2006 Alfa Romeo Brera Preview

Wanting What You Can't Have

The car pictured here is not a concept vehicle. It's a real production car - no joke. Rub your eyes, pinch yourself or take your

The gorgeous machine pictured here is the all-new 2006 Alfa Romeo Brera. (Photo: Alfa Romeo)

pulse, but the fact is that this gorgeous machine is the all-new 2006 Alfa Romeo Brera, the replacement to the venerable GTV and Spyder of the '90s. This is the vehicle that Alfa is banking on to renew the company's image of building elegant, sophisticated and desirable machines.

If the Brera name or the vehicle's design look familiar, that's because it's the production version of the Brera Concept car that made its worldwide debut just three short years ago. The 2+2 coupe will be positioned higher upmarket than the current GTV, aiming to gun down the likes of the upcoming Porsche Boxster Coupe, BMW 3-Series Coupe and the next-generation Audi TT Coupe.

For those of you who are already acquainted with the Brera concept, you'll find that the production version has a lot in

The 2+2 coupe will aim to gun down the likes of the upcoming Porsche Boxster Coupe, BMW 3-Series Coupe and the next-generation Audi TT Coupe. (Photo: Alfa Romeo)

common when it comes to their exteriors. The two seem nearly identical from a distance, sharing similar profiles as well as many distinctive styling cues, including the steely-eyed, inset, triple-beam headlamps, jutting nose, tapered hood and pentagonal rear window.

From concept to production, the Brera has grown in length and height. It's now 4,414 mm (173.8 in.) long, 1,830 mm (72.1 in.) wide and 1,372 mm (54.0 in.) high, as opposed to the show car, which measures 4,390 mm (172.8 in.) long, 1,890 mm (74.4 in.) wide and 1,290 mm (50.8 in.) tall. While entry and exit won't be done through scissor-type doors, the Brera does keep the fixed panoramic glass roof of the concept.