ALFA ROMEO BRERATiming chain or Belt?

The Alfa Romeo Brera is a sports car manufactured by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo. Production began in 2005, following its debut at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show. The Brera replaced the previous Alfa Romeo GTV. As was also the case with that model, the Brera was adapted into a convertible version, known as the Alfa Romeo Spider (Type 939).

The Brera was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who used the Maserati Coupé’s body as a basis to create a version for Alfa Romeo. Its prototype was a resounding success and won numerous awards thanks to his work. This encouraged the Italian automaker to incorporate some elements of this concept into other vehicles in its lineup. Thus, the front end would eventually find its way into the restyling of the Alfa Romeo 156. Finally, Alfa Romeo decided to produce the Brera, which omitted some details from the Italdesign Giugiaro concept to bring the production model to life.

The Brera was built on the Alfa Romeo/GM Premium platform, which was also shared with the Alfa Romeo 159 and the Alfa Romeo Spider.

The gasoline engines for this model were derived from Holden (General Motors) and were produced in Melbourne. The inline-4-cylinder version was an engine from the GM Ecotec L850 and L880 family, capable of producing 185 CV when paired with a 6-speed manual transmission or an M32 MTA Selespeed automated manual transmission. That model featured front-wheel drive, while the version with the 3.2-liter V6 engine belonged to the GM H.F. family. It produced 260 CV when paired with a 6-speed manual transmission or an Aisin Q-Tronic sequential transmission, and featured Q4 all-wheel drive.

Additionally, diesel versions were also available, powered by engines sourced from the Fiat Group itself.

In 2009, changes to European emissions regulations forced Fiat to terminate its agreement with General Motors in order to meet the Euro 5 standard. The Brera’s gasoline engines were replaced, leaving behind General Motors’ sluggish and fuel-hungry engines in favor of much more appealing turbocharged engines. Even so, the change came too late, and the model lasted barely another year on the market.

The onset of the economic crisis was the final nail in the coffin for the model, which ended up selling just over 21,000 units over its entire production run. It is said that the Alfa Romeo Brera has all the ingredients necessary to become a future classic; its design wasn’t highly regarded at the time, yet it featured a unique and timeless style. Its poor sales, combined with the scarcity of 1.750 TBi models (most buyers opted for the diesel engines), suggest that this Giugiaro creation will appreciate in value over time.

The Brera was on the market for just five years and had only one generation. Among its rivals were models such as the Mazda RX-8, the Audi TT, the Toyota GT-86, the Mitsubishi Eclipse, and the Mercedes-Benz CLC-Class, to name a few.