Bravo Alfa!

It’s common knowledge that to own an Alfa is a right of passage for every passionate lover of cars. Exactly why that is held to be a universal truth is not so easy to explain. Apart from their historical unreli­ab­ility and the notori­ously inadequate finish and build quality of even some recent launches from the classic brand, in our opinion, some recent Alfas have been downright clunky. The bubble-​​butted Alfasud was a rustbucket that haunted many a teenage dream with financial woe and crushing disap­pointment (my own included). The 156 was dull and the 159 was better but lacked a defining ‘Alfa’-factor. The Brera and the GT are undoubtedly pretty, but until the 8C Competizione finally went into production a couple of years ago, it looked like the company that brought us the breath­taking Type 33 Stradale and the Montréal had settled onto the weakly-​​lit plateau of unchar­ac­ter­istic mediocrity. But something happened with the launch of the first genuine supercar from Alfa for a couple of decades – and it is the revolution wrought by the 8C’s staggering beauty that is encoded in the Mito’s accessible blend of sensu­ality and affordability.

The launch of the three basic versions of the Mito in January this year caused a stir amongst Italian car obsessives, primarily because the company’s aim to produce the sportiest compact car ever just might have been achieved. You can see the sweeping, trian­gular lines of the 8C in the little car’s face and flank, and reports are that the looks are reflected in the driving exper­ience. The launch this week of the Mito GTA concept, which is due to be unveiled at the Geneva show in a couple of weeks’ time, is a further demon­stration of Alfa’s continued commitment to cars with sporty soul and innov­ation. In line with the famous GTA (Gran Turismo Alleggerito) signature, (Alleggerito means reduced weight in Italian), according to Alfa’s press releases the Mito GTA Concept prior­itises weight reduction and an optimum power-​​to-​​weight ratio. They’ve lightened the car consid­erably and lowered its centre of gravity by making components such as the tailgate spoiler, roof and mirror fairings in carbon-​​fibre; while aluminium is to be used extens­ively in the braking system, suspension, and some parts of the chassis. The compact new petrol engine employs advanced tech including direct injection, dual variable valve timing, state-​​of-​​the-​​art turbocharging and advanced electronic management systems. Alfa reckon the 1.8 litres will produce around 240 BHP. Under-​​floor aerody­namics have been improved, and the entire car has been lowered by 20mm and the compre­hens­ively revised chassis boasts an ‘active’ suspension system, which counteracts the transfer of load under accel­er­ation, stiff­ening the rear end and maxim­ising traction. The suspension also interacts with the braking system and steering to obtain the most efficient control of vehicle dynamics imaginable.

Evolution is rarely a smooth, gradual process. Sometimes it takes a bold leap like the 8C to infiltrate the bloodline of an automotive legend. The repack­aging of the essence of a true Italian supercar in a little runabout whose efficiency and afford­ab­ility chimes with the times is the most exciting devel­opment to hit our streets in some consid­erable time.