This Alfa Romeo MiTo hides a 1.4L engine tuned to 400 hp and takes the podium: «3 years of work, sleepless nights, failures and passion»

SLP Tuning, a company based in Greece, has this year launched a new project for Time Attack and hillclimbing: a Alfa Romeo MiTo with the T-Jet 1.4L engine.

A specialist in supercharged Mito

This is a truly special project, the fruit of three years' hard work. Their goal with this Alfa Romeo is to take part in various Track Day sessions in Greece, to compete in the Greek Formula Saloon hillclimb championship and also in the Italian Time Attack Championship, which takes place on 6 different tracks. SLP is used to working on Mito cars. In 2024, the Greek magazine Power Automotive Magazine presented two road-going examples on which SLP had worked, boasting 425 bhp at 6,910 rpm and 290 bhp at 5,950 rpm respectively!

Large turbo and forged parts

The 1.4 T-Jet engine chosen for the race preparation is considered “a little on the limit”, since Garrett sets the minimum displacement for such an imposing turbo at 1,400 cm³, but here the pressure rises sufficiently for trouble-free inflation. The Tjet 1.4 engine is preferred to the 1.4 Multiair, as it is better able to cope with larger preparations and boosted power with big turbos.  

The Mito receives a 46mm Garrett Gtx2860 turbo. The extra power and heat also requires forged Wössner pistons and ZRP connecting rods, a custom stainless steel manifold, an external wastegate, a high-flow intake with direct air intake, aviation-style hoses, advanced thermal insulation, high-flow Bosch injectors, a reinforced clutch and a bench-tuned ECU.

A promising start

Visually, the Mito is spectacular with its front spoiler, huge rear diffuser and large rear spoiler. This is what a Mito WRC could have looked like in the World Rally Championship, capable of challenging the Fiesta, DS3 and Polo!

Depending on configuration and settings, this Mito “Time Attack-Hillclimb» oscillates between 350 and 400 hp and approaches 450 Nm of torque. And the videos show just how hard it pushes! In any case, the results are already convincing. At the Kymi Hillclimb, the Mito came 3rd in the Formula Saloon Turbo 2WD class. A good omen for the future!

This incredible project is the fruit of three years' hard work, sleepless nights, failures, evolution and passion. [...] In spite of everything, we are particularly pleased to have succeeded in closing the gap on our competitors, the first turning in 2:03 and the second in 2:05, with a car that remains very close to the MiTo's factory philosophy, since it is still equipped with a factory M32 gearbox and factory brakes, with an overall budget well below that of a pure racing car. [...] Once again, the car only opened its hood for the photos people wanted to take, and we didn't encounter any mechanical problems, proof of the excellent work done by the entire SLP team.