Alfa Romeo Spider Quadrifoglio ~ As Seen In "wolf Of Wall Street" on 2040-cars

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Alfa Romeo Caimano concept is peak Seventies wedge design

This weekend, the Bremen Classic Motor Show will be opening its doors with a "wedgetastic" theme, highlighted by the Alfa Romeo Caimano concept you see here. Alfa Romeo commissioned Giorgetto Giugiaro and his then-newly established Italdesign firm to cook up the Caimano concept for the 1971 Turin Motor Show. It was based on the Alfasud (also designed by Giugiaro) but shortened the chassis by nearly 8 inches and fitted with entirely different bodywork that made it look like it was from another planet. The canopy greenhouse eliminated the A pillar, with the B and C pillars forming a trapezoidal roll bar at the back, capped by an adjustable spoiler. Inside the cockpit were two recumbent bucket seats, a cylindrical dashboard, and two small openings in the glass canopy for ventilation. Of course it also had pop-up headlights, and it was powered by the 1.2-liter boxer for from the Alfasud, good for all of 68 horsepower. Striking though it may have been at the time, it shouldn't come as a surprise that only one example was ever built, and it remains in the Alfa Romeo museum in Milan. The company is taking it out of the collection, however, and bringing it to Bremen for the show. Alongside it, showgoers can expect to see such other "wedgetastic" creations of yesteryear as the Lancia Stratos, Maserati Khamsin, Lamborghini Countach, Mercedes C111, and the BMW Turbo X1 (which previewed the M1 to follow). Little surprise that most of these wedge designs were penned by either Giugiaro or by Marcello Gandini for Bertone. Along with Lionardo Fioravanti (of Pininfarina fame), they were each born in Italy in 1938 within months of each other, and went on to dominate Italian automotive design over the course of their careers. Related Video: Alfa Romeo at the Bremen Classic Motor Show - The iconic Caimano concept car will be featured in a special exhibition dedicated this year to the revolutionary designs of the 1970s. - The "wedge on wheels" thought up by Italdesign is based on the chassis of the Alfasud, another of Giugiaro's creations, and is a fine example of the extreme design of its time. - The only example of the model belongs to the Alfa Romeo Museum. - The Motor Show will take place from February 5 to 7 in Bremen and will open the classic car season. It will bring together some 650 exhibitors in eight halls covering an area of over 45,000 square metres.

Alfa Romeo realigns product onslaught (again)

After Sergio Marchionne announced an ambitious plan in May of 2014, Alfa Romeo has continued to struggle, pushing back launch dates and the debut of the models that would serve as the brand's new bedrock. And now it's happening again. A new investor relations document reveals that Alfa won't complete the debut of its new lineup until the middle of the next decade, and that FCA will be scaling back the brand's research and development, manufacturing, and product investments through 2018. The move is partially down to "uncertainties" in China, which gels with what we reported back in December. Alfa also needs extra time to "guarantee proper global distribution network execution," the document claims. As we've reported, the revised product cadence will still see the Giulia (pictured) and a new midsize utility vehicle hit dealers in 2016 and late 2016/early 2017, respectively. From there, Alfa is still aiming to flesh out its lineup with six more vehicles, including a fullsize sedan, two more utility vehicles, two "specialty" vehicles, and a hatchback. This new product strategy differs from the original Marchionne strategy in a few key ways. First, all of these vehicles were supposed to have been launched between May 2014 and sometime in 2018. Since it's 2016 and we can't even buy a Giulia yet, it's pretty clear that plan isn't going to happen. Instead, the six vehicles that will follow the Giulia and midsize CUV won't start arriving until 2017, with debuts continuing until at least 2020. The new product strategy also better reflects today's market. Gone are the two compact cars, and in their place is a single hatchback, arriving at the tail end of the brand's new product offensive. That might explain why the MiTo was given a stay of execution. It's no surprise to see a second utility vehicle in Alfa's plan, considering the way the segment has exploded in the past few years, while enthusiasts will likely welcome the idea of a second "specialty" vehicle. The brand's second midsize sedan has been pushed out, though, so the only Alfa four-door following the Giulia will be a fullsizer. As for Maserati, the investor relations PDF didn't list nearly as many specifics. As we've reported, FCA still expects the Levante CUV to be a growth leader for the brand by 2018. The performance brand's fortunes will also be bolstered by pairing its dealerships with those of Alfa Romeo. Related Video:

This Alfa Romeo Spider is a four-wheeled fountain of youth

For some, the only real way to experience a direct connection with nature while driving is to be piloting a convertible. Keith Helmetag is one such individual. His 1969 Alfa Romeo Spider fulfills his desire to commune with the outdoors on the road, while simultaneously reminding Helmetag of his youth. The Spider's flowing lines especially appealed to Helmetag's eye as a designer. He loved the nose's pointed shape and the boat-tail rear's downward arch to the narrow taillights. To make it his own, he removed the badges and added plastic headlight covers to bring the Alfa's look closer to the original clay model it was styled after. Helmetag's design tweaks pair with a few engine modifications to create a roadster that perfectly fits its owner's relaxed style. Check out this Alfa as Petrolicious takes a drive along tree-lined roads, which are great surroundings to match the Spider's green paint. Related Video: