1969 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce Extremely Rare, 1750 Injected on 2040-cars

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Alfa Romeo Caimano concept is peak Seventies wedge design

This weekend, the Bremen Classic Motor Show will be opening its doors with a "wedgetastic" theme, highlighted by the Alfa Romeo Caimano concept you see here. Alfa Romeo commissioned Giorgetto Giugiaro and his then-newly established Italdesign firm to cook up the Caimano concept for the 1971 Turin Motor Show. It was based on the Alfasud (also designed by Giugiaro) but shortened the chassis by nearly 8 inches and fitted with entirely different bodywork that made it look like it was from another planet. The canopy greenhouse eliminated the A pillar, with the B and C pillars forming a trapezoidal roll bar at the back, capped by an adjustable spoiler. Inside the cockpit were two recumbent bucket seats, a cylindrical dashboard, and two small openings in the glass canopy for ventilation. Of course it also had pop-up headlights, and it was powered by the 1.2-liter boxer for from the Alfasud, good for all of 68 horsepower. Striking though it may have been at the time, it shouldn't come as a surprise that only one example was ever built, and it remains in the Alfa Romeo museum in Milan. The company is taking it out of the collection, however, and bringing it to Bremen for the show. Alongside it, showgoers can expect to see such other "wedgetastic" creations of yesteryear as the Lancia Stratos, Maserati Khamsin, Lamborghini Countach, Mercedes C111, and the BMW Turbo X1 (which previewed the M1 to follow). Little surprise that most of these wedge designs were penned by either Giugiaro or by Marcello Gandini for Bertone. Along with Lionardo Fioravanti (of Pininfarina fame), they were each born in Italy in 1938 within months of each other, and went on to dominate Italian automotive design over the course of their careers. Related Video: Alfa Romeo at the Bremen Classic Motor Show - The iconic Caimano concept car will be featured in a special exhibition dedicated this year to the revolutionary designs of the 1970s. - The "wedge on wheels" thought up by Italdesign is based on the chassis of the Alfasud, another of Giugiaro's creations, and is a fine example of the extreme design of its time. - The only example of the model belongs to the Alfa Romeo Museum. - The Motor Show will take place from February 5 to 7 in Bremen and will open the classic car season. It will bring together some 650 exhibitors in eight halls covering an area of over 45,000 square metres.

Marchionne offers belated apology for 'wop engine' comment

Automotive News reports Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has issued a written apology for his comments regarding his decision to stick with an Italian engine for the upcoming Alfa Romeo 4C. As you may recall, back in January, Marchionne was quoted as saying, "I cannot come up with a schlock product, I just won't. I won't put an American engine into that car. With all due respect to my American friends, it has to be a wop engine." The CEO penned an apology to the Italian American ONE VOICE Coalition for using the racial epithet, saying that he made the comment in jest. Marchionne also said he realizes his remarks were unacceptable.
ONE VOICE, an organization aimed at fighting discrimination and stereotyping of Italian Americans, thanked Marchionne, Chrysler and Fiat for the apology. Marchionne is an Italian-born Canadian citizen, and he's gotten in trouble for other comments in the past. In 2011, he called high interest rates Chrysler was paying to the Canadian government "shyster rates." He apologized a day later.

Watch 14 hot rides take over concept car lawn at Pebble Beach

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is an annual celebration of the beautiful, old cars that grace Monterey Car Week. But Monterey – and Pebble – features lots of newer metal, too, and that includes the concept lawn at Pebble Beach. Now, "concept lawn" isn't a totally accurate name anymore, and you'll see why in the list below. This year especially, plenty of production cars can be found in the area once reserved for the conceptual. Still, we're happy to see them. Here's what's featured this year: Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Audi R8 BAC Mono Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R Buick Avenir Galpin-Fisker Rocket Speedster Hyundai HCD-16 Vision G Coupe Icona Volcano Infiniti Q60 Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 Maserati Ghibli McLaren 570S Rolls-Royce Wraith By our count, that's seven concepts out of fourteen cars. But it still makes for one hot group of metal. Check 'em out in the gallery above. Related Video: Related Gallery 2015 Pebble Beach Concept Car Lawn View 38 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Design/Style Alfa Romeo Audi Bentley Buick Infiniti Lamborghini Lincoln McLaren Porsche Concept Cars Videos Original Video Pebble Beach