Alfa Romeo Celebrates Support of UK Athletics with New MiTo Sprint

Automakers find all kind of excuses to create special edition versions of their cars, and by special edition we actually mean better equipped models. For Alfa Romeo, the raison d'être of the new MiTo Sprint is "the continued support of UK Athletics (UKA)". Wonder what they'll think of next...

Well, in any case, the new UK market MiTo Sprint is available in UKA ‘Union Jack’ inspired colors (red, white or blue), and comes with some £1,500 worth of extras, including cruise control, leather steering wheel and gear stick, remote audio controls on the steering wheel, Blue&Me Bluetooth hands-free system with voice recognition, and media player with a USB port.

In addition, the special version also features a rear spoiler, 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, and unique Sprint badging.

UK buyers have a choice of two petrol engines, the 1.4 16V 95 bhp costing £13,295 OTR and the 1.4 TB MultiAir 135 bhp with ALFA TCT automatic transmission priced £16,395 OTR, and one diesel unit, the 1.3 JTDM-2 95 bhp version which starts at £14,845 OTR.

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Alfa Romeo Shows Concept Designer Bags Inspired by MiTo

In what could be seen by many as further proof that Alfa Romeo is steadily losing sight of its core values (whatever is left of them, that is...), the firm's UK division unveiled two concept designer bags for its MiTo subcompact as part of the company’s centenary year celebrations and to help support young British fashion talent. We might be wrong, but we think it would have been more appropriate for the Italian firm to show its support to young British car designers...

In any case, for the creation of the bags, Alfa Romeo UK held a special competition for students from the MA Fashion course at Central Saint Martins College, London. A total of 15 graduates submitted sketches inspired by the MiTo for initial consideration, but only two made the cut.

"After being critiqued and judged by some of the leading faces in British fashion, the bags created by CSM students William Hendry and Tamara Elliot were chosen for the limited run," said Alfa Romeo UK in a statement.

According to the Italian firm, the two bags are prototype designs for Alfa Romeo UK, which is now looking to produce a limited range of both in the near future.

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Alfa Romeo at the Paris Show: New Engine Options for Giulietta and Pretty Much Nothing Else

Unless Alfa Romeo has a very big surprise up its sleeves (which we certainly hope so given that the brand is celebrating its 100th birthday this year...), the only new models capable of capturing our attention at the Milanese firm's Paris Motor Show booth will be the usual 'female fatales' standing alongside their automobiles.

According to the company's press release, "the stars" of the Alfa Romeo stand will be the brand-new 140 HP 2.0 JTDM and the 170 HP 1.4 MultiAir turbo petrol with "Alfa TCT" automatic transmission versions of the Giulietta.

When equipped with the new 140-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo diesel, the Giulietta hatchback returns an average fuel consumption of just 4.5lt/10km (equal to 52.3mpg US) with corresponding CO2 emissions of 119g/km.

The second new product for the Giulietta range is the introduction of a dry twin clutch automatic transmission (TCT) combined with the 170 HP 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine. The same transmission will also be offered with Alfa's 170HP 2.0-liter turbo diesel.

The brand-new Alfa TCT, which was first shown on the Mito supermini, is combined with start/stop tech that helps reduce CO2 emissions to 121g/km on the gasoline model.

On an even far less interesting note, Alfa Romeo will also show a couple of MiTo sport hatches and the 2011MY versions of the 159 sedan and Sportwagon (unveiled back in May), including one dressed in "Rosso Competizione" livery and equipped with the new 136-horsepower variant of the 2.0-liter JTDM diesel engine (Euro 5).

Aussie Cops get Alfa Romeo MiTo Police Car

We won't go as far as calling it an interceptor, but Sydney's Rose Bay Police is the latest law enforcement force in Australia to get an Alfa Romeo police car. The MiTo is the most recent in a series of cars provided by the Italian automaker to police forces around Australia.

Despite Alfa's [marketing] sporty claims though, the MiTo is obviously not the best option to patrol the highways of a country that still takes pride in big V8 cars. That said, it comes to no surprise that the Rose Bay police officers will use the car for the most part to help them connect with local communities.

"Despite being marked up as a police vehicle, we don't use the MiTo for normal police work, it is used for community policing, it's a great way of building rapport in the community and certainly helps us get out our safe driving messages," said Chief Superintendent Bradley Shepherd.

"The MiTo frees up normal police cars so they can be out on the roads, not only helping to save lives but also helping to fight crime and build relationships with local businesses and community groups," Shepherd added.

Iconic Alfa Romeo 158 F1 Racer Meets MiTo QV

Alfa Romeo appears to be on a celebration spree this year. Aside from the year-long festivities to commemorate the firm's 100th birthday, the Italian automaker is now celebrating the 60th anniversary of its historic 1-2-3 finish at the first ever F1 European Championship race, which was held at Silverstone motor racing circuit sixty years ago this week (13th May).

To celebrate, the company photographed one of the rare 158s which competed in this historic race alongside the latest Alfa to bear the motorsport inspired Cloverleaf badge, the MiTo QV sport hatch.

The company said that the image of the 158 and the MiTo will join others from owners past and present at the dedicated site "alfacentenary.co.uk" in a "visual celebration" of Alfa's 100th anniversary.

