The powerful 200 bhp 2.4 JTDM 20v engine combined with a sporty 6-speed gearbox is now available on the Alfa Spider range and it will receive its world premiere in Geneva next week. The new version will be on the market in Italy and Germany in mid February, followed shortly thereafter by the other markets. It guarantees excellent power and torque delivery and low fuel consumption in all driving conditions. In fact, performance by the 200 bhp Alfa Spider 2.4 JTDM 20v is superb (it has a top speed of more than 228 km/h and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 8.4 seconds), yet consumption is limited: on the urban cycle the car consumes 9.2 litres every 100 km, out of town this becomes 5.4 litres and in the mixed cycle it is about 6.8 litres.

The 200 bhp 2.4 JTDM engine is a jewel of automotive engineering that confirms Fiat Auto’s supremacy in this field. Ever since it first developed the Multijet system, the Fiat Group has set its stamp on the diesel engine market. The Alfa Spider’s Multijet engine respects Euro 4 limits and incorporates a DPF (particulate trap) that eliminates fine dust, already meeting the limits currently envisaged for future Euro 5 legislation. It is a ‘for life’ system that does not need to be regenerated with additives, and will be eligible for tax incentives.

The symbol of Alfa Romeo engineering excellence

Derived from the familiar 2.4 JTD 20 valve ‘Common Rail’ engine, the new engine has 5 cylinders in line and is the most powerful engine in the JTD multivalve Multijet family, with a specific power of 84 bhp/litre. It offers numerous advantages. First of all, it is appreciably quieter during the heating stage, depending on the rev speed and ambient temperature. It is also extremely powerful (147 kW - 200 bhp at 4000 rpm), with a generous torque (400 Nm – 40.8 kgm at 2000 rpm).

There are four valves per cylinder, activated via hydraulic tappets and rocker arms by the twin overhead camshaft. Several changes were made to the engine to boost performance, to increase engine torque at low revs, and to eliminate noise and vibration. For example, the Common Rail system adopted on the 2.4 JTDM 20v envisages two new automatic control strategies for the setting and balance of the injected diesel fuel, which reduce noise and vibration.

The engine includes several interesting components, such as the cylinder head with small stem inlet valves to increase the quantity of inlet air, con rods of fractured steel with a new shape that increases mechanical resistance to the strong stress created by the increased power, an inlet manifold fitted with a throttle valve on one of the two inlet ports of the cylinders to control the turbulence of the air entering; a throttle valve to prevent shaking if the engine stalls, and an intercooler that is highly efficient thanks to its shape and position in the car, to guarantee the optimal temperature and density of the inlet air.

The electronic EGR exhaust gas cooling system has also been modified; the lubricating circuit has a new oil pump and an external air/oil heat exchanger to cool the oil, while the water pump on the cooling circuit is also new. In other words, a long list of improvements and changes that have produced a reliable, powerful engine which is sparing on fuel. Excellent results, achieved thanks to different engine control settings, an increase in the direct injection pressure to 1600 bar, and new turboblower settings. The turboboost is provided by a turboblower with a variable geometry turbo that helps to improve the power delivery, but also generates very high torque even at low engine speeds. In fact, 90% of peak torque is available between 1750 and 3500 rpm.

All the strong points of the Alfa Spider

The open sports car has always played an important role in Alfa Romeo tradition (from the Giulietta Spider in the 1950s, going on to the Duetto, and the Spider launched in the 1990s) because it represents ‘freedom and excitement’ in a car. The new model is born with this same spirit, as the natural evolution of the many open sports cars produced by Alfa Romeo in its long history, cars that are exciting and enjoyable to drive, combining fantastic styling with the performance of powerful, flexible engines.
 

And the new Alfa Spider is no exception, but confirms the ‘essential simple’ character of a true sports car, combined with the technological superiority of the ‘new Alfa breed’.

Developed by Pininfarina and the Alfa Romeo Styling Centre, the model immediately catches the eye for its unmistakable ‘Italian elegance’, an absolutely unique, unrepeatable styling that promises enjoyable driving in true Alfa tradition. Although the front is consistent with the latest generation of cars from Alfa, the new model also continues the stylistic evolution of the Alfa Romeo sports cars that have made motoring history.

The car’s flowing lines seem to invite the spectator to follow them all round the car’s perimeter with its clean, uncluttered lines. The sides are rendered more dynamic by the concave surface that cuts through it, and ‘muscular’ wings reveal their racing credentials without losing any of their elegance or stylistic lightness. And finally, the rear end is made lighter by ‘fins’ and the rounded shape of the boot and bumpers.

Inside, the Alfa Spider’s passenger compartment is welcoming and highly sophisticated, thanks to the use of luxury materials and other outstanding features (which are standard depending on the version): from dual-zone automatic climate control to steering-wheel-mounted radio controls, VDC, Cruise Control, a map navigator with bird-view function and the Blue&Me® system.

The car is offered in two outfits, and the customer can also choose between two JTS petrol engines (2.2 delivering 185 bhp, with a 6-speed mechanical gearbox or the new robotised Selespeed gearbox, and 3.2 V6 Q4 delivering 260 bhp, and combined with a mechanical 6-speed gearbox or the new 6-speed automatic transmission), or the new 2.4 JTDM 20v engine delivering 200 bhp, combined with a sporty 6-speed mechanical transmission. The new car guarantees both the character of an Alfa and excellent dynamic performance thanks to a high double wishbone suspension layout at the front and a Multilink system at the rear. The Alfa Spider combines superb comfort with a sporty stance and an evolved ‘Alfa Romeo Q4’ four-wheel drive system (available on the 260 bhp 3.2 V6 Q4 version). And in the safety field, the new Alfa Romeo Spider is fitted with the most sophisticated electronic devices to control the car’s dynamic behaviour, from braking to traction.

These are the winning features that enabled the new model to win the prestigious ‘Cabrio of the Year 2006’ title on its debut (at the Geneva 2006 Motor Show), awarded by the ‘Comité Cabriolet’ jury made up of 23 specialist journalists from 12 countries. Recently, the Alfa Spider also won the ‘Auto più bella del Web’ title promoted by www.infomotori.com. From September 1 to December 31, 2006 readers of this online motoring magazine sent in over 100,000 votes; out of a shortlist of 21 models, the Alfa Romeo sports car won both the overall title and came first in two of the ten categories: Women and Open cars.

The Alfa Spider is safe, powerful and beautiful, and represents another step forward in the field of the open sports car, a segment in which Alfa Romeo has always been a force to be reckoned with. The new car was designed to embody uncompromising quality. This concept guided all stages of the development of the car, from its very conception, through the innumerable tests that the car was subjected to, right down to manufacture. Quality on the Alfa Spider is also expressed in the choice of luxurious materials in the interior, in the fine tuning of the Alfa Romeo engines to obtain the highest levels of performance, sound and comfort, and the optimisation of the sophisticated suspension system. And finally, ‘quality’ also means a world of services and financial formulae to meet every need.