Jonny's Best of Europe: Alfa Romeo Brera

"Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge)" (thejonnyedge) 03/11/2014 at 07:50 • Filed to: BEST OF EUROPE, ALFA ROMEO, ALFA ROMEO BRERA, GUIGIARO

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It's already happened. I only lasted four episodes before I got to Alfa Romeo, but it was kind of like the elephant in the room. When many people think of the best European cars they think of Alfa, and this one in particular, the Brera, is the car I want you to all think about.

Originally, the Brera was shown as concept car based around a Maserati engine and platform in 2002. Rumour has it that the Brera was never intended to actually go into production but the demand Alfa Romeo got was so intense they were forced to give in and order their designers to find a way to put it into production. Thankfully they found that way.

Fast forward three years then, and Alfa Romeo show the world their production ready version of the Brera. It had been scaled down into a smaller car based around the Alfa Romeo 159 platform which it was being developed alongside, but crucially it had kept the concept styling almost to the point where it was identical.

So no sonorous Maserati V8's inside that beautiful body then, that would have to wait for Maserati themselves to do a few years later. Not that it mattered though because the Brera came with some pretty nice engines to choose from, the pick of which was clearly the 3.2l v6 producing 260bhp. You could also have it with a diesel engine if you wished, but I always felt a diesel engine in a body that beautiful kind of spoiled the allure a little bit. That's just my humble opinion though, and I've never been a big diesel fan. You could also have it as the coupe or as the Spider, which is perfect for cruising around the coast in the sunshine. Either of these cars has real road presence though and still to this day stands out as a exceedingly beautiful machine.

Upon its launch here in the UK this was a very expensive car. If you bought one in its most basic form you'd be forking out £23,000. However, nobody buys a car like this to have one just plain basic, and with options and engines and trim levels, if you ended up going totally crazy (and having one too many espressos at the Alfa dealership) you could end up paying over £36,000. What did you get for your money though?

You're getting a Giugiaro designed concept car still, that's always worth bearing in mind. It's also a 2+2, not really a sports car more of a GT. It's very comfortable and above all else enjoyable to drive, and blessed with beautiful styling both inside and out. The early 3.2 V6's were only available as 4WD so that means great grip to go with a beautiful engine note too. It has decent storage space for a car of this nature, even if the boot isn't particularly well designed. You don't buy a car like this for those reasons though. Inevitably, reliability questions always come up with Alfa Romeo but this car actually had no clear issues reported with it over it's production lifespan. It's a very reliable car and as long as you properly maintain it, it shouldn't let you down.

The Brera was up against some tough competition in it's day, the Audi TT in particular was very popular, and you could make a strong argument that the Porsche Boxster and even the Mazda RX8 were rivals for the Brera. To prolong the life of the Brera, and to improve some criticisms of the handling, a new Brera 'S' model was released and a new turbo petrol engine were made available from 2008 onwards. The 'S' was worked on alongside the clever guys at ProDrive, and featured tuned suspension and little tweaks to change the handling dynamics of the car. These are fairly rare machines and from what I understand they are the Brera to have if you ever get the chance to buy one.

When it's all said and done, you buy this car because it's a wonderful cruiser. Engineering, pah! Who cares? You want this car to drive around in and feel great everyday. You're not going to drive this like a racing car, you're actually going to drive this around rather slowly and thoughtfully, just enjoying the sensations of the journey. If you're lucky, you'll have a beautiful lady in the passenger seat and some hot sunshine on one of those glorious days by the coast line. That is what this car is about. Capturing the essence of that one perfect day we get in our lives when everything goes our way. It's the car for that one day. That's why it's one of the very Best of Europe.

Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) > Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) 03/11/2014 at 07:51

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If you guys could let me know if you want more of these please that would be super! And as always, thanks for reading!

Alex87f > Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) 03/11/2014 at 08:02

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The best -and worst- thing about those is that they depreciated quite a lot. Nowadays, 15 000€ will get you a nicely appointed, low mileage 2.2 JTS brera, which is really the one you want.

And you get an interior that's probably among the nicest ever designed:

If it weighed a little bit less and was good at occasional track use, I'd be driving one.

Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) > Alex87f 03/11/2014 at 08:12

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Colossal depreciation. I'd hate to be somebody who bought one new. That must hurt. Absolutely not for track use this thing, it is too heavy and it's just not designed for that purpose. It's an out and out cruiser, for touring around, feeling good and having a lovely time.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) 03/11/2014 at 08:14

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One of my favorite cars in Forza

Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 03/11/2014 at 08:17

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Even today when you see one on the road, it still grabs your eyes, pulls them out of your sockets and sticks them to the nearest part of the car you are facing. It's a stunning looking machine.

Kookanoodles > Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) 03/11/2014 at 08:17

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This series is great, keep it up ! Any chance you could do one on the 205 Rallye, the 205 GTi's little-known lightweight brother ?

Kookanoodles > Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) 03/11/2014 at 08:19

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Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) > Kookanoodles 03/11/2014 at 08:25

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Cheers mate! I'll have a look into it. I was considering the 106 Rallye actually so I was nearly on your wavelength there!

Jobjoris > Alex87f 03/11/2014 at 08:36

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True, the 2.2 is the one you eventually would want.

Not that it mattered though because the Brera came with some pretty nice engines to choose from, the pick of which was clearly the 3.2l v6 producing 260bhp.

Nope. It really wasn't. The Brera was heavy to begin with and putting that heavy GM V6 in front made it even less entertaining. It used around 25% more fuel than other 6-cylinder coupes of the time.

jtiberius91 > Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) 03/11/2014 at 09:21

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Easily one of my favorite cars of all time. It hurts that us Americans never got the chance to savor this beauty and need to wait till AT LEAST 2030 to import one. For now, I'll continue to *drool* all over my screen

DuckDraper > Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) 03/11/2014 at 10:26

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This car is beautiful. It's aged so well because of it's sensuous styling. This is a cool series and if you are taking requests how about the Lancia Delta S4 Stradale? When people ask you what your favorite car is, for a car person it's very hard to say but I'd have to say it's this. I just love the sheer engineering lunacy in something that looks like a deformed italian hatch.

AMC/Renauledge > Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) 03/11/2014 at 11:40

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I desperately want a Brera S. Probably one of the prettiest cars ever made, and much more sorted than the standard cars. The trouble is, it'll be years and years before I ever get the opportunity to bring one to the States. Sigh.

The Spider, IMO, was as homely as the Brera was lovely. The Spider literally looked like a cut-up 159 sedan, not a delicate, flowing, sexy roadster. It didn't drive like one, either. It didn't look special like all of its predecessors did.

If I ever win the lottery, I WILL bring over many Alfas, Lancias, Fiats, and even an Innocenti and Autobianchi or two. A Brera S will be one.

Makoyouidiot > jtiberius91 03/11/2014 at 11:43

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Come 2030 there will be one bound for TX. I will thrn dd it till I or it keel over.

KirkyV > Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) 03/11/2014 at 13:24

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OOOOOOH, do a 106 Rallye! Oppo needs more 106 love!

Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) > Jobjoris 03/11/2014 at 16:00

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Personally, if I had a car that looked and felt this good. I'd take the V6. It doesn't matter how heavy this car is, it's not for driving fast, it's for driving slowly and taking in the scenery and enjoying your day.

Plus you're in America!! Fuel costs a fraction of what it costs here!