Autoblog

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 new Ferrari California, trading in the input of one sister company for another. While they realize it will be an uphill battle – one which could come down to Fiat chairman and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemelo's decision – to get Ferrari to agree to the proposal, Alfa Romeo is reportedly keen to get the project off the ground and get the second-generation sportscar ready within the next two years to celebrate Alfa's centennial in 2010.

[Source: Autocar]

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 Tata – for a suitable rear-drive platform for Alfa's new flagship sedan.

In related news from the other end of the range, the upcoming 149, which – along with the new MiTo – will replace the aging 147, is reportedly getting a brand new platform of its own. The reports contradict earlier suggestions that the five-door hatch would be based on the Fiat Bravo platform when the new 149 is introduced in 2009.

[Source: AutoTelegraaf via Motor Authority]

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 output by 60 horses up to 245. Autodelta has also replaced the stock plastic intake manifold with a new aluminum one to cope with the extra power and fitted new NGK Iridium IX spark plugs, a new electronic limited slip differential, new springs and dampers, bigger brakes, a quad-tipped stainless exhaust, 19-inch OZ Botticelli HLT rims with custom Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT rubber, and a full aero kit, along with trimming out some unnecessary weight and tinkering with the ECU.

Check out the press release after the jump for more details, and the images in the gallery below for all the angles.

[Source: Autodelta]

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Alfa 8C Competizione

Few cars are as eminently desirable as the Alfa 8C Competizione. So how do you make us want it even more? Well, you can chop off the roof and make it into a roadster, but Alfa Romeo already did that. How about making it even more powerful? That's hard to do – remember that, having developed the engine for its sister-company, Maserati has shoehorned the 450hp V8 into both the GranTurismo and the new Quattroporte to make more powerful S versions of both – but that's exactly what Alfa's new CEO, Luca de Meo, intends to do.

The plan involves producing an additional run of 100 supercars with more power and less weight... and you know that's the magic formula. Like the 230hp MiTo announced just yesterday, the faster 8C would wear Alfa's premier GTA badge. Although the project has yet to gain approval from the higher-ups in the Fiat group, de Meo is reportedly fighting for it. We hope he wins, and with the clout he holds in the company, we think he just might.

[Source: AutoTelegraaf via eGMCarTech]

Following earlier speculation, reports now confirm that Alfa Romeo will produce a high-performance version of its new MiTo hatchback that will wear the vaunted GTA badge. The nameplate was historically used on top-of-the-line performance-oriented Alfas, and will make a comeback with the range-topping MiTo.

Pictured above is a rendering of what the GTA could look like. Power will come from the company's 1750cc 230hp turbo four, with variable valve timing and direct injection. Little else is known at this point, but with 230hp, the MiTo GTA promises to leave the less powerful turbocharged 175hp MINI Cooper S behind in its tracks.

[Source: 4Car]

Any day in which we bring you news of a new Italian sports car is a good day by any account. Today we bring you news of three new sports cars under development under the Fiat group umbrella, which we needn't point out controls most of the Italian automotive industry, including Fiat, Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati and Ferrari.

First up to bat is the unique sports car which, as we reported back in March, Fiat is developing for its recently revived Abarth performance brand. Reports now suggest that the Abarth roadster would take an Elise-style approach, and could even borrow underpinnings from Lotus. Power could come from the turbo four in the Punto and 500 Abarth, mounted amidships, but unburdened by a lightweight two-seater chassis.

While we wait for more news on that front, there are parallel reports of a new Lancia coupe-cabrio on the horizon. (This in addition to the rumored Aurelia flagship, anticipated for unveiling in Geneva next March.) Previewed by the Fulvia concept from Frankfurt 2003 (pictured above), the Lancia convertible could also spawn an Alfa Romeo variant. The stage is set, and we'll be keeping a sharp eye out for more news as it emerges.

[Source: 4Car]

Click above to video after the jump

That's right, more Alfa Romeo Mi.To media. Hot on the heels of the large batch of high-res pics we got yesterday comes this video of the Mi.To in motion. We see the car both being flogged on a track and driven leisurely around what we presume to be is Italy. What's most impressive is how flat the Mi.To corners through the slalom. The small three-door hatchback appears able to maintain composure with sharp inputs to the steering wheel despite its super short wheelbase. We also get a tour of the Mi.To's interior that looks to be made of high-quality materials and features some interesting design details. Bonus points for whoever can figure out what that chromed lever on the dash does. Check out the video after the jump.


[Source: Alfa Romeo]

Click to view the '61 Alfa Giulietta in our hi-res gallery

Everyone has their own idea of heaven on earth: the first snowfall, a cold beer on a hot day, a pristine azure beach... Cruising around town on a beautiful summer day in a classic Italian roadster may just be ours.

There's just something, what the French call a certain je ne sais quoi, an indefinable quality about a vintage Alfa – found somewhere in between the exhaust note and the chrome details – that has a unique capacity to make driver and passenger forget about everything else and just enjoy the drive. Don't get us wrong, we're big fans of progress. But after spending a few hours with this beautiful 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, we're gaining a new appreciation for the phrase "they don't build 'em like they used to". Follow the jump to read why.

Photos Copyright ©2008 Noah Joseph / Weblogs, Inc.

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 fun: a six-speed manual. Check out all the pics in the gallery below and hope beyond hope that one day the Mi.To lands on our shores to take the premium small-car crown away from the MINI Cooper.

[Source: Alfa Romeo, Carscoop]

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 complain about giving the MiTo an appropriate coupe roofline, so please send some our way.


[Source: Autocar, Photos: ultimatecarpage]