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It's the Alfa Romeo Brennero after all

In an "X-Files" television episode called "Teliko," the show changed its usual tagline during the title sequence from "The truth is out there" to "Deceive, Inveigle, Obfuscate." Both taglines would apply to the mystery around the name of Alfa Romeo's coming subcompact SUV. For the longest while, based on information from unnamed sources, the urban runabout twinned with Europe's Jeep Avenger was expected to be named the Alfa Romeo Brennero, honoring Italy's Brennero Pass (Brenner Pass in English). Then automaker design head Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos said something to Autocar over the summer that led Autocar to write, "that name was ruled out by Mesonero-Romanos." Autocar didn't quote the designer's words used to dismiss the expected name, it only quoted what came next, Mesonero-Romanos saying, "The model name is now decided. it will be Italian and it will be beautiful. But more than that, I cannot say for now." Maybe we’ve known it all along.#AlfaRomeo pic.twitter.com/dE10xGYXwO — Alfa Romeo (@alfa_romeo) December 6, 2023 The decided, Italian, beautiful name is Brennero. That's what we get from an automaker post on X bearing the caption, "Maybe we've known it all along," and a 15-second animation flashing four GPS coordinates. One coordinate picks out Alfa RomeoÂ’s history museum, the Museo Storico, another the Balocco Proving Grounds, another the Stelvio Pass, and finally, the Brennero Pass. This post could be considered Alfa answering its own question from June of this year — a month before Mesonero-Romano's supposed denial — with the caption, "A game-changing #SportyUrbanVehicle is on the horizon. What will be the name of our new Alfa Romeo? Take a guess in the comments below." Speculation has gathered around a few hard points. The Brennero sits on the CMP/e-CMP platform utilized by the Avenger, the Fiat 600, the Peugeot 2008, and the DS 3 Crossback. In electric form, it fits the Avenger's 54-kWh battery and front axle e-motor making the same 154 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque, and will likely get around the same 248 miles on a charge on the WLTP cycle. As the new entry-level offering beneath the Tonale, if the Brennero adopts Avenger dimensions, the Brennero will be about 16 inches shorter than the Tonale, its roof about three inches lower. More speculative speculation supposes there could be a dual-motor all-wheel-drive Brennero evolved from the drivetrain in the Avenger 4x4 Concept.

New Alfa Romeo supercar teaser mentions '6 weeks' and '792 hours'

Alfa Romeo got on Instagram again to tease the coming supercar that will debut on August 30. The image is a bit funky, and so is the caption. The picture shows the steering wheel, shot from underneath. The hub center is the first unusual bit, being a monochrome Alfa Romeo logo. The Italian brand's steering wheels usually feature a full-color logo except in the Quadrifoglio trims that bear a black and silver design. Vintage Alfas like the GT Junior models of the 1960s and 1970s were known for silver logos. They were also known for drilled steering wheel spokes, which might be featured in the teaser as well. No current Alfas we know of use metal-looking steering wheels spokes, and none contain what look like dials set into the bottom spoke. Even the limited-edition Giulia GTAm that started at about $225,000 in Europe took the Giulia's regular wheel and replaced plastic with carbon fiber for the lower spoke. Then there's the caption, "792hours and less than #6weeks left to ignite your spirit with #AlfaRomeo. Witness history unfold on August 30th, as #Courage and passion #Converge to give birth to a visionary #Creation. Save the date!"           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Alfa Romeo (@alfaromeoofficial) That's an oddball number of hours for a countdown timer. The guess is that this is a reference to the horsepower figure engineers coaxed from the twin-turbo 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 poached from the Maserati MC20. In the MC20, the engine produces 621 horsepower. Rumors out of Europe have said the Maserati mill is going to share the Alfa Romeo's engine bay with at least one electric motor and make about 800 horsepower — close enough to 792 not to quibble over. Since that would be a metric horsepower rating, converting PS to U.S. HP gives 781 hp, a tidy 160 horses more than the MC20 and totally achievable with a single flux capacitor. Unless the Italians are taking a MacGuffin from Hitchcock's playbook, six weeks away could foreshadow the 6C name instead of the 33 name that's worked its way into the conversation. The livestreamed debut from the Alfa Romeo museum in Arese, Italy is a month away. Related Video Alfa Romeo Salutes Women Race Car Drivers

Touring Superleggera planning a tribute to one of Alfa Romeo's most beautiful cars

Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera will help Alfa Romeo celebrate its 110th birthday by putting a modern spin on one of its most graceful sports cars. Called Berlinetta Aero, the coupe will break cover in July 2020. The preview image released by Touring Superleggera does a formidable job of hiding the model's overall lines. It shows what's essentially a sculpture that's half shrouded in darkness. However, it's revealing enough to tell stylists traced a parallel between the Berlinetta Aero and the one-off Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Speciale Tipo Le Mans (pictured below) built by Touring to compete in the 1938 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It wore an extra-long hood and a short rear end, defining styling cues that seem to appear on the modern recreation. Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Speciale Tipo Le Mans View 3 Photos As its name indicates, the 8C 2900 was powered by a 2.9-liter straight-eight that sent 220 horsepower to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission. Touring doesn't have a straight-eight to play with in 2020, so it will allegedly power the Berlinetta Touring with the Giulia GTA's twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V6. It develops 540 horsepower when it's bolted in the Alfa's engine bay, though a power hike isn't inconceivable. Touring Superleggera planned to introduce the Berlinetta Aero at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but the 2020 event was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Its unveiling will consequently take place online, according to Italian website Motori. Additional details (like the unveiling date) will be published in the coming weeks. Touring hasn't said anything about pricing or production figures yet, but it's safe to assume the Berlinetta Aero will be expensive and rare. For context, it capped production of the gorgeous, 8C-based Disco Volante it unveiled in 2012 at eight examples, and it built five units of the Ferrari F12-based Berlinetta Lusso shown in 2015.