Alfa at the Paris motor show 2008

By Ben Barry

Motor Shows

02 October 2008 20:29

It’s all quiet at Alfa, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to look at. The girls are of an even higher standard than those over the road at Fiat, while the 8C Spider – standing proud in pearl white amid a sea of red – and the recently revised 159 look stunning.

We’ve seen the updated saloon and sportwagon a while back, but seeing it in the metal under the spotlights just reinforces how breathtakingly handsome it is. There are two cars on show at Paris: a Ti (Turismo Internazionale) spec saloon with the 260bhp 3.2-litre V6 and the 2.4-litre diesel Sportwagon – the latter being more stunning. Just imagine if Alfa could offer Germanic reliability and offer a more involving drive – it’d give BMW quiet a headache.

It’s not so much what’s new as what’s old. You’d be well advised to check out the 40-year-old 33 Daytona, an elegant 2.0-litre V8 based on the Autodelta T33 racer.

Beautiful cars, beautiful women, but we’ve seen it all before.

CAR's Alfa Romeo stand score: 2/5

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By Ben Barry