1980 Alfa Romeo Spider on 2040-cars

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Notes from the 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulia reveal in Milan [w/video]

It's an interesting time for Alfa Romeo. Wednesday marked the brand's 105th birthday, but also a rebirth of sorts. The new Giulia is the first of several new vehicles to come out of the Project Giorgio skunkworks that has been quietly working to reimagine the brand. Fiat Chrysler is banking on these cars to finally turn Alfa around. Before the Giulia was rolled out, Alfa Romeo CEO Harald Wester acknowledged that the brand has had its share of missteps in the past. He then called out today's sporty offerings for having evolved into near-perfect but boring, commoditized cars across the industry. They have no soul, he said, nothing to differentiate one from the next. While I'd argue that each brand in the performance space still has something to differentiate itself from the others, anything that can be done to restore some of the man-machine connection lost to electronics and added weight can only be seen as a good thing. I like what I'm hearing from Alfa so far; below are some notes gleaned from the unveil event that make me think this reawakening might just work. The head of the skunkworks is Philippe Krief, a former Ferrari engineer. This is certainly a good sign for the car's dynamics and powertrain. Krief was quick to note that the Giulia uses "real" torque vectoring, not a brake-based solution like some others use. The rear differential uses a pair of clutches to apportion torque side to side. Alfa claims the car's steering will be the quickest in its segment, which I take to mean the one that currently includes the BMW M3, Mercedes-AMG C63, and Cadillac ATS-V. Immediacy translates to the braking system, as well. Alfa has come up with a new design that combines the stability control and brake servo into one unit; it's said to be simpler than two parts and also improves brake response. I'm pretty sure Krief even called its design beautiful while it flashed briefly onscreen. Quadrifoglio cars get carbon-ceramic brake discs to further improve performance and reduce weight. I didn't get to sit in the car, or even open the door, but I liked what I saw of the interior. The center console is angled to hem the driver in a little, which works well with the canted, sweeping dash. It kind of reminds me of the look in newer Mazdas – clean and simple with a good balance of organic curves and straight edges.

Fiat 124 Abarth Spider spied, may get Alfa 4C power

We've long been excited to see, hear, and drive the car that results from the in-process Fiat-Mazda partnership. The Italian brand has had access to the excellent 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata on which to base its own roadster, and the fruits of that labor will soon ripen. Spied here is not only the ensuing Fiat 124, but a hotter Abarth tuned version of the spider. At least, that's what we're hoping. Our spy shooters indicated that the car seen here not only sounded more aggressive than 'standard' 124 mules seen previously, but that it also accelerated away from their long lenses with a smartness. The 124 Spider is already rumored to make use of the 1.4-liter turbo I4 that makes 160 horsepower in the Fiat 500 Abarth, and this version may have a still-more-powerful engine. Another tell about the added output are the quad tailpipes in place of the lesser car's set of two. There's no hard evidence to support exactly which engine might be under the 124's hood, however. It's possible that the 1.7-liter turbo from Alfa Romeo 4C could be in play – with its 237-hp output – as the 124 was originally going to wear an Alfa badge. If that were to happen, however, the Fiat would almost certainly get a dual-clutch transmission instead of the purer manual box. In any event, more details about the car will no doubt crop up closer to the expected reveal this fall. Related Video:

Fiat reconsidering Mazda-based Alfa Romeo roadster? [w/poll]

Alfa giveth and Alfa taketh away. With apologies to Job (he has gone through a lot, after all), that's how things are looking at the Italian automaker - whether it's the promise of new products or its impending return to the North American market. But it's especially true when it comes to new roadsters.
While Alfa Romeo is expected to unveil the 4C Spider at the Geneva Motor Show this week, reports are now suggesting that its other roadster project is being called into question. That project is a joint venture between Fiat and Mazda, which was set to produce a version of its next MX-5 Miata as an Alfa Romeo, and was even changing the design to accommodate Alfa's requirements.
Now it appears, however, that the whole project in doubt. The problem seems to stem from Sergio Marchionne's pronouncements that, as long as he's in charge, there won't be an Alfa Romeo built outside of Italy.