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Alfa launches new version of GT

Don't spend all your money on Christmas. That was the message from Alfa because on 1 January 2005 it got a whole lot easier to own the World's Most Beautiful Coupé, the acclaimed Alfa Romeo GT, with the launch of the JTS Selespeed version.

"Everything that has made the Alfa GT so special stays the same," says Kevin Wall, General Manager for Alfa Romeo in Australia. "The stunning looks, the lavish equipment, the hand crafted leather the race track bred chassis and, with a 0-100 time of 8.7 seconds, the new JTS version of the Alfa Romeo GT still has the performance to match the looks. But with a price of $64,950 it will be more than $15,000 easier to get into an Alfa GT from 1 January 2005 and, with Selespeed as standard, it has never been easier to be sexy in the city."

As with the Alfa GT 3.2 litre, which was on sale in Australia before Europe, this market is the first to get the Alfa GT with the combination of the JTS engine and the Selespeed gearbox, thanks to the fact that 80% of Alfas sold in Australia are equipped with the sequential manual gearbox that owes its origins to the Ferrari Formula One team.

The 2.0 litre 121 kW engine is the same lean burn, direct petrol injection engine seen in the Alfa Romeo 156 and like that car, this powerful, light weight unit use its supreme efficiency to provide the Alfa GT with strong performance, excellent economy and low emissions. Top speed with the JTS engine is 216 kmh and it does 0-100 kmh in 8.7 seconds and a kilometre in 29.2 seconds. In the European combined fuel consumption test it achieves 6.8 litres per 100 km, a remarkably low figure for this type of performance car.

With its best of both worlds offering the Selespeed gearbox combines the excitement of changing gears manually in the same fashion as a racing, via paddles on the steering wheel, or the convenience of letting the system change the gears itself. But, unlike a conventional automatic, because the Selespeed is based on the manual gearbox, it offers the performance, economy and emissions of manual gearbox even when changing its own gears.

Equipment level is as you would expect for this type of car: power windows, remote central locking with remote boot opening, full leather interior and a powerful sound system, trip computer, cruise control and heated front seats. Hand crafted, fine Italian leather is used on seats that offer both comfort and the lateral grip required in a sports car; the powerful stereo system is fitted with a Bose power amplifier and speakers, as well as a Bosch stacker CD unit and the ability to play MP3; the central locking includes auto-lock to ensure security and the readout on the trip computer can be changed to suit individual requirements.

The GT also has all the safety and security features expected of a car in this exacting class. Active safety features include the full range of electronic safety features, such as electronic stability controls (VDC, ASR and MSR) tuned to provide safety but without dampening down the driving experience, as well as the latest generation of ABS anti-lock brakes. Naturally, a responsive chassis aids accident avoidance, as well. Passive safety features are led by six air bags, crumple zones and an occupant safety cell.

Practicality has not been sacrificed at the altar of emotion - there is comfort for four people, space and seat belts for five, matched by a spacious boot of 320 litres, which may be enlarged by folding down the split rear seats and a through loading device only adds to the load carrying options. But there are also excellent detail features, such as the lockers on either side of the boot, the 12 volt power point located on one side of the boot and the polished chrome - who says practicality can't also be beautiful - tie luggage down points.

"When the Alfa Romeo GT was in mid-2004, it was clear that it offered a remarkable combination of style, performance and value for money," says Kevin Wall. "With the launch of the JTS Selespeed, we have enhanced ease of driving, boosted value for money and improved the cost of ownership with out having any affect on the beauty of this fabulous car. With this combination of features and price we felt hat it was only fair to warn people that the GT JTS was coming so they could adjust their Christmas spending appropriately!"

The Alfa Romeo GT JTS Selespeed has a recommended retail of $64,950 and went on sale in Australia on 1 January 2005.

© italiancar.com.au 19/01/05

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