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The Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio set a lap record at Silverstone with someone driving blind

Alfa Romeo announced today that its Giulia Quadrifoglio super sedan set a new lap record at Silverstone that nearly matched one put down by one of its Formula 1 cars in 1951. The F1 car set a time of 1:44, and the Giulia finished in 1:44.3. That may seem a bit slow for a modern 505-horsepower sports sedan, but it makes more sense when you realize the Giulia in question had black vinyl over the windows to keep the driver, Ed Morris, from seeing where he was going. Apparently Alfa thinks a clear view makes driving too easy. To get around the substantial handicap, Morris was assisted by directions from another driver in a following Giulia Quadrifoglio. The other driver, David Brise, radioed directions to Morris to get him around the track – and avoid crashing. Over the course of two days, the duo got the hang of it and set the aforementioned lap time. They even reached speeds of over 100 mph. You can see them practicing and setting the time in the video above. It was a cute record to set, but we're hoping blindfolded Nurburgring laps aren't next. Related Video:

Alfa SUV on pace for 2016 launch

While other parts of FCA's five-year plan are reportedly being shifted around, the timeline for Alfa Romeo is holding firm. The Italian brand is now hard at work on its crossover, which arrives after the Giulia sedan. Everything is on schedule for a mid-2016 debut too, according to Automotive News, and US sales would reportedly come late that year or in early 2017. Codenamed Project 949, Alfa's crossover shares its underpinnings with the Giulia and is sized to take on premium entries in the segment, like the BMW X3, Automotive News reports. The model is the Italian brand's first production CUV. The plan for a crossover has been percolating for years, as evidenced by the 12--year-old Kamal concept (pictured above). The Giulia and CUV are two of the eight new models Alfa wants to launch by 2018. In the five-year plan, Alfa execs also discussed two compacts, another crossover, a second midsize sedan, a fullsize sedan, and a specialty product. While not all of these might come to the US, the brand has set a goal to see a dramatic global sales jump to 400,000 units. "We are taking a very hard look at the sequencing of the products that we are launching to make sure that we get the biggest bang for the buck from the utilization of the architecture in terms of volumes," FCA boss Sergio Marchionne said, according to Automotive News. Related Video:

Alfa Romeo returns to F1 racing by sponsoring Sauber for 2018

Doesn't it feel good to see the Alfa Romeo emblem proudly displayed on a Formula One car again? It's been 30 years since Alfa Romeo had anything to do with F1 cars, as in the late '80s the manufacturer supplied engines to Ligier and Osella. Alfa Romeo even developed the first modern Formula One V10 engine, but that ended up in a 164 Procar instead of Ligier race cars. After a 30-year hiatus, it was announced in late 2017 that Alfa Romeo's brand would return to F1 racing by sponsoring Sauber. There isn't an Alfa Romeo engine in the 2018 Sauber C37, as it uses a current Ferrari power unit instead and Alfa Romeo's involvement is strictly about FCA's sponsoring the Swiss racing team. The drivers for 2018 are Charles Leclerc and Marcus Ericsson. Jorg Zander, Sauber's technical director, says: "The car philosophy is much different to that of the C36. The aerodynamic concept has changed significantly, and the C37 has several new features in comparison to its predecessor. We are positive that the new concept offers us more opportunities and will help us to make improvements during the course of the season. The 2018 Ferrari engine will also give us a boost in terms of our performance. We hope that we will make progress with the C37 and that we are more competitive compared to 2017." Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Image Credit: Sauber F1 Team Motorsports Alfa Romeo Ferrari Racing Vehicles F1 FCA