1974 Alfa Romeo Spider on 2040-cars

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Dodge Viper-based 2010 Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale Zagato rarity could be yours

It has been a decade since it was launched, but the 2010 Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale Zagato is just as bizarre and beautiful as the day it was revealed. It's what you get when you have Italian design house Zagato give a Dodge Viper an Alfa Romeo body. And this one, number six of a total of nine examples, could be yours. It's going to be auctioned in Elkhart, Indiana, by RM Sotheby's along with several other rare vehicles. Now when we described this car as a Zagato take on an Alfa but using a Viper, that's exactly what it is. All the mechanical bits are from the 2010 Dodge Viper ACR, down to the 8.4-liter 600-horsepower V10 and six-speed manual transmission. The body does do an impressive job disguising this, from the signature Zagato double-bubble roof, to the unique, almost shooting brake-style rear roofline and Kamm tail. The Alfa grille in the nose also throws off the scent. But look closer, and Viper elements start showing up. On the outside, the push-down flush door handles remain. Inside, the gauges feature the same fonts and layout as in the Viper, the only change being the TZ3 logo sitting in the middle. Particularly glaring is the audio head unit, which was shared with every other Dodge product on the market since the early 2000s. But the leather appointments throughout do make it nicer. Also amusing is the fact that all the owner's manuals are simply Dodge examples, with no changes to the covers or names. One other bizarre thing, since this is a 2010 car, it was built at the very early start of Fiat and Chrysler joining up. As omens go, this was a pretty solid one. Regardless, it is an extremely striking car that's sure to be exhilarating to drive. And that's not something the previous owner experienced much, because the photos suggest it's only been driven about 200 miles. RM Sotheby's doesn't give an estimated sale price, but it should go for well into six figures, if not more. And it will sell, as it's being offered with no reserve. The auction starts May 1. Related Video:    

Alfa Romeo range-topping sports car confirmed for 2023 debut

Alfa Romeo's on-again, off-again range-topping sports car is back in the pipeline. Company boss Jean-Philippe Imparato confirmed that a two-door flagship is on track to make its debut in 2023 as a concept whose exterior design will draw inspiration from historic models. "You will see something in that field in terms of sportiness in the first half of 2023. We use one word to define the brand, and it's 'sportiness,'" the executive told British magazine Autocar. He's previously voiced his support for bringing back the dormant GTV and Duetto nameplates. Imparato added that the yet-unnamed model will borrow styling cues from the Tipo 33, though he didn't specify which version of the car he has in mind. Alfa raced several evolutions of the Tipo 33 from 1966 to 1977, and it sold 18 units of a Franco Scaglione-designed supercar with a mid-mounted engine called 33 Stradale (pictured) between 1967 and 1969. We're guessing it's the latter that will provide inspiration. Numerous points remain up in the air, like what will power the car. "For the moment, I have two scenarios: full ICE or full EV," he revealed to Autocar. Regardless, the model "will be very exciting, very selective, and very expensive." It sounds like production will be limited. We're about four months away from 2023, so we won't have to wait long to discover the concept that Alfa Romeo is working on. Executives have toyed with the idea of adding a sportier model to the range for several years, but they have never pulled the trigger. Imparato explained in 2021 that the brand wouldn't release another two-door car until it increased its sales in more mainstream segments of the market. What's changed since then is unclear; the Tonale unveiled in February 2022 is the only new Alfa Romeo released since. (A Dodge Hornet badge-engineered version of the Tonale was revealed this week.) Traveling further back, in 2018 former Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) boss Sergio Marchionne announced that the 8C and GTV names would make a comeback on a pair of coupes. The former was presented as having a carbon fiber chassis and 700 horsepower thanks to a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain built around a mid-mounted turbocharged V6. The latter was also planned as a hybrid, but it would have offered drivers 600 horsepower, and a sketch made it look like a two-door version of the Giulia sedan. Both cars were canned by 2019. Related video:

US-spec Alfa Romeo 4C Spider caught naked at a photo shoot

The Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is getting ready for its reveal and market roll-out, which means it's time to put together broadcast materials, and that means the open-roof coupe has to venture outside. Someone caught a few photos of a yellow example during one such jaunt in Andalusia, Spain during photo and television work, and based on this glimpse we'll happily welcome it to our shores. Yes, we felt the same way when we saw the concept introduced at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, and except for two small changes, it's the same car. This production version has an air inlet on the driver's side just ahead of the rear wheel said to improve cooling for the dual-clutch transmission, and the centrally mounted exhaust pipes on the concept have moved to the corners. It also wears the concept's wheels and the conventional headlights, instead of the arachnid units best suited for getting the attention of mating wolf spiders. We shouldn't have too much longer to wait for information on the car's weight gain and performance, as well as its roof panel operation. Until then, head over to www.autoblog.it and Carscoops for a few more on-location shots.