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Filed under: Economy , Euro , Hatchbacks , Ford , Alfa Romeo Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Alfa MiTo It's that time of year, when various agencies far and wide begin handing out awards for the new crop of cars. The '09 model-year vehicles are all known by now and the press has had plenty of time to size up the competition. Recently, The Detroit Free Press appeared to have let the EuroCOTY cat out of the bag a bit early when it reported that Alfa Romeo had managed to snag the top honors with its new MiTo subcompact . Although we'd be hard-pressed to argue otherwise, it turns out that the rumor isn't true. The real European Car of the Year award will be announced on November 17. The MiTo did win the Auto Europa award, though, which is granted by the Italian press. Second place went to Alfa's sister company Lancia for its homely-looking Delta and the Ford Fiesta grabbed the bronze. Thankfully, we'll be able to pick up a Fiesta in the U.S. for the 2010 model...
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Filed under: Euro , Hatchbacks , Alfa Romeo Alfa's MiTo already has us excited enough, and now along come images of the upcoming 149. Auto Express has put two shots of the pleasingly-styled hatch online. The 149, a replacement for the 147, shares some familial styling cues with the MiTo, which in turn shares some lines with the 8C Competizione. The 149 is an exceedingly handsome three- or five door that would woo us on looks alone. Performance will be there to back up the racy sheetmetal, with gasoline and diesel powerplants, variously turbocharged. At the low end, the 149 packs 120 horsepower, and it can reach as high as 250. The hotrod versions will also get a trick differential, dubbed Q2, which will aid in getting that power to the ground. The car will drop in mid 2009, and is rumored to adhere to US safety regulations, boding well for this sinewy Italian making it across the Atlantic to the North American market. Please. We're begging. [Source: Auto Express ] Read | Permalink...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Sports/GTs , Euro , Supercars , Alfa Romeo , Special/Limited Editions Click above for a high-res gallery of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione And with these words, the Alfisti shall rejoice: Alfa Romeo is finally back in the United States. While a full scale return by the Italian maker won't happen until 2009 or 2010, you can officially buy the Alfa 8C Competizione starting this month through one of the designated Maserati dealers tabbed to carry this rolling piece of automotive hotness. Check that, you can arrange delivery. Seems all of the 8Cs earmarked for the U.S. are already spoken for. So at least in theory, Alfa has returned. The 8C Spider open air version won't show up until 2010, but we really like the coupe enough not to be too distressed about the wait. When the full operation ramps up, we are expecting that someone strolling into an Alfa Romeo dealership will be able to purchase not only the 8C Competizione and 8C Spider, but hopefully the hotter...
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Filed under: Coupes , Euro , Paris Motor Show , Alfa Romeo Click either image for high-res gallery of theAlfa Romeo Brera Ti Standing in front of the Alfa Romeo display in Paris, we found ourselves in a bit of a conundrum. The big news from Alfa was, of course, the official worldwide show debut of the MiTo, and the stand was rife with them. But we've already brought you galleries of photos of the MiTo , and even flew all the way over to Italy to drive it . (For you, of course.) But a European car show wouldn't be a European car show without some shots of an Alfa Romeo. Fortunately the Italians were kind enough to oblige with a new, hotter version of the impossibly gorgeous Brera. The Brera Ti picks up some of the improvements developed by British rally and racing concern Prodrive (yes, that Prodrive, the ones who field Aston Martin in Le Mans, Subaru in the WRC and brought Honda back into F1). The Ti gets a stiffened suspension, 8C-style 19-inch anthracite alloys and Brembo brakes...
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Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show , Euro , Hatchbacks , Alfa Romeo , Rendered Speculation European customers have been eagerly anticipating the replacement for the aging Alfa Romeo 147. Tentatively referred to as the 149, the new five-door hatchback, tipped to receive a new nameplate outside the three-digit numeric designation, will be positioned slightly above the three-door MiTo hatch. As with the new MiTo , styling is expected to borrow the themes laid out by the 8C Competizione, which should translate better to the increased dimensions of the 149/Giulia over the more cartoonish looks of its smaller sibling. Expect a range of gasoline and diesel engines, which could be topped by a 265-horsepower GTA version. Sources now suggest the 149 will be unveiled in a bit over a year from now at the Frankfurt show for market roll-out anticipated in late summer 2009, and will spearhead the new "C-Evo" platform based on the underpinnings from the Fiat Bravo and Lancia Delta. [Source: OmniAuto...
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Filed under: Coupes , Sports/GTs , Euro , Alfa Romeo , Rendered Speculation We already know that Alfa Romeo intends to use the lauded design of the 8C Competizione as the new template for its range-wide styling language. The MiTo was the first to receive the treatment, with project 149 coming next and renderings of the 159 replacement showing the same. The next to follow in the 8C's footsteps could be the GT, but the rendering you see above doesn't come from the factory. It was done by an enthusiast forecasting what a revised GT could look like. We don't know yet if the GT will continue for another generation or if it will be replaced by something else entirely, but if the compact 2+2 (positioned above the new MiTo and below the current Brera) does see another incarnation, it could look something like this. [Source: Autoblog.it via CarScoop ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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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 , 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 , 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: Aftermarket , Tuners , Sedans/Saloons , Euro , Alfa Romeo , UK Click above to view the Autodelta 159 J4 2.2 C in high res European reviews of Alfa Romeo's mid-range line-up invariably yield the same conclusion: the Brera, Spider and 159 are impossibly beautiful (take our word for it if you haven't seen one in the flesh), but the performance just isn't there. That's where Autodelta comes in. The British tuning house specializes in dialing up the performance quotient on Alfas, and after pumping up the Brera and Spider with its top-of-the-line J-series packages, Autodelta has turned its attention to the 159 sedan. The result of a year and a half of development, the 159 J4 2.2 C promises to fill the dynamic void of the standard saloon. Rather than starting with the heavier 3.2-liter V6 (which is coupled to Alfa's Q4 all-wheel-drive system), Autodelta takes the 185hp 2.2-liter JTS direct-injection inline-four and bolts on a Rotrex C30-74 supercharger to boost...
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Filed under: Euro , Hatchbacks , Alfa Romeo Click above for high-res gallery of the Alfa Romeo Mi.To Though Alfa Romeo unveiled the Mi.To back in March , we've only had a few images at which to stare in disbelief over how there's a part of the world that produces small cars this beautiful. Not so anymore, as Alfa has released over 40 new high-res images of the Mi.To today. Named after the place in which it was designed (Milan) and the place in which it will be built (Turin), the Mi.To is basically a Fiat Grande Punto wrapped in a skin that was inspired by the luscious 8C Competizione . As such, Alfa included a number of images in the gallery below of the two cars side by side so you can see how much supercar DNA was stuffed into the Mi.To's design. The three-door hatch will be available with three engines, including an anemic 78-hp 1.4L, a more potent 155-hp turbo 1.4L and a 120-hp 1.6L JTDM turbo-diesel. All engines will be paired with the proper transmission for small car...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Time Warp , Coupes , Euro , Paris Motor Show , Alfa Romeo , FIAT The 2003 Lancia Fulvia Coupe concept that tantalized showgoers at the Frankfurt Motor Show with its crisp lines that strongly evoked its namesake predecessor was presumed dead after Fiat canned the idea due to financial woes and want of a modern platform. It seems that plans for a new coupe carrying the Lancia badge is resurgent inside Fiat, though the clearly retro styling of the 2003 concept will likely fall by the wayside instead of getting mired in a retro rut. It's rumored that we'll see a Fulvia riding atop the MiTo 's chassis at this year's Paris Motor Show . Rather than relying on the work of 40 years past, the new Fulvia will share nothing but a name with its predecessor. The car may follow the current trend of other Euro coupes and incorporate a folding hardtop, but there are conflicting reports that it may also be a conventional fixed-head-coupe. We certainly wouldn't...
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