Features

Two years ago, I drove Giugiaro's concept Alfa Romeo Brera around the streets of Turin and had some rosy little daydreams about what it would be like if Alfa actually built it, while sweating 2kg or so into the suede seats in 35-degree heat when the aircon turned out to be fake.

It's one car where I had decent input in the development phase - and I mean that literally - as I left salty tide marks on the driver's seat.

True, the one-off car I drove had a 400bhp Maserati V8 stuffed under the nose and a paddle-operated Cambiocorsa gearbox, not to mention rear-wheel drive, but while the daft hardware has understandably had a reality check, the shape and form largely remain in this, the new Alfa Romeo Brera. Which is, frankly, a refreshingly pleasant surprise.

Of course, this is the 'real' Brera, the one that's borne the rigours of the eternal struggle between style and practicality, marketing and real life, so it's not exactly the same as the lowslung concept - but visually, the Brera is a hell of a lot closer than most concept-to-reality fast-forwards usually come.

And this is the one that's been platform-shared and crash-tested (the Brera sits on a shortened 159 saloon platform), tweaked and massaged until it can be produced at a level where it competes in an increasingly crowded coupe marketplace.

This is the one that boasts three real-world engine options (2.2 four pot and 3.2 V6 JTS petrols, and a 2.4 JTDM five-pot diesel), as well as front- or four-wheel drive. The one that apparently has back seats. The one that you can actually buy.

Initial impressions are that it's a hard car not to like. Two miles on from picking up this front-drive, SV-spec JTDM and we're already getting plenty of double takes. True, one of those is from a man in a Megane 225, who probably thinks stonewash denim is a style statement, but we'll count him as a supporter and move right along.