Marangoni Alfa Romeo Mito M430

The M430 is the striking new 2009 demo car for Marangoni Car Tyre, the division of the Marangoni Group that manufactures and markets car tyres, all strictly “made in Italy”. It will be exhibited for the first time in the world at the upcoming Essen Motor Show, to be held in Germany from 27 November to 7 December 2008, in hall 5, stand 128, hosted by Oxigin Wheels.
Following the success of the 2008 Marangoni TRC Fiat 500, another Italian show car will be used to confirm Marangoni’s ongoing tuning interests.
Once again Marangoni are the first to exhibit a uniquely designed and tuned example of a newly released Italian car. The project has been completed in a seemingly impossibly timeframe, coming soon after the Italian release of the Alfa Mito on 12 September.
Starting from a 1.4 litre turbo petrol model, the M430 is a complete reworking of the car, with considerable changes to the bodywork, engine, interior, braking system and trim. The tuning project was again handled by the Florence-based TRC Italia, and for this truly sporting interpretation, Marangoni decided to develop a limited series of its ultra high performance Mythos tyres, using a special red compound, in perfect symbiosis with the new look of the vehicle.
Throughout 2008 and 2009 the M430 will be on display at many leading European tuning shows, with a schedule of more than 10 events.
Body and design
It’s not hard to guess the origin of the M430 design, as the name itself explains its source of inspiration.
The front bumper has two wide air grills, designed to direct air flow to the uprated braking system. On the sides are wide vents that highlight the extremely sporting design of the vehicle. At the rear, the original bumper has been removed and replaced with a stunning new carbon fibre diffuser made by MB, featuring evident air extractors, again in 430 style.Carbon fibre was also used to make the rings around the lights and the spoiler on the rear window. Racy skirting completes the vehicle’s body kit, perfectly unifying the two axles. In addition, special LSD hinges have been adopted, with added modifications, meaning the doors now open wing-style, just like on the most prestigious supercars.
Power kit
The extensively tuned engine now delivers 220 HP, a good 65 HP more than the original version, with powerful delivery even at low revs. The power kit designed by Mariani also includes a new bearing-mounted rotary turbine, downpipe complete with metal catalyst, rear stainless steel exhaust with four pipes, and air filtering with special carbon air box.
Interior
The new look of the interior stands out immediately. The seats, roof lining, carpets and uprights have been covered with special open-work fabrics, enhanced by Luna supercar with a tricolore motif that accentuates the Italianness of the design. The gear knob, pedals, footrest and handbrake lever have been made by Isotta with Swarovski stone inserts to create a “regal” yet at the same time sporty feel.
Other features
The M430 has been lowered by around 4 cm using KW threaded strut housings that allow height adjustment. The already powerful standard braking system has been replaced with innovative Tarox B33 10-pot calipers and composite 330×26 diameter brake discs, for absolute yet controllable braking power.
Wheels
The spectacular red Marangoni Mythos tyres, in the 225/35R18 Y size, developed by adding special coloured pigments to the compound, are fitted on Oxigin Crystal black 8×18 wheels. The result is a captivating red-black combination that makes the already stunning M430 look even sportier.

2009 Alfa Romeo Brera S

Few sports cars are developed specifically for Britain’s roads. Those that have been tend to become true ‘driver’s cars’. Alfa Romeo is planning for the new, limited edition Alfa Romeo Brera S to join those ranks.
After a year of intensive suspension and chassis development at Prodrive, the world-leading motorsport specialist, the result is a sports coupe that subtly enhances all that is good about the original Alfa Brera, while bestowing it with outstanding driver feedback and handling.
Distinctly different from the rest of the line-up, this unique addition to Alfa Romeo’s UK range includes refined styling changes, inside and out. And to ensure ultimate exclusivity, production of the Alfa Romeo Brera S will be limited to just 500 individually numbered models.
Power comes from a choice of two existing direct injection petrol engines - the 185 bhp 2.2 JTS and the 260 bhp 3.2 V6 JTS.
Marketing director at Alfa Romeo UK, Nicholas Bernard, says: “Significantly, the Alfa Romeo Brera S isn’t simply about brute force, it’s about how the available power is transferred to the road and how the road surface is communicated back to the driver to bring new levels of sports handling and driver-focused confidence and involvement.”
Briefed to make the Alfa Romeo Brera S less of a long-distance tourer and more sporty on UK roads, the engineering team at Prodrive developed a unique suspension set-up. Prodrive engineers meticulously experimented with spring rates and ride heights to match the reduced weights of the 2008 model year Alfa Breras. Then followed an extensive damper tuning exercise to achieve the desired ride/handling balance and steering response required by driving enthusiasts in the UK.
According to Prodrive Project Leader, Peter Cambridge, the result is “a car that ’shrinks’ around the driver and delivers all the fun and engagement of a sports car driving experience on A and B-roads. Yet, on motorways, offers a compliant and composed ride.”
The sports car driving experience is achieved by reducing roll and pitch, flattening the cornering attitude, and subsequently instilling confidence-inspiring steering.
Peter Cambridge comments: “Our painstaking work with the spring set-up controls exactly how much the car pitches and rolls with every lump, bump, camber and pothole on our roads. Then we developed the dampers to control the rate at which the springs respond. Once we were satisfied with that, we set about really affecting the feel and response of the steering to inspire confidence.”
To reduce roll and pitch and achieve an even flatter cornering attitude, Prodrive commissioned bespoke Eibach coil springs and Bilstein dampers.
Spring rates are increased by over 50 per cent compared to the standard Alfa Brera, giving the car a more nimble and agile feel, while the specially tuned gas-filled mono-tube dampers give tighter body control. A careful balance has been created to maintain good compliance over ridges and bumps in the road.
At the same time, the suspension static geometry has also been revised to optimise steering and handling. These changes, together with new 19″ alloy wheels and Pirelli PZero Nero tyres, have created a more responsive turn-in to corners, with increased driver feedback, allowing the driver to explore the dynamic limits of the car.
To further enhance suspension geometry, the cars have been lowered by 10 mm front and rear. This lower centre of gravity helps reduce roll and improve cornering and braking performance. In addition, the lowered suspension gives the Alfa Romeo Brera S a more purposeful stance.
At each corner of the Alfa Romeo Brera S, unique Alfa 8C Competizione-inspired, lightweight 19″ alloy wheels have been fitted. Although the wheels are eye-catching, the all-new design was commissioned by Prodrive primarily for performance, rather than just cosmetic appeal. The reason is unsprung weight - the weight carried by the car on the ‘road side’ of the spring and shock absorber. This plays a significant role in the way the car steers, handles and transmits feedback to the driver.
The lighter the wheel, the better it tracks undulations in the road surface without requiring heavy damping to control it. The unsprung weight has been further reduced by the adoption of hollow anti-roll bars and aluminium suspension components from the Factory.

