The undisputed star of the Geneva Motor Show in 2002, the Brera prototype wowed the crowds with a shape that managed to meld classic Alfa Romeo design cues with a bold, futuristic vision of what a post millennial successor to the classic GTV was all about. Nobody really believed the flip-up doors would make production and, for quite some time, Alfa Romeo stonewalled any questions as to whether the Brera would go into series production at all.
Fast forward three years to the 2005 Geneva Show and the car that customers would be able to buy was on display. It still attracted huge crowds and remained a very good-looking car but some of the tension and drama of the original had leaked away, replaced by a finished article that worked better from some angles than others. From dead ahead, the Brera is still something very special with piercing triple circular headlamps that arc down to a simplified version of the show car grille. The bonnet swage lines and underbumper air intakes all serve to give the car a pinched, aggressive look that works superbly.
Likewise from the rear, the Brera looks a million dollars. Softer and more rounded than the frontal treatment, the back end features a pair of wedge-shaped tail lamps that integrate into a curvaceous bumper assembly. The arrowhead rear window and quad tailpipes are very deft styling touches.
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