And a little bit of history on the 158. The F1 racer's name was derived from its engine -"15" for the displacement of 1.5-liters and "8" for 8-cylinders. It made its racing debut in 1937 but because of the war, it spent several years dismantled and hidden in various places including, legend has it, an Italian cheese factory.

After the war, the 158 returned to the racing track managing to secure victory in every Formula One race in which it competed during the inaugural 1950 session. All in all, the Alfa 158 and its derivative, the 159, dominated the Formula One calendar over the next few years, with 47 wins from 54 Grand Prix entered.

Maserati Joins Forces with Alfa Romeo to Create Special Edition MiTo for Service Network

A Maserati MiTo? Well, not quite. The recent tie-up between Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Fiat's Abarth division has given birth to a special edition version of the MiTo hatch that will be used exclusively as a courtesy car for Maserati's customers in Europe in the same way that Ferrari's service network makes use of the Fiat 500 (click here for details).

All in all, the Italians are planning to produced one-hundred units of the special edition Alfa Romeo MiTo for Maserati's service network.

The cars are fitted with the most powerful engine in the MiTo range, the 1.4-liter turbo petrol that churns out 170 horsepower, and all are finished in a deep blue Maserati Blu Oceano color.

Special treats include the "Limited Edition" plaque on the air conditioning unit, and the kick plate made from specially treated aluminum, bearing the words "Alfa Romeo for Maserati".

Other features include the 18-inch wheels, a sport exterior package and Alfa's Dynamic Suspension that actively varies the set-up to reflect the road conditions and driving style.

And since Maserati's customers are accustomed to luxurious options, the 100 cars also get a series of high-end details such as Pelle Frau upholstery, automatic dual-zone climate control, leather steering wheel complete with radio and telephone controls, a radio navigator covering the whole of Europe, and a hands-free Blue&Me system including USB port and bi-xenon headlights.

Alfa Romeo Announces UK Pricing for 2010 MiTo with New MultiAir Turbo Engines

Buyers in Britain will be able to order the 2010MY Alfa Romeo MiTo with new turbocharged petrol engines featuring the Fiat Group's revolutionary MultiAir technology from early January with first deliveries expected in Spring. At launch, two engine versions will become available, 1.4-liter Turbo with 135bhp that's priced from £15,165 (about USD$24,600), and the range-topping 1.4-liter Turbo Cloverleaf (Quadrifoglio) with 170bhp and a starting price of £17,895 (around USD$29,000).

The Fiat Group's new MultiAir system directly controls the air and combustion in engines cylinder by cylinder, stroke by stroke, through the intake engine valves without using the throttle.

According to the Italian carmaker, the use of this technology results in a 10% reduction of CO2 emissions and fuel consumption, and a 10% engine power increase as well as a 15% torque improvement over an engine without this system.

Alfa Romeo Announces Sporty MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde with 170HP 1.4-liter Turbo Engine

We were hoping that Alfa Romeo would introduce the production version of the 240hp MiTo GTA concept at the Frankfurt show but the Italians decided to start off with something a little less spicy in the form the sporty Quadrifoglio Verde model. The "four-leaf clover" MiTo is powered by Alfa's revolutionary new 1.4-liter MultiAir turbo engine that cranks out 170HP or 15 more ponies than the turbo engine of the 1.4L TBi model.

Power is transferred to the front wheels through a newly developed "C635" six-speed gearbox.

Alfa claims a 0 to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time of a little over 7 seconds with an extra-urban cycle (that means highway) fuel consumption of just 4.8 lt/100 km (49mpg US) and CO2 emissions of 139 g/km.

To further improve handling Alfa equipped the MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde with its Dynamic Suspension system that has been co-developed with Magneti Marelli. The system comprises of four electronically controlled shock absorbers, five accelerometric sensors, a control unit and an interface for the three different settings (Normal, All Weather and Dynamic).

A sporty Alfa wouldn't be complete without the visual upgrades so the Italians fitted the Quadrifoglio Verde with 17-inch alloy wheels finished in satin titanium that is also used for the headlight and tail lamp frames as well as for the wing mirrors.

The hot hatch's interior is further enhanced by the different fabric used to upholster the seats, the dashboard and the white lighting on the instrument panel.

Alfa Mito Inspires Fashion Designers to Create a Line of Women's Jeans...

In an attempt to "Lancia-Ypsilon-ize" (...) the MiTo hatch and make it more desirable to female buyers, Alfa Romeo's UK arm joined forces with TV's fashion persona (or so the company claims) Louise Roe, to challenge two promising young fashion designers to create a line of women's jeans, and at the same time, raise money for charity. The result of the work of London-based designers Bjork and McElligott is a one-off series of limited edition skinny-fit jeans.

In the extremely rare case that some of you (hopefully, only female readers) are actually interested in the designer jeans that feature Alfa Romeo red stitching and badges embroidered on the rear pockets, you can order them through mitojeans.co.uk. Prices are set at £75 a pair.

If it makes you feel better, the proceeds are expected to raise funds for the girls in the pics Jeans for Genes, a charity that helps children and families affected by genetic disorders.