1967 Alfa Romeo Duetto ***no Reserve*** on 2040-cars

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Alfa Romeo planning a four-cylinder, 350-hp Giulia Veloce?

At the moment, Alfa Romeo sells a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder Giulia with 280 horsepower for $37,995, and a 2.9-liter, twin-turbo six-cylinder Giulia Quadrifoglio with 505 hp for $72,000. A vacuum separates those poles, and the marketplace, echoing nature, hates it. Some recent Internet sleuthing in The Netherlands and in the U.S. might have identified a suitable object to fill that void: a 350-hp version of the 2.0-liter turbo. Last December, Dutch shop Squadra Tuning discovered an entry on Fiat Chrysler's Dutch-market parts site for a 2.0-liter turbo Giulia producing 350 metric horsepower (345 U.S. ponies). Not long after that, an Autoevolution reader submitted an image of an FCA document for the NAFTA region, which listed a 2.0-liter, 350-hp model for the USA equipped with the eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. The name of the model powered by that engine: "Giulia Veloce." Certain international markets already offer a Veloce trim with an auto transmission and all-wheel drive, but engine choices are the 280-hp 2.0-liter we already get, and a 2.2-liter turbodiesel we don't get. If those overseas discoveries were merely smoke, conjecture took a huge step toward fire a few days ago when Bozi Tatarevic found a 2.0-liter, 350-hp engine option on Mopar Tech Authority, FCA's OEM service portal. Car and Driver asked Alfa Romeo for clarification, the carmaker responding, "No plans for any other engines for Giulia in North America for 2018 model year besides the 2.0L and 2.9L [gasoline] versions." Having ruled 2018 out, onlookers have turned their eyes to 2019 for the introduction of this 350-hp motor. What's more, a comment on Tatarevic's tweet sends speculation into 48-volt overboost. Twitter user Rob P replied, "This is pretty well established as happening. MY2019, USA only. 280hp + 48V electrical system + elec. assisted turbo = ~350bhp 'Veloce' in USA nomenclature." No matter how the horses are made, assuming 350 cavalli make it across the Atlantic, Alfa's lineup will profit from the addition: Buyers in the sport sedan segment would get some Italian sprezzatura to cross-shop against German Monumentalitat. Related Video: News Source: Bozi Tatarevic / Twitter via Road and Track Rumormill Alfa Romeo Luxury Performance Sedan FCA alfa romeo giulia 48-volt system giulia

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #317 LIVE!

We record Autoblog Podcast #317 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #317
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2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti

It is the cover car of the moment for enthusiast publications across the country. And the introduction of the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio deserves the notice. With it Fiat Chrysler Automobiles marks the real return of Alfa Romeo sales and service to the North American market. Alfa's two-seater – the 4C – preceded it, but the target market for those coupes and roadsters could be fitted into a commuter jet. The new Giulia is aimed at the midsize sport sedan audience currently occupied by the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Audi A4. The sales potential is huge and historically underserved by Italian brands. While the Giulia Quadrifoglio, with its 505 horsepower and track-ready suspension gets the ink, we think it's the more pedestrian Giulia sedan that's deserving your attention. And by pedestrian we don't mean prosaic; the Giulia is an exciting sedan built atop a competent platform and propelled by a responsive turbocharged drivetrain. With a base price in real-wheel-drive form (all-wheel drive is optional) of under $40,000, the Giulia is accessible in a way the $72,000 Quadrifoglio is not. On Alfa's Build Your Own site we studied the options, selecting an upgrade with Alfa's Giulia Ti. It constitutes a $2,000-bump over the Giulia's $38,000 base, and gives you 18-inch alloy wheels (vs. the 17-inchers on the standard Giulia). The Ti also provides dark gray oak interior accents and the availability of both Sport and Lusso (luxury) appearance packages. Other adds included the Vesuvio Gray exterior ($600), additional leather interior trim ($995), the Ti Performance package ($1,200) and the Ti 18-inch Sport Package ($1,750). The Sport package adds more aggressive alloy wheels, paddle shifters, and aluminum pedals, while Performance supplied the active suspension and limited slip differential. The end result is a net price of $45,535 including applied offers. We think we'd lease it. In talking with an Alfa dealer in suburban Washington, an advertised lease special on a $44,000-Giulia resulted in 39 payments at just over $500 per month, with roughly $7,500 out of pocket and a residual value of $21,239. At the end of that 39 months you have the option of returning the car to FCA or buying it for the residual. We think the Giulia, with an MSRP of between $40,000 and $50,000, is a screaming deal. And to buy your own 'used' car at the end of three years for $21,000? That's a crazy good deal. Related Video: