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Filed under: Motorsports , Time Warp , Euro , Lamborghini , Maserati , Misc. Auto Shows , Ferrari , Alfa Romeo , FIAT , Lifestyle Click image above for high-res gallery from Concorso Italiano 2008 The festivities continue around the Monterey Peninsula. We've already shown you pics from Gordon McCall's party and from the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance , but today's coverage picks up an Italian accent. The Concorso Italiano is one of the largest annual gatherings of all things Italian, be it music, cuisine, fashion, tourism, and of course cars. Previously held at the nearby Bayonet Black Horse Golf Course in Monterey Bay, this year's gathering took place at the Marina municipal airstrip. Just like the past 20-something years, this year's Concorso brought out some stunning examples of Italy's finest, cars designed with passione and intended to be driven con brio . And just like in previous years, a few non-Italian cars that bring that same driving thrill were invited...
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Filed under: Spy Photos , Euro , Hatchbacks , Alfa Romeo , Rendered Speculation As Alfa Romeo prepares to launch its next all-new model, dubbed the 149, test mules have been spotted, details have come into focus and speculations have been rendered. The five-door hatchback will join the MiTo in replacing the aging 147. Sources suggest that the 149 moniker could be dropped before the car is unveiled next year, only a few telling months after the Volkswagen Golf VI is due for its debut. Borrowing styling cues from the 8C Competizione and MiTo, the Alfa 149 is expected it to include a new three-arm rear suspension and Alfa's trick Q2 differential, with the eventual availability of Q4 all-wheel-drive remaining a question mark. Diesel and gasoline engines are anticipated to range between 120 and 250 horsepower, and the 149 is tipped to be complying with the upcoming six-star EuroNCAP safety rating, and more tellingly, new U.S. crash requirements as well. Some still maintain that the Alfa...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Wagons/Estates , Alfa Romeo Click to view the Alfa 159 in hi-res from Geneva '08 The Alfa Romeo 159 may be one of the most beautiful sedans on the market, but that hasn't been enough to make the model a sales success. As we learned after driving the new MiTo , Alfa isn't satisfied any longer to glide by on its name and looks alone, and so has started work on the replacement for the 159 even though the current model was only introduced in 2005. The main reason attributed to the 159's poor market performance has been its dynamic performance, inhibited by an overweight chassis designed by Saab during Fiat's partnership with GM. Its successor is tipped to be based on the same platform as the upcoming 149, however, which still means front-wheel-drive. With the numeric designation running out of room to grow, the 159 replacement is widely reported to revive the classic Giulia nameplate , with styling cues borrowed from the curvaceous 8C instead...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Euro , Alfa Romeo , Rendered Speculation Alfa Romeo's marketing people have been bouncing around the idea of ditching the current three-digit numbering system and proceeding with a nameplate nomenclature . The shift - already in place on some models and not on others - could increase the appeal of certain models even more, while helping them avoid a crossroads that will inevitably come up when models like the 159 need to be replaced. Italian magazine Quattroruote has come up with a composite image of what it thinks that vehicle could look like. Unfortunately the results are rather cumbersome, essentially Photoshopping the nose from the MiTo onto the existing 159 body. The rear-end rendering is not much better, but intriguingly appears to carry a New York State license plate. While the existing 159 remains one of the most striking mid-size sedans on the market, we hope its successor - speculatively reviving the Giulia nameplate of old - will look a heck...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Sports/GTs , Supercars , Alfa Romeo , Special/Limited Editions Only months ago Bertone, one of the most famous design houses in Europe, looked like it was about to go under . The company had lost all its contracts, had a big operation to sustain, and went into bankruptcy protection . But like a phoenix from the ashes, Bertone is re-emerging, more streamlined and ready to get back to business. The manufacturing division, heavy with overhead, was stripped away from the styling studio, which is still owned by the Bertone family but operated independently . And its new business development director is keen to get the design house back on track. Among the steps Bertone is considering is to open up additional field offices away from Italy to get in on the local action. The company is in the process of setting up shop in China, and has its eyes set on India and Detroit next. To mark its resurgence, Bertone is also considering putting the BAT 11 into limited production...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Sedans/Saloons , Euro , Alfa Romeo Click to view the SPD Alfa 169 design proposals Alfa Romeo is hard at work on a replacement for the 166, the flagship sedan which debuted in 1998 and was discontinued last year. The students at the Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan, however, seem to have gotten fed up of waiting around for Alfa Romeo to unveil the new car, so they've come up with a few proposals of their own. Well, not exactly. The transportation design course was carried out under the auspices of the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo and the watchful eye of Fiat Group design chief Lorenzo Ramaciotti . So they had a good chance of getting the automaker's attention. (Next year's masters program at the SPD, meanwhile, is being conducted in conjunction with Lamborghini.) Nine projects - carried out by students from Korea, Slovakia, Romania, Turkey, South Africa, Russia, Brazil, the United States and Italy - were presented, but we'll have to see which...
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Filed under: Motorsports , Euro , Alfa Romeo Click above for a high-res gallery of our time in the Alfa Romeo driving school. Let's take a quick vote here. We won't be tabulating the totals, so we'll keep this unofficial, but we want you to be honest. How many of you, deep inside, wonder if you couldn't have made it as a professional racing driver? Maybe not the next Michael Schumacher, but at least a promising prospect. If only you had started out in karting at a young enough age, kept yourself in shape and found the sponsorship to fund what could have been a budding career. You look at the racing line around the corners of city streets on your commute, view a twisting mountain road as a challenge instead of an inconvenience, and offer friends unsolicited (and seldom appreciated) advice on their driving habits. Starting to sound familiar? It did to us, but that was before Alfa Romeo invited us to take part in its Guida Sicura advanced driving program at the Varano circuit...
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Filed under: Euro , Hatchbacks , First Drive , Alfa Romeo Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Alfa MiTo It's Saturday night and I'm out on the town. My friend - like half of the guys in the room - is eyeing the pretty blond across the bar, but at least he knows he doesn't have to worry about competition from my corner. Because there's a smolderingly hot redhead sitting across the room, and she's stolen all of my attention. Objectively I'd have to admit the blond is the better choice, but there's just something about those fiery crimson locks that make short order of blocking out everything else. It's something that - while I've never been officially part of the club myself - I suspect I share with Alfa Romeo owners around the world. For decades Alfa Romeo has been coasting by on its image and heritage. Buying an Alfa has long been an irrational choice, motivated by the subjective longing for that indefinable x-factor despite their many objective dynamic...
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Filed under: Crossovers/CUVs , Hatchbacks , BMW , MINI , Alfa Romeo , FIAT BMW and Fiat have already announced their intentions to collaborate on a new small car platform that will underpin the next MINI, due in 2012 or 2013, along with the successor to the Fiat Grande Punto and Alfa Romeo MiTo. However, a new platform developed by Fiat and dubbed the C-Evo will be used as the basis for a larger MINI, due out in 2015. It's unclear whether the C-Evo architecture will underpin the MINI AWD compact utility vehicle, but according to Automotive News , the platform will be capable of housing both front-wheel- and all-wheel-drive powertrains, and will serve as the platform for the new Alfa Romeo 147, which will be released sometime next year. Fiat and BMW are also in talks to co-develop a new range of new gasoline and diesel engines, including a 1.6-liter four-pot and 1.2-liter, three-cylinder that will be used on FWD vehicles. The decision to share platforms and engines has reportedly been...
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Filed under: Ferrari , Alfa Romeo , FIAT Click above for a high-res gallery of the Fiat 500 Ferrari Edition. If you own an Italian masterpiece adorned with a prancing horse, your good fortune is likely tempered with a few mechanical or electrical maladies. If and when that happens, most of us would expect an expensive loaner to take our minds off of our troubles, but team Ferrari has a "better idea." Fiat has created 200 special edition 500s that are done up to Ferrari standards, including red paint, a top notch sound system, electric sunroof, automatic climate control, a black steering wheel with red stitching and 16-inch aluminum wheels. Although the stock, 100 hp 1.4-liter engine remains, the exhaust has been tweaked to provide a bit more growl. Since Fiat is keeping its run of limited edition 500s to a minimum, the automaker will also provide a numbered kick plate to show off where each model falls in the production run. While the "Ferrari Edition" 500 is a sweet...
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Filed under: Car Buying , MINI , Alfa Romeo As reported earlier , BMW and Fiat will be teaming up on a new front-wheel-drive, small car platform that will underpin the next MINI and future Fiats and Alfa Romeos. Now comes word from Automotive News that the partnership will also include the two automakers collaborating on Alfa Romeo's return to the States in 2010 and the introduction of a new model, code-named "project 940." Fiat's statement included the line, "as part of a possible cooperation, BMW Group will provide Fiat Group Automobiles with support in launching the Alfa Romeo brand in the North American market." Furthermore, a Fiat spokesperson told AN, "MINI U.S. dealers would have the possibility to also sell Alfa Romeo cars." Alfa's return to the U.S. has been compared to the resurrection of MINI a few years back, and if Fiat can use the same nostalgia-laced branding, innovative ad campaigns and funky dealer experience, it will have a serious...
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Supercars , Alfa Romeo , Special/Limited Editions Click for hi-res gallery of the Alfa 8C Competizione It'd be hard to ask for more than what the spectacular Alfa 8C Competizione already offers, but Alfa Romeo intends to do just that. So after announcing the initial run of 500 coupes, Alfa will begin production of 500 roadsters. But in case that weren't enough, reports have been circulating of two new 8Cs to follow. On the one hand we have the 8C's successor , which Alfa's PR people hope will be based on the Ferrari California. On the other we have the more focused GTA version of the current coupe. While earlier reports suggested that the new second-generation Ferrari-based 8C could arrive in time for Alfa Romeo's 100 year anniversary in 2010, sources now suggest that it will be the 8C GTA that will arrive for the big celebration. Applying the magic formula of less weight and more power, the GTA is tipped to shed some 150 kg (330 lbs), while...
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Filed under: Etc. , Alfa Romeo Click for a hi-res gallery of Alfa Romeo Kyalami Day The Alfisti in South Africa turned out in droves for Alfa Romeo Kyalami Day, setting a new world record for the most Alfas on the track at once. The record - which mirrors the one set by Ferrari at Silverstone last year - required 200 vehicles, but the organizers got no fewer than 240 Alfas to hit the Kyalami circuit (former host of the South African Grand Prix) at once. Nearly 7000 visitors (excluding staff) were in attendance, while the parking lots filled up with over 2300 cars. The day also marked the first occasion, believe it or not, when the new 8C Spider was shown in public since its unveiling back in March at the Geneva show . Unfortunately, that's likely to also be the last time the 8C Spider is in the country, as the 500 examples being produced won't be offered there. However, Fiat Auto South Africa - the country's Alfa Romeo importer - also brought out the full array of current models...
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Filed under: Ferrari , Alfa Romeo Click for hi-res gallery of the Alfa 8C Competizione When Alfa Romeo announced it was actually building the 8C Competizione, we had but to applaud. The automaker slashed its own marketing budget to finance the car's manufacturing, justifying that the halo supercar would do more for the brand's image than any television ad ever could. (Then they did it again with the Spider version.) Right they were, and we wish more automakers would think that way. The latest reports indicate that Alfa Romeo is following its own example, so while CEO Luca de Meo campaigns within the Fiat hierarchy for an even more hard-core version to wear the vaunted GTA badge , some of his subordinates are thinking a step ahead towards the 8C's successor. The current 8C is based on an aging Maserati platform - not unlike the resuscitating Aston Martin DB7 that was based on old Jaguar underpinnings. However, strategists within Alfa Romeo want to see its successor based on the...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Hatchbacks , Alfa Romeo After having being introduced way back in 1998, Alfa Romeo finally stopped production of the 166 last year. Now without a flagship sedan to hold up the top of the range, Alfa is working on the development of its successor. However, the 169 (as the model is expected to be called) has been pushed back at least another three years while the automaker tries to sort out which platform it will be based on. With an eye towards the American market , Alfa is said to be committed to making the new 169 a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, but the only rear-drive platform the Milanese automaker has in its range belongs to the 8C Competizione, which CEO Luca de Meo recently rejected as a possible donor for the 169. (Rats.) The platform that underpins sister-company Maserati's Quattroporte and GranTurismo was likewise dismissed as too costly, as Alfa Romeo looks to other automakers - chief among them Jaguar , now owned by the Fiat Group's Indian ally...
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