Alfa Romeo is to officially introduce its new 2+2 Brera at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show next month. This is the car destined to replace the likes of the Spyder and GTV.
Due to go on sale by year's end, it first made its appearance in 2002 as a Giorgetto-Giugiaro designed concept car. The new coupé measures up at 1,830mm wide, 4,414mm in length and 1,372mm high.
With three levels of trim, the Brera will also offers buyers a choice of a 2.4 JTD 240 bhp turbo-diesel power-unit and two petrol engines (the 185 bhp 2.2 JTS or the 260 bhp 3.2), coupled to either an automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual gearbox.
It will also feature quadrilateral front suspension and multilink rear suspension. The Alfa Q4 traction control system will be fitted to some versions.
The Brera offers an enormous boost to the new Alfa boss, Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, in his first year on the job. It gives Kalbfell (55) something with which to take on his former employer, BMW, and lets him redefine Alfa's position in the market, perhaps as a high-performance brand.
