Meet the Marangoni M430 - not a car you're likely to forget in a hurry. But then a Ferrari F430-inspired Alfa Mito was never going to be subtle.
Quite why it has gullwing doors when the 430 doesn't have anything of the sort is unclear, but the striking red tyres (wrapped around some smart black wheels) are a clue to the car's creator - Italian tyre specialist Marangoni.
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The engine gets a fair bit of tuning, courtesy of Mariani - the 1.4-litre turbo petrol unit is upped to 217bhp, a 64bhp hike. To haul all the extra grunt in, the brakes are upped to 330x26 discs with 10-pot calipers, 'for absolute yet controllable braking power', apparently.
On the outside, there's the rather OTT doors as well as splashings of carbonfibre - including the rear diffuser, which is one of the more obvious cues to 430-ness. Inside, the interior is pretty bespoke, with plenty of Italian tri-colours to remind you of just where the car came from.
Sadly, it's a one-off for the Essen motor show, so don't expect to be able to spec those doors on a Mito when the stock car hits UK details in January 2009. Shame…
Read more about the Essen motor show and its highlights here.
