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The hottest modern sports cars rendered as rally racers

The modern-day World Rally Championship a monumental amount of fun to watch – I should know, as I recently was lucky enough to head to the UK to watch WRC Wales Rally GB – but even the most monstrous of the current WRC cars are based on fairly pedestrian European hatchbacks. Back in the heyday of rally, the Group B era in the 1980s, much hotter cars were the basis of even more incredible competition machines, for the most part. Take the exotic Ford RS200, or the Lancia Delta S4 with its twin-charged engine. And the hatchback-based Group B cars were bonkers, too. So what would some of our favorite modern cars look like if Group B had never ended? A British site named CarWow hired an artist to reimagine everything from the Rolls-Royce Wraith to the Porsche 911 as a retro-inspired rally car, and they were kind enough to let us share the results in the gallery above. The gallery features an Alfa Romeo Giulia in Martini livery, an Audi TT in classic Ur-Quattro colors, a Fiat 500 Abarth sporting massive flares and a hood blister full of auxiliary lights, a new Ford Mustang in RS200 livery, a Lancia Delta in Alitalia colors, a Porsche 911 in Rothmans livery, a Renault-Alpine in classic blue, a Rolls-Royce Wraith tribute to the Jules cologne Corniche Coupe, and a relatively modern-looking VW Touran. So far, the favorite around the office is the incredible Mercedes-Benz S-Class that is an homage to the wonderful 300 SEL 6.8 AMG "Red Pig" that essentially put AMG on the map. Check out the gallery above and see which one you like the best. Related Video:

Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan debuts with 510 hp, killer curves [w/video]

After a very blurry, accidental photo debut just yesterday, Alfa Romeo let loose the first official images and information about the upcoming Giulia. And she's a looker. We've got a man on the ground in Milan for the reveal who'll be bringing us more about the Giulia later on, but in the meantime let's take a look at the facts. Alfa's rakish new sedan certainly offers enough performance to justify the fast-standing-still styling. The Giulia seen here is the top-of-the-line Quadrifoglio edition, which has a turbocharged V6 that produces 510 horsepower (likely a metric figure, so it might be rated 503 here) and is good for a trip to 62 miles per hour in just 3.9 seconds. The car will also come in lower-power specs, likely using variations of a turbocharged four-cylinder. That quick acceleration is at least partially down to a very impressive curb weight. Alfa hasn't given us an official figure, per se, but does mention that the Giulia has a weight-to-power ratio "lower than 3kg/hp." Doing the math, that would put the sedan under 3,400 pounds, which is impressive. For reference, a BMW M3 sedan makes 425 hp and weighs in at around 3,600 pounds, while a 464-hp Cadillac ATS-V weighs about 100 pounds more. We know from Alfa's US-spec 4C that the sedan might gain a bit of heft in its cross-Atlantic translation, but if it's even in that ballpark, we'll be excited. Handling should be excellent, too, at least as far as we can tell from the case made on paper. The company boasts a 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, with a multi-link rear suspension and double wishbones up front. We're also promised "rapid, accurate steering" which, again, is borne out by the 4C. The Giulia Quadrifoglio features a torque-vectoring rear differential, an active front splitter to improve aerodynamics at high speeds, and a computer system called Chassis Domain Control to keep the various subsystems balanced. Touted as a competitor to the BMW 3 Series (an M3 competitor in this spec), the Giulia will be available as a rear-wheel-drive vehicle as standard, of course. But an optional all-wheel-drive setup is also in the cards. You'll have to decide for yourself if the flowing, long-hood-short-deck styling works, but we think it's excellent (at least based on the first few images). Find a bit more detail about the upcoming Giulia in the press release below, and expect more from Milan shortly.

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia still makes us swoon

It may have debuted in June, but Alfa Romeo's hot new Giulia makes its first public appearance at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show this week. And even though we've told you all there is to know right now, we just can't resist bringing you another set of photos, and another round of praise. Alfa is once again showing the Giulia in top-of-the-line Quadrifoglio spec, complete with a twin-turbocharged V6 that's said to make around 510 horsepower. We already know it sounds awesome, and all we can say is, watch out BMW M3. Alfa Romeo is quoting a 0-62 time of less than four seconds, and we're told the car will have the quickest steering in its class. Sounds good to us. The Giulia will officially launch in early 2016, and while the top-trim Quadrifoglio will probably start around $70,000 or $75,000, less-aggressive, more mainstream models will also be available. There's talk of four-cylinder power with both gasoline and diesel motivation, but it's unclear exactly what's in sore for the US-spec car. Still, it's exciting to see the new Giulia, and we're eager to drive Alfa's latest when it goes on sale next year. <p>Your browser does not support iframes.</p> Related Video: