Alfa Romeo - the cars that made motoring history (2)

The Giulia Saloon 1600, with its new, surprising, shortened-tail style and its Sprint and Spider versions, launched simultaneously in 1962 at the Autodrome in Monza, were both high performance cars.

Both presented cutting-edge solutions in their mechanical content and bodywork, earning the most flattering praise from technicians and the public. The 1,750 cc engine had a structure identical to that on the Giulietta, and is endowed with tremendous power, with its engine producing 102 bhp at 5,000 rpm.

For this high performance car, the designers really stretched the limits of style and potential. The most famous sporting versions are the TZ and the GTA. The TZ, Zagato's racing version, was a success both on the road and on the track. But the real bomb was the GTA, with its aluminium doors and bonnet, created to take part in Touring category competitions.

Legendary Duetto

The Duetto Spider was a legend. The last stylistic effort by Battista Pininfarina, the 1600 Spider, using the same mechanics as the Giulia, was launched at the 36th Geneva Motor Show in 1966.

With its powerful four-cylinder engine capable of producing 109 bhp at 6,000 rpm, and its highly original cuttlefish bone tail and convex sides, it was one of the most representative of the Alfa spider models.

The car also claimed another first - it is the Alfa Romeo with the most staying power, remaining in production for no fewer than 26 years. In 1966 Alfa Romeo launches a competition to give it a name: the name "Duetto" won but enthusiasts preferred to call it the "1600 Spider".

The Brera, 159

Previewed to the public as a concept car at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show, the Alfa Brera was penned by Giorgio Giugiaro. A 2+2 coupe, the quintessential Italian sports car, it instantly won the admiration of public and media alike.

Today, that prototype has become a production car. A car for connoisseurs and cognoscenti it stirs the emotions and provides pure driving pleasure. A champion of refined styling and leading-edge technology that combines uncompromising performance with the comfort of a luxury saloon.

One of Alfa's aims with the Brera and 159 projects was to take the lead in the field of automotive passive safety. The Brera, like the new Alfa 159, boasts a new 'premium' floorpan, with high performance materials, multiply sheet metal and laser welding.

The architecture of the bodyshell also benefits from numerous measures, such as the use of boxed elements that are connected rigidly both transversely and vertically, three load lines in the front, longitudinals that run the whole length of the car, built-in structures and a larger number of spot welds around structural nodes.

The result is the excellent torsional rigidity of the bodyshell, the best in its segment at over 180,000 daNm/rad.

Moreover, both the Brera and Alfa 159 adopt an impressive suspension set-up that uses a high wishbone solution at the front - derived from the world of motor racing - and a multi-link system at the rear.

(Concluded)

For more information on Alfa Romeo and its model line up call 2382-3200 or visit the Alfa showroom in Valley Road, Birkirkara.