Image credits: © Alfa Romeo.

2009 Alfa Romeo 159 news, pictures, and information

World Superbike Championship: 'Alfa Romeo 159 Superpole Award' prize goes to Troy Bayliss

Alfa Romeo, Top Sponsor of the HANNspree Superbike World Championship 2008, will be present at Troy Bayliss's season grand finale. The driver, who has already received the SBK 2008 World Championship title, is about to receive, at the Portimao circuit, the 'Alfa Romeo 159 Superpole Award' that is offered as a prize by the top sponsor to the driver who totals the highest number of superpoles during the course of the season.

The Australian champion of the Ducati Xerox team will be the person who today officially collects the keys of a high-performing and desirable Alfa Romeo 159 3.2 Sportwagon TI, that has been fought over by the best Superbike drivers during the course of the world championship. The prize goes to the driver who demonstrates energy, heart and passion, the same values that typify the car brand that is traditionally linked to the world of sport and racing and has acted as Top Sponsor at the circuit for two years. The Superpole, an exciting interlude that precedes the races each Saturday, is reserved for the fastest drivers who are most determined to obtain the best position on the starting grid.

Another surprise during the event celebrating the finals of a long and thrill-packed seasons for the team and fans of motorbike racing, and another opportunity for celebration for Troy Bayliss who is about to end a thrilling career, packed with surprises and great satisfaction.

At the wheel of his new Alfa Romeo 159, Troy will be able to express all its attributes of ability and its mastery of the road from the first moment he takes the wheel of this high performance car, a blend of sportiness and technology that also offers a guarantee of maximum comfort and safety.

Alfa Romeo is proud to count a sportsman of the calibre of Troy Bayliss among the ranks of the ‘Alfisti' as it brings to a close its second year at Portimao alongside FGSport and Ducati Corse and as Top Sponsor of the world Superbike championship, looking forward to another great season on the track in its perennial quest for authentic sporting passion.

Source - Alfa Romeo

World previews: Alfa 159 Sportwagon and Alfa Spider

The forthcoming Geneva Motor Show will see the world debut of the Alfa 159 Sportwagon and the Alfa Spider, thus completing the range set to take Alfa Romeo into the future.

The Alfa 159 Sportwagon represents a consummate blend of Italian style with the performance and handling of a genuine sportscar, combined with the flexibility of use and versatility of space you would expect from a high class estate. Like the saloon – the total length (4,660 millimetres) is exactly the same – the new model has been given a decidedly sporty look, without that look of ‘added-on volume' which characterises the typical station wagon. The sleek lines of the long roof give it a coupé feel, as does the roof spoiler and the edgy aerodynamic styling, while the superbly functional interior offers great load volume. All in all Alfa 159 Sportwagon guarantees the performance and dynamic handling of a sportscar with a size of boot in line with that of a high class station wagon, while also offering a versatility which satisfies the tastes and demands of the modern lifestyle.

The Alfa 159 Sportwagon is available in 2 or 3 versions (depending on the country), 12 bodywork colours and 5 interior colourways. It offers three new JTS engines with double continuous variable valve timing (the 260 bhp 3.2 V6 24v, the 185 bhp 2.2 and the 160 bhp 1.9) and three turbodiesel Multijet engines (the 200 bhp 2.4 JTDM 20v, the 150 bhp 1.9 JTDM 16v and the 120 bhp 1.9 JTDM 8v). All of these are fitted with new manual six-speed gearboxes, and some versions also offer automatic gears and robotised Selespeed gear lever, also six speed. Without counting the fact that the range offers all clients, even the most demanding, the opportunity to select from various different options and innovative features.

Also debuting in Geneva is the Alfa Spider. A complex, sophisticated creature which both recalls the glorious Alfa Romeo tradition in this sector (from the Giulietta Spider in the ‘50s to the Duetto and the Nineties model), and rolls out some cutting edge solutions in terms of mechanical specifications and engines. Posted on conceptcarz.com.

The new Spider is a generously-sized two-seater – 1,830 millimetres wide, 4,396 long and 1,367 high – characterised by elongated rear lights and four exhaust terminals which accentuate the impression of great temperament. The interior of the Alfa Spider is inviting and gorgeously sophisticated, thanks to the use of sumptuous materials and added value features (as standard, depending on the version): from the automatic dual-zone climate control to the steering wheel mounted radio controls, from VDC to cruise control. Available in two versions, the client can choose his or her Alfa Spider to be fitted with the sparkling 185 bhp 2.2 JTS engine or the powerful 260 bhp 3.2 JTS.

Lastly, both Alfa Romeo models ensure outstanding dynamic performance thanks to high double wishbone suspension at the front and Multilink at the rear. Along with great ride comfort, the Alfa Spider and Alfa 159 Sportwagon boast a sporty configuration and the use of state of the art ‘Q4' four wheel drive (available on the 260 bhp 3.2 versions). What's more – like the saloon version which was recently awarded 5 prestigious Euro NCAP stars – the two Alfa Romeo models once more confirm the utmost attention which goes into all aspects regarding safety, as well as offering the most sophisticated electronic vehicle dynamic control devices.

Source - Alfa Romeo

The Alfa 159 is awarded a five-star Euro NCAP rating

The Alfa 159 has been awarded the prestigious five-star rating from Euro NCAP, which puts it ahead of the field for its segment where safety is concerned. It is an important achievement, which underlines yet again the great attention that Fiat Auto pays to all aspects of the protection of its drivers and passengers. The Alfa Romeo 159 was designed and built to embody uncompromising quality, a concept that guided the entire process of the car's development, starting with the endless tests that the model was subjected to, right down to the manufacturing process. For the Alfa 159, quality also means class-beating dynamism, obtained by careful calibration of the sophisticated suspension and the outstanding torsional rigidity of the bodyshell.

With the new 'Alfa 159' project, the Italian carmaker intends to take the lead in passive safety. The Alfa Romeo engineers have designed a specific new 'premium' floorpan which adopts high performance materials, multiply sheet metal and laser welding. The architecture of the bodyshell also benefits from numerous measures such as: the use of boxed elements that are connected rigidly both transversely and vertically, three load lines in the front, longitudinals that run the whole length of the car, built-in structures and a larger number of spot welds around structural nodes. The result is the excellent torsional rigidity of the bodyshell, the best in its segment at over 180,000 daNm/rad. The Alfa 159 also boasts as many as eight airbags (including special bags to protect the knees and sidebags that extend all along the window area), innovative restraint systems (pretensioners on the clasps and decreasing load limiters on the seat belts), and front seats with an 'anti-whiplash' device that brings the head restraint nearer to the occupant's neck in the event of a rear impact.

The Alfa 159 guarantees the extraordinary roadholding that is innate in all Alfa Romeo models. The merit goes to the new suspension (high double wishbones at the front and Multilink at the rear) and extremely precise steering (the most direct of the standard saloons, with a small turning circle). This prestigious new saloon also features numerous electronic systems that control the car's dynamic behaviour, including a sophisticated Vehicle Dynamic Control system (VDC), Anti Slip Regulation (ASR), Hydraulic Brake Assistance (HBA) which cuts in during emergency braking, ABS complete with EBD, and a Hill Holder to simplify hill starts.

Altogether, these features make the Alfa 159 the new benchmark for its segment in terms of safety, certified by the five-star Euro NCAP rating which acknowledges that the car has sailed through the most difficult tests simulating all types of accident (head-on, side-on, overturning, rear impact and fire), taking into account the various speeds at which impact may occur, the different types of obstacles, and the need to protect occupants with very different physical characteristics.

Source - Alfa Romeo

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