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AALLFFAA GGTT 11..99 JJTTDDMULTIJETby Tunit

We’ve always had a soft spot for theAlfa GT since it was voted ourDiesel Car of the Year in 2004. It

was one of the first sporting diesel coupésthat really proved that diesel power had aplace, and genuine appeal, in stylish two-door coupés. Its fine 1.9 JTD Multijet enginehas since gone from strength to strength,

having been adopted by Vauxhall, Saab, andFiat in a wide range of diverse models.It’s maybe a pity that there probably justwasn’t room under the GT bonnet for thefive cylinder 175bhp 2.4litre Multijet, enginebut, with 150bhp and 225 lb ft of torque, its0-60mph figure of 9.6 seconds gives it livelyenough performance. But the boys at Tunit

have had a lot of experience in breathing onthis 1.9 JTD Multijet engine and so theywere pretty confident of adding someserious extra punch when a fine Alfa Redexample of the GT arrived at their ChorleyHQ. I was fortunate to be there during thetuning process and also to drive the carboth before and after the conversion.

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The Alfa GT is still a beautiful car!

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Alfa GT Torque and bhp results

easy adjustability of the Tunit system. Thepower figure soon rose into the 170bhp plusregion and eventually topped out (with asmall margin in hand) at 177.8bhp, and anaccompanying torque figure of 286.5 lb ft.This amounted to a boost of some 21 percent in power, and 19 per cent in torque –enough to promise a more than usefulboost in performance and, marginally abovethe declared specification of 175bhp and284 lb ft for that 2.4litre engine that doesn’tfit into the GT!

Out on the road with Tunit MD MikeBromley riding shotgun, (it’s less stressfulthat way!) we explored the striking redAlfa’s new performance. There’s just a touchof interesting mechanical engine noise togive suitable accompaniment to the Alfaexperience, as you settle down into a finelyappointed cockpit that conveys the truemeaning of Grand Tourer. This is really notso much a car for a blast round minor roads,but one for swift touring on open roadswhere the high speed cruising potentialcomes into its own. But the easy-shiftinggearbox makes light of exploring the car’s

“First results gave promising figures showinga power boost of the order of 20bhp plusand there was a quiet confidence that thiscould be significantly improved, using theeasy adjustability of the Tunit system.”

On the rollers of the Tunit dynamometer thestandard car clocked figures of 146.6bhpand 240 lb ft of torque. This is a touch downin power against specification, but well upin the torque department – as had seemedto be the case when I had driven the carbriefly in its standard form. Installation ofthe Tunit conversion was a rapid affairtaking only a matter of minutes – quiteobviously an easy DIY job for any ownerwishing to fit it themselves – and the Tunittechnicians weree soon eady to have a lookto see exactly what difference this couldmake to the key figures.First results gave promising figures showinga power boost of the order of 20bhp plusand there was a quiet confidence that thiscould be significantly improved, using the

Tunit are amongst the foremost of Britain’s diesel electronic tuning specialists and full details of theirrange can be seen at www.tunit.co.uk, or you can call and speak to one of their specialist technicaladvisers on 0011225577 227744110000.. This conversion and most others cost ££440000 pplluuss VVAATT and are availabledirect from Tunit for DIY fitting, or by one of their experienced nationwide network of distributors.

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conversion that demands the engine to beworked harder to extract the benefits – infact, very often one felt that it was able tohandle any situation in a higher gear thanbefore. And there was absolutely no sign oftemperament or edginess about the engineafter the Tunit treatment.So I reluctantly handed back the keyswishing that the experience had been amuch longer one – and, even better, one onmore open roads that allowed the GT toreally stretch its legs. I can imagine that itwould cruise very nicely on its native Italianautostradas comfortably into three figures,with a top speed potential that nowprobably approaches 140mph. But let’s notget carried away!

This conversion and similar ones for a widerange of diesels including all those 1.9 JTDvariants labelled CDTi and TiD, comes atjust £400 plus VAT and full details of theTunit range are available from them on01257 274100, their nationwide network ofdistributors, or at www.tunit.co.uk

“There’s just a touch of interesting mechanicalengine noise to give suitable accompanimentto the Alfa experience, as you settle down intoa finely appointed cockpit that conveys thetrue meaning of Grand Tourer. ” potential on the bendy stuff, it handles well,with good, positive steering feedback, andit was soon obvious that there was a muchkeener edge to its performance after theTunit conversion.Through the gears from standstill theexperience was definitely a noticeably morerapid gathering of momentum. At any givenengine speed in the higher gears. an addedflexibility and punch was quite evident and,

although it has been said before and somemay doubt the words, the engine felt justthat bit smoother at all times, as well asmore willing. Close scrutiny of the powerand torque curves shows that the torquetrace has filled out significantly between2,000rpm and its peak at around 2,900rpmand I guess that this accounts for thefeeling of greater flexibility and instantlyavailable acceleration. It’s certainly not a