Alfa Romeo Alfetta CEM

In the 80's Alfa Romeo did the first experiments to reduce fuel consumption, working on a device that would then find a certain diffusion a fortnight later: the cylinder deactivation. The CEM (Controllo Elettronico del Motore) is the implementation of the Electronic Engine Control technology, studied with the University of Genoa since 1976.
The CEM's control unit had a 6-kb memory microprocessor, which allowed to store two operating maps; The basic engine was the same Alfa America, which was already the originator of the Bosch Motronic electronic injection. The modifications included some sensors that monitored the engine's operation and enabled 2 cylinders of 4  to be switched off depending on some condition. The shutdown occurred from the minimum speed up to 2,800 rpm. This meant that you could get to 100 km / h without using all four cylinders with a consumption dropped from 12 to 25% depending on the type of use. With less of 1000 copies of Alfetta CEM this experimental technology wasn't followed for the large-scale production.