I'll take two

I've mentioned previously that I think that Alfa Romeos are among the world's best-penned automobiles. They're nearly universally handsome cars and will doubtlessly age very very well. Older Alfas look better than most modern cars, and the newer ones are just plain fantastic.

One example that I had pointed to in the Alpha Alfa article (linked above) is the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA. For those of you who have forgotten, here are some pictures.

Now, this is clearly a very attractive car. In my opinion, however, it does have three small flaws:

1. The front fascia is too busy,
   
2. it's more of a road rocket than a touring coupé, and
   
3. it's not sold in the United States.
   

These aren't the sort of flaws to doom the vehicle. The first two really are forgivable and the third point is the only real reason why I haven't bought one. The 147 GTA is a fantastic little car.

Because of this, I'm getting particularly excited about the new Brera coupé. Take a look.

This is a handsome, handsome car. And here's the best part:

Alfa Romeo is planning to sell the Brera in the United States

Brilliant. All three of the flaws with the 147 seem to have been addressed.

The Brera is already poised for Europe and Alfa hasn't officially announced a US launch date—but the rumors are that it will arrive here in early 2007. Admittedly, Alfa tends to mention that they'll be making a US comeback about once a year—and have done so for the last 15 years or so—but there are apparantely a number of insiders saying the transition back to the US will actually take place sometime very soon.

Because of the rumor mess, all we have is European specs. Reportedly, the car is going to go on sale for around $35,000 and will be available with a 2.2 liter straight-4, 2.4 liter turbodiesel, and a 260hp 3.2 liter V6. A 6-speed stick is standard, and AWD and a 6-speed auto are both options.

The US-bound version may get more engine (rumors to a ~4L V8) but are also likely to be predominantly automatics. Fucking Americans.

In any event, I'm very excited about this. The Brera isn't likely to be a performance beast, but it's undeniable that this is among the best-looking cars on the road right now.