Autodelta is pleased to announce that it has appointed Mangoletsi – the UK’s largest and longest-established authorised Alfa Romeo dealership – to officially supply new vehicles for research and development to the London-based aftermarket Alfa Romeo design and tuning concern. The contract will see Mangoletsi, who are based in Knutsford, Cheshire, supplying new Alfa Romeo models which will be destined for internal use by Autodelta. The contract will initially run until December 31, 2008.

“We’re delighted to be able to officially appoint Mangoletsi to supply all of our research and development cars, and at the same time we highly recommend that our customers use Mangoletsi for the supply of their new Alfa Romeos,” says Autodelta’s Jano Djelalian. “They have a long-standing reputation – second-to-none – for customer service, and we have been highly impressed that they have already been able to supply cars as specified on time – very important for us with our detailed development schedules.”

The rapidly growing relationship between Mangoletsi and Autodelta came about due to the hard work and boundless enthusiasm of Mangoletsi Sales Executive Craig Aspin. “While at a previous Alfa Romeo dealership group I put together several deals between our core customers and Autodelta,” says Craig. This included him being a major driving force behind the commissioning and development of the Autodelta 156 GTA AM 3.7 project; the first example which was delivered to one of his customers. “On joining the team at Mangoletsi I could immediately see obvious synergies between the two companies, which – very importantly – are both driven forward by their sheer long-term enthusiasm for the Alfa Romeo brand, and so it was very logical that I should draw Autodelta in and build on my relationship with them,” adds Craig.

The first two models to be delivered, a 159 2.2 JTS and Brera 3.2 Q4, were recently handed over by Mangoletsi to Autodelta.  These two cars immediately joined Autodelta's R&D operation as the tuner rapidly approaches the end of the first stage of the intensive development programme to create a platform of products and conversions for the new breed of Alfa Romeo models: the 159, 159 Sportwagon, Brera and Spider. The Mangoletsi-supplied Brera was also part of the presentation of the Autodelta European Tour 2006 held at Forza Auto Italia at the Santa Pod Raceway on August 12.

"This is an exciting era for Autodelta," adds Jano, "as new opportunities that we have never seen before are being presented by the new breed of Alfa Romeo models.  These cars can truly hold their own with the prestigious German brands: BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, and in fact surpass them, bringing bags of flair, a truly unique style and a sense of exhilaration that such rivals simply cannot offer the discerning car buyer of today.  The freedom and joys of Alfa Romeo driving are suddenly being extended to a wider audience of car owners.”

Knutsford, Cheshire-based Mangoletsi is the country’s largest, and longest-established, authorised Alfa Romeo and Fiat dealership.  Its Managing Director, Fraser Hudson, is understandably proud of the company’s success.  “Everyone who works at Mangoletsi is passionate about the product we represent, and I think our enthusiasm is infectious, because once a customer buys an Alfa Romeo or Fiat from us, they seem to fall in love with their car,” explains Fraser. 

“It’s a joy to be working with such a premier motor manufacturer because we are able to offer a classic and sophisticated brand with a long heritage, which we know our customers appreciate.”Many Mangoletsi customers return to the dealership whenever they decide to replace their car.  “We have clients who have been buying cars from us for over thirty years.  I feel honored that they value and trust us,” says Fraser, who believes Mangoletsi has established an enviable reputation. We pride ourselves on knowing the product inside out, so the knowledge of our staff is incredible.  My after-sales manager, Ken Buckley, has been with the company for 34 years, my senior deputy parts manager, Roy Jeffries, has been with us for 35 years, and my top technician, Nigel Lawton, is often consulted by the Alfa Romeo technical team in Italy.” 

“We’ve achieved a great deal over the 36 years we’ve been here, and we’ve built up an enviable reputation,” says Fraser, who is Vice Chairman of the Alfa Romeo Dealer Council, with responsibility for representing all Alfa Romeo dealerships throughout Great Britain.  “We also represent the UK at Alfa Romeo conferences in Italy,” he adds.  “We’re often asked to get involved, and offer our opinions on certain design aspects of new models, and we get to see cars well in advance of their release dates.  So it helps enormously that I know what is going on in the industry, and I’m able to steer the business in the right direction.”

Today Mangoletsi is facing its biggest challenge so far in its history, as the revival of the Alfa Romeo brand in the UK gets seriously underway with the arrival of the 'new breed' of Alfa Romeos: the 159, 159 Sportwagon, Brera and Spider, with two more exciting models scheduled to arrive in 2008.  The final word should go to Fraser: "The new cars perfectly epitomise the Alfa Romeo brand, and demand has been strong and instantaneous." For further information on Autodelta visit www.autodelta.co.uk or for Mangoletsi visit www.mangoletsi.com.