4 20v with Abarth specification. Multimedia treats are also on offer in Bologna. Several Internet stations allow you to log on to our buy@fiat and fiat.com sites. Here you can browse Fiat models and experience a new approach to the car world. >>>
new facelifted Fiat Barchetta
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| >>> Lancia |
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| The Lancia stand is a monument
to cutting edge design technology. With Lancia Style Centre designers working
at their station in full view to show off all the tools at their disposal:
from sophisticated computer programs to lead pencils. Despite the gulf
that divides them, both tools are capable of breathing life into the formal
language that has typified Lancia models since the time of the Dialogos.
A change of heart sees pride of place on the stand significantly going to the Lancia Thesis-based Granturismo. On its low-key debut in Paris in September it was shunned by Lancia, instead appearing in another less visited hall. The prototype, the result of a joint venture between the Lancia Style Centre, Carcerano and Carrozzeria Maggiora, represents a meeting point between a quest for good looks and computerised and virtual technology. The combination of style and technology so typical of all Lancias through the ages is reflected in the stand layout. On one side you can see top-quality materials such as walnut, white Carrara marble and mosaic inserts. On the other, imposing led screens display advanced graphics. Two workshops containing craftsmen at work remind visitors of Lancia's traditional commitment to workmanship and attention to detail. They are a well-known French lutanist intent on making a viola and a perfumer who makes up individual scents as he works. This is an apt way of introducing visitors to the chic, somewhat exclusive, somewhat alternative and mightily appealing world of Lancia cars. The stand features three interesting newcomers. First and foremost, the Lancia Lybra Emblema, a special version distinguished on the inside by soft tobacco-coloured seats and on the outside by a black roof to match the body colour (an option exclusive to the Station Wagon version). René Gruau has lent his name and his fame as an artist and fashion designer to this sophisticated, quality car. Two new editions of the Lancia Y are also on show for the first time: the Vanity special series and the revised LS. The LS is metallic black with a 80 bhp 1.2 16v power unit while both Vanity cars on show in Bologna are equipped with a 60 bhp 1.2 engine. The line-up concludes with the Thesis and Phedra. A rotating stand in glass and stainless steel houses a Tintoretto Bordeaux-coloured 2.4 JTD Executive version of the range leader: the car built to offer customers the satisfaction of driving or being driven in an élite car. Alongside, another Thesis gives visitors an opportunity to admire spacious, well-lit areas with parts that yield to the touch made out of top-quality materials chosen not merely for their good looks but also for the sensory reactions they arouse. This is the 2.0 Turbo Emblema version in Palladian Grey. A third car stands on a mezzanine floor in the VIP area. The area reserved for the Lancia Phedra is designed around a circular rotating stand similar to that of the Thesis. Here you can see a Bramante Red 94 kW (128 bhp) 2.2 jtd 16v. Alongside stands a 150 kW (204 bhp) 3.0 V6 24v version with an automatic transmission in Modigliani Beige. >>>
Carcenaro & Centro Style developed 'Grandturismo' concept car
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| >>> others |
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| With the cancellation of
the Turin Motor Show this year, the motorsport orientated Bologna event
has allowed the smaller manufacturer's the opportunity to display their
latest offerings. Leading these will be Ferrari who bring the new 600 bhp
6.0-litre V12 Enzo which has recently wowed crowds at the Paris and Birmingham
Motor Shows and will once again be a show stopper here.
Maserati, fresh from announcing a factory sportscar racing program for 2004, bring the Trofeo racecar which will form the basis of a single marque series from next year. |
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