Alfa UK Adds New Turbo Engines and Special Version to Brera and Spider Range

Following the unveiling of the new 200HP 1750 TBi petrol and 170HP 2.0 JTDM diesel powerplants in the 159 range late last year, Alfa Romeo UK is now adding the two engines to the Brera coupé and Spider convertible range.

In addition to the new powerplants, the company is also introducing to the UK market the new limited edition trim level "Italia Independent" on both derivatives of the sports car.

When equipped with Alfa's new 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine that produces 200HP and 320Nm of torque, the Brera and Spider reach the 0 to 62 mph (100km/h) acceleration benchmark in virtually identical times of 7.7 and 7.8 seconds respectively, before both topping out at 146 mph or 235km/h.

Prices are set at £25,205 and £27,205 for the Brera and Spider 1750 TBi respectively.

With the 2.0-liter turbo diesel plant that churns out 170 ponies and 360Nm of peak torque between just 1750 rpm and 2500 rpm, the Brera and Spider cover the 0 to 62mph sprint in 8.8 and 9.0 seconds respectively, and possess a top speed of 135 mph or 217 km/h.

In this case, pricing is set at £24,995 and £26,995 for the coupe and convertible versions of Alfa's sports car respectively.

As for the Italia Independent trim level which is available with all engines including the new 1750 TBi and the range topping 3.2-liter V6, both the Brera and Spider variants receive a unique matt black titaniuim finish, 18-inch black opaque 'turbine' design alloy wheels, red brake calipers and Alfa 8C inspired aluminium fuel cap.

Inside, the sports cars' interiors boast a black leather bound steering wheel and gear knob with red stitching, carbon-fibre trim inserts, sports dials, black sports leather upholstered seats with Italia Independent branded headrests, aluminium sports pedals and foot rest, and a radio/sat-nav sytem with Blue&Me.

Alfa Romeo's 2010-2014 Product Plans Include New Giulia and Spider, but no Succesor for Brera. U.S. Sales Start in 2012

Here we go again; the Fiat Group today announced plans to revive Alfa Romeo with a raft of new models that will also play a key role in the relaunch of the brand in the U.S. market (how many times have we heard that before?) by 2013.

Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne said that Alfa Romeo will launch seven new models from 2010 to 2014 starting with the new Giulietta that will receive an extensive facelift in 2014.

The next newcomer from Alfa will be a replacement for its BMW 3-Series rivaling 159 that will be named Giulia.

Set to arrive in 2012, the Giulia will be based on an existing Fiat platform (most likely, a wider and longer version of the Guilietta's new platform). It will be offered in four-door sedan and station wagon variants and according to the plan, it will mark the return of the Alfa Romeo brand in the States.

The same year will see Alfa introducing a facelift version of its three-door MiTo supermini and a Chrysler Group-based compact-size SUV that will be produced and sold in the States.

In 2013, Alfa will add a five-door model to its MiTo range and launch the car in the U.S. The plan also includes the presentation of a new Spider that will be produced in Europe and the U.S.

There has been speculation that the new Spider will be based on a rear-wheel drive platform derived from Mercedes Chrysler, but this has yet to be confirmed officially. Either way, we hope it looks a lot like Pininfarina's gorgeous 2uettottanta concept (see details and pics here) that was revealed at last month's Geneva gathering.

Finally, in 2014, Alfa Romeo will present a Chrysler Group-based mid-size SUV. Like its smaller brethren, this model will also be manufactured in America.

It's also worth noting that Alfa Romeo's 2010-2014 product plan does not include a replacement for the GT 2+2 coupe, the Brera and the long-gone 166 sedan. The latter was supposed to be replaced by the 169 in 2009 while Alfa's previous plans mentioned the introduction of a compact SUV in 2010 - that said, don't take Fiat Group's product plans for granted, or at least not all of them...