ALFA ROMEO BRERA & SPIDER
The flagship for Alfa’s new millennium comeback is now reaching classic status
WORDS MALCOLM MCKAY PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES MANN
Giorgetto Giugiaroʼs stunning styling exercise, unveiled at the Geneva Salon in 2002 with a Maserati V8, was just what Alfa Romeo needed – and when the production Brera was unveiled at Geneva three years later, there was an equally showstopping Spider version, too.
The Spider was designed by Pininfarina and Alfa Centro Stile, using the Breraʼs nose and doors. Both models were built by Pininfarina, the Spider shorter and lower – though chassis reinforcements and the five-layer, padded soft-top made it 60kg heavier than the Brera.
Both looked amazing and came with a range of engines: what could go wrong? It was a very competent car, but testers were disappointed: performance and handling were not in the sports-car class the looks suggested. The car was heavy, underpowered, over-complex in 3.2-litre, four-wheel-drive form and cramped in the rear. But Alfa wanted to sell cars, hence offering both Brera and Spider in front-drive with 2.2 four-cylinder petrol and 2.4 five-pot turbodiesel engines as well as the flagship V6. It couldnʼt match the performance of the Nissan 350Z, but four-wheel drive made the 3.2 very surefooted and it would prove to have build quality far above that of previous Alfas.
More basic models were available in other markets, but in the UK all had SV spec with a panoramic glass roof, electric sunblind and heated leather seats. Options included 18in wheels, electric seats, sat-nav and plusher leather. In 2008 the V6 went front-drive, with all FWD models now fitted with an electronic limited-slip diff. Special editions came in to boost sales, and Prodrive launched its 500-off S model in 2.2 and 3.2 forms, bizarrely with the glass roof blanked off and a full headlining. Almost no front-drive V6s were sold in the UK other than the Prodrive S Breras; arguably the Q4 four-wheel drive 3.2 is the ultimate driverʼs car, but some claim the lighter FWD 3.2 is nimbler. Todayʼs prices show that the S is most favoured, alongside the run-out 1750 TBi.
More reliable and with a better driving position than its predecessors, the Brera is an appealing buy; the Spider slightly less so due to its complex soft-top. The Brera was an executive express, so high-mile diesels are