2009 Alfa Romeo Mi.To

An up-to-date and innovative car, a name redolent of history. The name Mi.To has great evocative resonance for Alfa Romeo, since it was chosen as a sign of a deep-seated link between the past and future of the brand: between Milan, the city of design that brought the car’s style into being, and Turin, which will be responsible for its industrial production. A decision that highlights the brand’s strong desire to consolidate its Milanese roots.
The Alfa Romeo Mi.To is the first car to be built since the 8C Competizione, Alfa Romeo’s icon of style and technology, from which it borrows certain characteristic traits: the particular shape of the unframed side windows, the three-lobed motif that distinguishes the front bumper, the shape of the headlights and the LED tail lights. The headlights and tail lights represent a distinctive personalised feature: a frame featuring different forms of material processing and colours to create an ultra-stylish eye-liner effect that underscores the car’s style and aggression.
The highly personal dashboard and seats ensure that the interior represents the ultimate expression of Italian style, welcoming yet sporty, with top-quality materials and the closest attention to detail.
The greatest thought has also gone into defining the dimensions, which add up to a compact and dynamic shape: the Alfa Romeo Mi.To is 4.06 metres long, 1.44 metres high and 1.72 metres wide.
Style, design, and more: performance and technology must always be top-of-the-range in an Alfa Romeo. As all the brand’s models, the Alfa Romeo Mi.To is able to appeal to the most demanding customers with its exciting driveability, determined partly to the Alfa DNA system. This control acts on the engine, brakes, steering, suspension and gearbox, allowing three different vehicle behaviour modes based on the driving style best suited to the situation or the customer’s wishes: supersporting (Dynamic), town driving (Normal), maximum safety even in difficult grip conditions (All-Weather). Mi.To is the first car in its segment to offer such innovative technological content.
Great performances are guaranteed by a range of 4 engines, all Turbo (petrol and diesel), that currently range from 90 hp up to 155 hp, with the range due to be extended by even higher power ratings.
Performance and handling have been developed and optimised to offer maximum driving satisfaction in complete safety. The Alfa Romeo Mi.To offers true Alfa Romeo sporting ride, featuring contractive suspensions - standard on all specifications and engines - that considerably reduce roll and maximum active, passive and preventive safety: VDC stability system as standard and a vehicle structure that is already designed to obtain the top EuroNCAP rating in the future.
The Alfa Romeo Mi.To will be introduced to the international press during June and will then be gradually introduced from July in all the major markets.

2009 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider

Put together by Alfa’s Centro Stile and production limited to 500 cars, this new open top Alfa Romeo 8C Spider immediately entices with that unmistakable “Italian elegance”, a unique and inimitable style that hints at its typically sporty Alfa handling.
Under the bonnet is a powerful 8 cylinder 4.7 litre engine producing 450 HP, matched to a 6 speed robotic gearbox, the new Alfa Romeo 8C Spider is truly beautiful, powerful and rock solid, where its gracious lines and dimensions gel perfectly with typical Alfa Romeo engineering and drive-ability. Needless to say, alongside this attractive Spider is the Alfa 8C Competizione, the epitome of Alfa Romeo’s innovation in the fields of engines and engineering, heightened competitiveness and continuous technological research.

2009 Alfa Romeo 159 1750 TBi

Starting from April 2009, the new Alfa Romeo 159 1750 TBi will be available with a brand new 1750 cc turbocharged petrol engine and develops 200 HP between 4,750 and 5,500 rpm with 320 Nm of torque at only 1,400 rpm. This engine takes the Alfa Romeo 159 1750 TBi to an impressive top speed of 235 kph and accelerates it from 0 to 100 kph in just 7.7 seconds. The 200 HP Alfa Romeo 159 1750 TBi is therefore a true representative of Alfa’s exclusive motoring lifestyle. Far from being a mere ‘means of transport’, the new Alfa Romeo 159 1750 TBi is a real driver’s car.