ALFA ROMEO has taken the gloves off when delivering the handling of the Brera S.
The S has resulted from a demand for more sportiness from UK drivers.
The company teamed up with motorsport specialist Prodrive to beef up Brera's chassis and enhance its sparkle.
The result of this partnership is the Brera S sports coupe which has fantastic driver feedback and handling qualities.
This is an Alfa Romeo that has been specially groomed for British roads.
And it is all the better for it. Which is good because it faces tremendous opposition from BMW and Audi.
The treatment has certainly taken away a lot of the long distance tourer and replaced it with excitement, but the Brera S is to me still a superb Grand Tourer, especially the top of the range 3.2 V6 version which is a classic.
The Prodrive treatment involves bespoke Eibach coil springs and dampers revised suspension and 19 inch alloy wheels and PirelliPNero Zero tyres. The S version is lighter than the standard model, the front-wheel drive V6 being almost 100kg lighter than the Q4 version.
There are minor styling changes, inside and out. And to keep the S just that bit special, just 500 individually numbered models will be made.
In addition to the V6, the S range includes the 185bhp 2.2 JTS. The V6 can reach 62mph from rest in 7.0 seconds and reach 155mph with ease.
Prices are £24,950 for the 2.2 - which can also be specified with a leather dashboard for an extra £1,500 - and £28,450 for the 3.2 V6, representing a price increase of around £1,450 over the equivalent standard Brera models.
And then there is the noise. The characteristic growl of the V6 has now become an impressive snarl from the four exhaust pipes, thanks to a redesign of the rear silencers. Well done to Alfa Romeo for delivering a car that not only looks and sounds beautiul, but is scintillating to drive
FAST FACTS
Alfa Romeo Brera 3.3 V6 S
Price: £28,804
Mechanical: 260bhp, 3,200cc, 6cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 155mph
0-62mph: 7.0 secs
Combined mpg: 24.7
Insurance group: 18
CO2 emissions: 270g/km
BiK rating: 35%
Warranty: 3yrs/ unlimited mileage