Alfa Romeo 159 GTA

It may look like the victim of a boy-racer driveby, but beneath this Alfa 159’s butchered bodywork sits the underpinnings of the next generation GTA performance flagship. The hallowed Gran Turismo Alleggerita badge was first seen in 1974, when the 1600 Giulia Sprint GTA entered the gruelling Targa Florio in Sicily. Back then the GTA was all about achieving giant-slaying performance through weight-saving. This time the emphasis is purely on power. Our sources claim that beneath that sculpted bonnet sits a tweaked version of Alfa’s new 3.5-litre, direct injection V6 engine that’s expected to pump out at least 350bhp. Expect it to comfortably beat the outgoing 156 GTA’s performance figures, cracking 60mph in six seconds dead, pushing up to 165mph flat out and spitting a wailing exhaust note form those four tailpipes.
Sounds enticing. How much will it set me back?
There’s no word on pricing but given that the last GTA was a bit of a performance bargain, don't expect to pay anything more than £35,000 for the new model. Specific mechanical details are also still few and far between but, given the speed and poise of the car as it thrashed its way around the Nürburgring, it’s going to give those who can't stretch to – or want – an M3 plenty of pause for thought. Unlike the previous GTA which set new standards for torque steer and unruly front-drive tyre scrabble, the upcoming model will run an uprated version of the 159’s all-wheel drive system, via a six-speed transmission with a closer stack of six ratios. A modified nose with a wider and lower air intake will help with cooling, as do the pronounced extractor vents behind the front wheelarches to dispel hot air. There’s even a pretty good chance that when it unveils the car – probably at the Geneva motor show next year – Alfa will match the colour of that rear wing to that of the car...