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Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan debuts with 510 hp, killer curves [w/video]

After a very blurry, accidental photo debut just yesterday, Alfa Romeo let loose the first official images and information about the upcoming Giulia. And she's a looker. We've got a man on the ground in Milan for the reveal who'll be bringing us more about the Giulia later on, but in the meantime let's take a look at the facts. Alfa's rakish new sedan certainly offers enough performance to justify the fast-standing-still styling. The Giulia seen here is the top-of-the-line Quadrifoglio edition, which has a turbocharged V6 that produces 510 horsepower (likely a metric figure, so it might be rated 503 here) and is good for a trip to 62 miles per hour in just 3.9 seconds. The car will also come in lower-power specs, likely using variations of a turbocharged four-cylinder. That quick acceleration is at least partially down to a very impressive curb weight. Alfa hasn't given us an official figure, per se, but does mention that the Giulia has a weight-to-power ratio "lower than 3kg/hp." Doing the math, that would put the sedan under 3,400 pounds, which is impressive. For reference, a BMW M3 sedan makes 425 hp and weighs in at around 3,600 pounds, while a 464-hp Cadillac ATS-V weighs about 100 pounds more. We know from Alfa's US-spec 4C that the sedan might gain a bit of heft in its cross-Atlantic translation, but if it's even in that ballpark, we'll be excited. Handling should be excellent, too, at least as far as we can tell from the case made on paper. The company boasts a 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, with a multi-link rear suspension and double wishbones up front. We're also promised "rapid, accurate steering" which, again, is borne out by the 4C. The Giulia Quadrifoglio features a torque-vectoring rear differential, an active front splitter to improve aerodynamics at high speeds, and a computer system called Chassis Domain Control to keep the various subsystems balanced. Touted as a competitor to the BMW 3 Series (an M3 competitor in this spec), the Giulia will be available as a rear-wheel-drive vehicle as standard, of course. But an optional all-wheel-drive setup is also in the cards. You'll have to decide for yourself if the flowing, long-hood-short-deck styling works, but we think it's excellent (at least based on the first few images). Find a bit more detail about the upcoming Giulia in the press release below, and expect more from Milan shortly.

CAR adds details to Alfa Romeo's five-year plan

Much of this month's issue of CAR Magazine is devoted to Alfa Romeo and what we can expect from it in the next five years. Of course, they unfortunately went to print before FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne died (and it took a while for it to land in my mail box), so certain elements are bound to change in light of new leadership. Nevertheless, there are plenty of interesting tidbits to chew on. First, there are a few more details regarding the Alfa Romeo 8C super car, which was confirmed during FCA's recent five-year plan announcement. Unlike the last front-engined, rear-drive 8C, the new one would be mid-engined with the rear wheels powered by a version of the Quadrofoglio turbo V6 brought up to the 600-horsepower range, and some amount of electrification added to the front axle. CAR indicates a total output of around 800 hp and 660 pound-feet of torque. A carbon fiber monococque would help keep the weight down, and to keep cost down, reporter Georg Kacher posits its production will be farmed out to a third party like Dallara. Both pricing and performance will be interesting with the 8C: how much does FCA want Alfa Romeo to compete with Ferrari? Without Marchionne leading both, perhaps it won't matter. View 19 Photos Then again, how much it wants Alfa to compete with Maserati might, as the future Giulia-based GTV coupe could do just that. Apparently, the coupe and convertible range is intended to compete with the entire breadth of the German two-door catalogue, from 4 Series and M4, to C- and E-Class Coupes. Presumably it'll therefore be more than just a Giulia coupe. Regular, high-performance and plug-in hybrid versions are mentioned. Finally, as was part of the previously announced five-year plan, there will be SUVs introduced on either side of the Stelvio. Apparently, it was originally thought that the smaller of the two would be produced on the cheaper Renegade/500X platform, but that has been nixed in favor of the Giulia's "Giorgio" platform to maintain a higher degree of engineering sophistication. If so, good call. The bigger of the two new Alfa SUVs would also be on the platform, and since it's been rumored that the next Jeep Grand Cherokee will be as well, it'll be interesting to see how similar those two mid-size SUVs will potentially be. There are many more Alfa insights from CAR, but as it's restricted to print and not on their website, we can only urge you to swing by your local magazine rack and pick up the latest issue. They do good stuff.

Alfaholics built an Alfa Romeo 105 Series entirely out of carbon fiber

Alfaholics has restored numerous 105 Series cars before. And Alfaholics has used carbon fiber parts before. But this is the first time Alfaholics has built a 105 Series with a body made entirely out of carbon fiber. The United Kingdom-based builder and parts supplier debuted the carbon shell this month and will make it available as an option for future projects. It's called the GTA-R 300. Alfaholics is a all-encompassing Alfa Romeo 105 Series (also known as the Giulia) parts supplier, customization shop and restoration specialist run by Alfa enthusiasts Richard, Max and Andrew Banks. The company has become known for its GTA-R builds, which are part of its R-Type program that Alfaholics says is "reserved for our most exclusive restorations which represent the ultimate evolution of the Alfa Romeo 105 Series." Human hands spend more than 3,000 hours building GTA-R coupes (or Ti-R sedans or Spider-R convertibles), and everything can be customized to the client's demands.  Customers are presented with a massive book of options, including choices of engines, gear ratios, suspension packages, damper valving, power steering, seat styles, upholstery, interior lighting, roll cages, dashboard styles, car audio and infotainment, and much more. Up until this point, clients did have the option for carbon fiber parts, but the choices were limited to the hood, the doors, and the rear deck lid. Now buyers can opt for a full carbon fiber kit. The GTA-R 300 gets its name due to its power-to-weight ratio. It's about 84 pounds lighter than the previously range-topping GTA-R 290 and about 154 pounds lighter than a GTA-R constructed entirely out of steel. All said, Alfaholics says the GTA-R 300 has a power-to-weight number of 300 bhp per ton, but it did not provide a specific weight number for the car, as it is not yet completed. Alfaholics does say this build will also include many other lightweight parts such as the Alfaholics GTA-R Ultraleggera billet titanium suspension package. For more information on other current and completed builds, visit Alfaholics.           View this post on Instagram                   Alfaholics GTA-R 300 Carbon Full carbonfibre body conversion, 70kg weight saving over a steel GTA-R.