Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde

Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde with 170 hp 1.4 MultiAir TBi takes place at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The exclusive trim brings back a legendary symbol that over the years has appeared on some of Alfa Romeo's sportiest cars. Having always been synonymous with heritage, racing and victory, the "Quadrifoglio Verde" (four-leaf clover) now represents a new kind of sportiness that combines maximum driving pleasure with improved environmental qualities. Bearing the Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde is the car with the most powerful 170 hp MultiAir engine and innovative solutions that accentuate the existing qualities of the model: hold, agility, active safety and driveability are heightened by an engine with one of the highest specific power values in the world and a chassis with features hitherto unthinkable for a car in this class.

This engine's best feature is its outstanding weight/power ratio, which has always been one of the key factors behind Alfa Romeo's success on the road and the racetrack. The class-leading ratio of 6.7 kg/hp is almost 10 per cent better than the already excellent performance of the current 155 hp 1.4 TBi. At 124 hp/litre, this engine is also one of the world leaders in specific power. In fact, this is the highest value ever recorded for an Alfa car, affirming the excellent engineering heritage of the Alfa Romeo MiTo.

This is a particularly important value because it proves the effectiveness of downsizing, aimed at producing high-tech engines to get better performance allied with sharp reductions in fuel consumption and emissions. Indeed, it is this latter area which provides the most surprising evidence of the technical level achieved: 4.8 l/100 km and 139 g/km of CO2 (in the extra-urban cycle) are closer to what you would expect from an economy car than a compact sports car that goes from 0 to 100 km/h in just over 7 seconds.