2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Rwd on 2040-cars

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Best in Show: 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta wins at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Well over 200 vehicles from 17 countries competed for Best in Show honors at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, but there could be only one winner: the 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta you see above. The deep blue bodywork of the vehicle was first seen at the 1938 Berlin Motor Show, and the vehicle was recently restored to its original show condition. This Alfa Romeo is owned by David and Ginny Sydorick. "This car is one of only five built, and it has recently been completely restored, taking a huge amount of effort and dedication from all those involved," said Sydorick after the win. The '37 8C 2900B Touring finished ahead of a 1929 Duesenberg J Murphy Town Limousine and a 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Figoni Fastback Coupe for the golden ribbon. This is the third time an Alfa Romeo has won the coveted Best in Show trophy at Pebble Beach, the first an 8C 2900B Touring Spider in 1988 and the second an 8C 2900B Touring Coupe in 2008. Last year's winner was a silver and blue 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer. Related Video: Featured Gallery 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta: Pebble Beach Misc. Auto Shows Alfa Romeo Automotive History Coupe Luxury Special and Limited Editions Classics Pebble Beach

Alfa Romeo realigns product onslaught (again)

After Sergio Marchionne announced an ambitious plan in May of 2014, Alfa Romeo has continued to struggle, pushing back launch dates and the debut of the models that would serve as the brand's new bedrock. And now it's happening again. A new investor relations document reveals that Alfa won't complete the debut of its new lineup until the middle of the next decade, and that FCA will be scaling back the brand's research and development, manufacturing, and product investments through 2018. The move is partially down to "uncertainties" in China, which gels with what we reported back in December. Alfa also needs extra time to "guarantee proper global distribution network execution," the document claims. As we've reported, the revised product cadence will still see the Giulia (pictured) and a new midsize utility vehicle hit dealers in 2016 and late 2016/early 2017, respectively. From there, Alfa is still aiming to flesh out its lineup with six more vehicles, including a fullsize sedan, two more utility vehicles, two "specialty" vehicles, and a hatchback. This new product strategy differs from the original Marchionne strategy in a few key ways. First, all of these vehicles were supposed to have been launched between May 2014 and sometime in 2018. Since it's 2016 and we can't even buy a Giulia yet, it's pretty clear that plan isn't going to happen. Instead, the six vehicles that will follow the Giulia and midsize CUV won't start arriving until 2017, with debuts continuing until at least 2020. The new product strategy also better reflects today's market. Gone are the two compact cars, and in their place is a single hatchback, arriving at the tail end of the brand's new product offensive. That might explain why the MiTo was given a stay of execution. It's no surprise to see a second utility vehicle in Alfa's plan, considering the way the segment has exploded in the past few years, while enthusiasts will likely welcome the idea of a second "specialty" vehicle. The brand's second midsize sedan has been pushed out, though, so the only Alfa four-door following the Giulia will be a fullsizer. As for Maserati, the investor relations PDF didn't list nearly as many specifics. As we've reported, FCA still expects the Levante CUV to be a growth leader for the brand by 2018. The performance brand's fortunes will also be bolstered by pairing its dealerships with those of Alfa Romeo. Related Video:

Alfa Romeo Giulia Luggage Test: How big is the trunk?

The Alfa Romeo Giulia is a brilliant little sport sedan to drive, a true delight every time you get a chance to jump behind the wheel. But what might it be like on a road trip? Well, it's a sedan, so obviously you can bring some friends along, but the back seat certainly isn't the largest out there and neither is the trunk. To be clear, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. A bigger Giulia would probably be a worse Giulia to drive. One simply needs to be aware of the trade-off. According to the specs, the Giulia's trunk measures ... um, actually, they're not listed anywhere on the specs provided on the Stellantis media website. For any Giulia from 2024 to 2017. Let's go ahead and check the consumer website then. Wow, nothing there, either. OK then, thank goodness for the luggage test, then. Let's snap to it! OK, so here is the trunk. It is not big, but how might it compare to other sport sedans I've tested, including the Genesis G70 (10.5 cubic-feet), Cadillac CT4 (10.9) and BMW 3 Series (depends on model)? Let's find out.  As in every luggage test I do, I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller roll-aboard that fits easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also include my wife's fancy overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D). There are two options here. On the left, the fancy bag on top of one of the medium black roller bags, plus the biggest bag (gray) and smallest roller (blue). Alternatively, I could fit the small blue and its bigger check-in sibling, plus the two medium-sized bags -- but the small blue one would be a big squished.  Obviously, as you can see here, there's lots of left over space. There's also two bags left out regardless of configuration. Why? There's just not a lot of height in this trunk, and there are things hanging down that hamper it further. Shown above are speakers can might catch on something, plus the fat structural crossmember running above the fold-down seat pass-through that prevents bags from sliding all the way back. The biggest hindrance, though, are these large seat pass-through pulls on the left and right side of the trunk. They got in the way when trying to stack bags on their bellies atop each other.