Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Wheels Weekly Wheels - Alfa Romeo MiTO



Ladies, rejoice.

With the Mi.To, Alfa Romeo wishes to offer a new generation of 'Alfisti' THE SPORTIEST MINI. An up-to-date and innovative car, a name redolent of history. The name MiTo has great evocative resonance for Alfa Romeo for it was chosen to mark the deep-seated link between the past and future of the brand: between Milan, the city of design that brought to 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 site deliberately chosen for the car's presentation was the fairytale Castello Sforzesco in Milan where it is said that nearly 100 years ago a young designer found the inspiration for the Alfa Romeo logo when he saw a serpent carved onto the Filarete tower.

Going back through Alfa Romeo's epic history means turning some of the most important pages of motoring history. It means remembering the cars, races and engines that become milestones of technological progress and the sporting events of the 20th century. Yet the Alfa Romeo story is about so much more than just steel and track, there is also a human component, essentially based on the skill of great technicians and engineers such as Merosi, Jano and Satta Puliga the meticulous creativity of designers such as Prof. Scarnati and the architect Cressoni, and also the experience of all the people on the shop floor. These people successfully transferred the thrills that Alfa brought to racing to the roads of every day.

The best spirit of Alfa Romeo is beautifully encapsulated in this statement by Orazio Satta Puliga (1910-1974), one of the brand's great designers: 'Alfa Romeo is not just a car factory: its cars are something more than automobiles built in a conventional manner. Enthusiasm for a means of transport is a kind of disease. It is a way of life, a very special way of seeing a motor vehicle. Something that defies definition. Its elements are like those irrational traits of the human spirit that cannot be explained by logic'. Today Alfa's cars are determined to carry on 'being Alfa' - and the MiTo's driving qualities, style and engineering make it the perfect vessel to convey these values to a new generation of 'Alfisti'.

The Alfa 8C is the technical and stylistic mould for all our cars in the future. The Alfa 8C represents all that is good about the Alfa spirit and has been an essential source of inspiration for the construction of the Alfa Romeo MiTo. The MiTo is a distillate of pure Alfa Romeo values and came about as a result of a will to give every Alfa Romeo, however compact, a specific attitude of its own made up of sensual style, agility and technical excellence – all with the ultimate goal of driving satisfaction. The MiTo packs all the Alfa Romeo values into 4 metres.

For young people, it represents a chance to gain access their first sports car that is safe with its own distinctive style and technical content. Its dynamic attributes, good fuel economy and low emissions and petite dimensions also make the car an attractive proposition for a more adult audience, within a motoring scenario that now seems to set a premium on downsizing. The Alfa Romeo MiTo is a form of baptism into the Alfa religion for a new generation of Alfisti, opening up horizons of sportiness to the female audience that is essential to the success of any car of this category.

The car offers an outstanding weight-to-power ratio, absolute manageability due to cutting-edged suspension systems and direct steering, all features present for the first time on a car of this category. Lastly, the MiTo, like any Alfa Romeo, is a distillate of state-of-the-art engineering including very special features such as the Alfa D.N.A. system, suspension with coilover springs, Q2 Electronic and DST, all available as standard – coupled with small yet powerful turbo engines.

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