Alfa Romeo at the 2008 Bologna Motor Show

Image by TGIGreeny via FlickrEssential style capable of conveying strong emotions, engineering that is always at the cutting edge – plus superlative road holding and driving satisfaction: these are the qualities that have always set Alfa Romeo apart in the world motoring scenario. The same values lie behind the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, a veritable piece of poetry in motion that is remarkable for the sculpted and finely modelled surfaces that provide ideal attire for the engineering and mechanical excellence of this extraordinary car. The Alfa 8C Competizione is also the technical and stylistic template that will be used to create all the Alfa Romeo cars of the future, beginning with the Alfa Romeo MiTo, ‘the sportiest mini’ that packs sensual style, agility and technical excellence made for driving satisfaction into a length of just 4 metres.

This new Alfa Romeo was recently rewarded with the title of ''Auto Europa 2009'', the most important accolade from the Italian trade press, awarded by the Italian Union of Automotive Journalists (Uiga). A score of 462 enabled the Alfa Romeo MiTo to drive off with the sought-after prize, first set up in 1987, which will be handed over on 3 December on the Alfa Romeo stand at the Bologna show. In previous years, the ''Auto Europa” prize, awarded to cars built and sold in Europe that offer buyers the best mix of technology, price and good looks, has gone to the models Alfa Romeo 156 (1998) and Alfa Romeo 166 (1999).

To mark the Bologna Motor Show, the Alfa Romeo Mito has also been extended by the arrival of two new engines: the 120 bhp 1.4 Turbopetrol and the 90 bhp 1.3 JTDM. The former represents the new heart of the petrol range, slotting in between the 78 bhp 1.4 and the powerful 155 bhp 1.4 Turbo while the 90 bhp 1.3 JTDM becomes the new entry level diesel engine, joining the 120 bhp 1.6 JTDM.

The brand new Alfa Romeo MiTo and the gorgeous Alfa 8C Competizione are the stars of an original stand conceived as an ideal blend of design and technology, sportiness and sophisticated styling. The exhibition area is dominated by top-quality materials – glossy lacquer, leather, steel and mirrored walls—reflecting the interior mood of the cars on show. The flooring – featuring inlays of various materials with different shades of black and steel inserts - provides the perfect backdrop for three Alfa Romeo MiTo cars, positioned on glass with a black lacquer backing and lit by hundreds of micro-led lights. In the centre of the stand, surrounded by the three Alfa Romeo MiTo cars, an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione stands proudly on a platform coated with a special resin to give an idea of the road and the brand's legendary status on the track and in competition. This striking-looking stand is all set off to perfection by an imposing wall in ‘Competizione’ red that provides an ideal backdrop to the lithe, unique design of the cars, making them the unquestionable stars of the show. The stage wings are set with lighted niches holding accessories and items from the Alfa Romeo store. All the cars on show are in ‘Competizione’ red and are the ideal embodiments of Alfa Romeo’s main mission: the industrial design of vehicles with state-of-the-art mechanics and engineering, featuring contemporary lines and shapes, that emphasise the qualities of comfort, sportiness, elegance and power intrinsic to the Brand.

All the spotlights will naturally be turned on the latest addition to the family: the Alfa Romeo MiTo. With this car, Alfa Romeo wishes to offer a new generation of Alfa aficionados ‘the sportiest mini’. Their new baby is an up-to-date, innovative car that evokes, by its name alone, the glorious past of a brand that has written some of the most important pages of motoring history. The name MiTo has great evocative resonance and was chosen to mark the 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.
The Alfa Romeo MiTo is represented at the Bologna show by three cars in the Distinctive specification, all powered by the spirited 155 bhp 1.4 Turbopetrol engine and equipped with the Sport and Premium Pack.

A second focus of the stand is an area dedicated to the exclusive Limited Edition Alfa Romeo supercar: Alfa 8C Competizione, the sports car that has had collectors and fans swooning with desire throughout the world, collecting thousands of orders in just a few days. Five hundred of the cars have been produced by the Alfa Romeo Style Centre and are remarkable for their moulded surfaces that are the ideal attire for Alfa Romeo’s engineering and mechanical excellence: a slender line that expresses all the beauty of a veritable piece of poetry in motion that harks back to the brand's glorious past while also carrying forward its attributes of engineering and emotion into the future. The Alfa 8C Competizione is equipped with a mighty 4.7 litre 8 cylinder engine that develops 450 bhp, teamed with a 6 speed robotised gearbox and immediately turns heads due to its unmistakable Italian elegance, an absolutely unique and unrepeatable style that promises the satisfaction of a sporty drive with full respect for Alfa Romeo tradition.

Visitors to the show can also pick up information material to find out about products on offer from Fiat Group Automobiles Financial Services, a captive finance company created as a joint venture partnership between Fiat Group Automobiles and Crédit Agricole. The company backs Fiat Group Automobiles, in Italy and Europe, with a single mission: to support the sales of Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Fiat Professional and Abarth branded cars by offering innovative financial products incorporating high added value services that are aimed at the dealer network and also private and fleet customers. The company also supports medium and long-term investments by the dealer network through the liquidity made possible by the joint venture. In particular, at the 2008 Motor Show, Sava (an operating division of Fiat Group Automobiles Financial Services and a leading provider of finance in Italy) is offering “Alfa Romeo Più” specially for the Alfa Romeo MiTo, the ideal product for a new generation of 'Alfisti'. The package enables customers to buy a new Alfa Romeo MiTo, paying only for part of the car and only for the cost of its effective use. The option of no deposit, low instalments and a secure value backed by the name of Alfa Romeo, plus when the contract finishes the freedom to decide whether to: replace the car with a new one, keep it or return it.