2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Ti Awd on 2040-cars

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Alfa Romeo turns it up to 11 with Harrison guitars and Marshall amps

To American enthusiasts, nothing might say rock n' roll quite like a classic muscle car. But that doesn't preclude the Europeans from trying. Volkswagen has partnered with Fender for its premium audio systems, and now Alfa Romeo is teaming up with some rocking powerhouses as well. The Italian automaker is collaborating with Harrison Custom Guitar Works to create the limited-edition axe you see here. The electric guitar is designed around Alfa's iconic grille and uses automotive materials like aluminum and carbon fiber as well as traditional guitar woods like poplar, maple, ebony and Korina. The cross-bars, pickups, tail piece and bridge are CNC-machined from aluminum billet. Only 11 examples will be made, each taking eight months to construct, and priced at GBP4,000 (about $6,800 at current exchange rates). At the same time Alfa has also created a one-off MiTo concept car together with Marshall Amplification. The hatchback packs a custom Marshall JVM 50-watt amp and a pair of 12-inch 75-watt speakers, but has also been decked out with gold-mesh trim on the grille, head- and taillight surrounds, side mirrors, door handles and lower bumper – just like a Marshall stack – while the interior has been worked over with Marshall treadplates, white piping and gold trim. The shift knob has even been replaced by a Shure SH55 microphone. Though the collaborations look like something straight out of This Is Spinal Tap (with a touch of The Graduate thrown in for good measure), they'll both be showcased at a special screening in London of another rock documentary: Sound City, directed by Foo Fighters frontman (and former Nirvana drummer) Dave Grohl. You can, however, check them out in the pair of image galleries and the press releases below. CRAFTED FOR PERFORMANCE: HARRISON CUSTOM GUITAR WORKS UNVEILS ULTRA-EXCLUSIVE ALFA ROMEO-INSPIRED GUITAR - Harrison Custom Guitar Works create the 'Alfa Romeo' – an ultra-limited edition Alfa Romeo-inspired guitar - The 'Alfa Romeo' integrates traditional craftsmanship with performance materials such as carbon fibre and aluminium - Hand-built to order for GBP4,000 with each guitar taking eight months to create Harrison Custom Guitar Works based in Yorkshire (UK) has created an ultra-exclusive electric guitar inspired by Alfa Romeo's design and heritage. The 'Alfa Romeo', is a completely custom-made design that draws inspiration from the style, materials and technology of the Italian brand's road cars.

Alpine A110 vs Alfa Romeo 4C Review | Two sports cars enter

YORKSHIRE, U.K. – A proven ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory is all part of Alfa RomeoÂ’s romantic charm. With bodywork like red satin draped over a carbon fiber tub and the promise of a mid-engined, Italian exotic for Cayman money, the 4C was certainly a bold vehicle to relaunch the brand to the American market. Pebble Beach types could appreciate its inspiration in the gorgeous, minimalist Alfa Romeo coupes of the past. Everyone else could kid themselves it was basically a baby Ferrari, never mind the fact it only had 237 horsepower and a four-cylinder engine. At first blush, the 4C was a riot, and remains so in the Spider form itÂ’s still sold in. And it gets the blood pumping in the way a fling with an exotic Italian should, especially compared with the Germanic 50 shades of gray alternatives. I can remember the thrill at driving one back in 2014, its Italian license plates making it feel all the more exotic. It may only have cost $60,000, but it hogged attention like a Ferrari worth four times that. The fun didnÂ’t last. As seductive as the fundamental formula was and still is, time and more measured eyes ultimately found the 4C to be lacking. The ugly, fat-rimmed steering wheel turned out to be a useful visual metaphor for the feel it delivered, simultaneously under-geared and punishingly heavy, especially at low speeds. At higher ones the kickback was violent enough it needed quarter-turn corrections even traveling in a straight line. And the binary power delivery smothered whatever finesse there might have been in the chassis. Its on-limit handling, on track and in the wet, was spooky. Shocked, I called a friend with an old Exige and asked to drive his car along the same route. That I concluded youÂ’d be better off with a 10-year-old Lotus definitely didnÂ’t win me many friends in Milan. Which begs the question: What does the apparently similar Alpine A110 do differently to have earned such overwhelming praise among the same reviewers here in Europe who damned the 4C? Performance stats are comparable, as is the AlpineÂ’s pricing in markets in which it is sold. Both tap into the nostalgia and heritage of their respective brands, not least in the historic long-distance European road rallies both excelled in.

Fiat gets into the classics game with 'Reloaded by Creators' program

Classic vehicles help modern buyers make new connections to a carmaker's modern offerings. That's why in little more than a month we've seen Jaguar announce a continuation run of the D-Type, Porsche get a show at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles, Land Rover plan to restore a Series I, and Jay Leno celebrate the 1942 Dodge Carryall. Fiat Chrysler already has a heritage division, but the vintage department takes a new step into its history with the "Reloaded by Creators" service. Said to be inspired by retail programs at museums, Reloaded by Creators will see FCA Heritage source and buy noteworthy classics from the Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Lancia brands, restore them to original spec, then sell them to collectors. When Roberto Giolito, head of FCA Heritage, broke the news at Retromobile in Paris, he also revealed the first five offerings: three "ultimate classics" in the Alfa Spider IV serie (1991), Lancia Fulvia Coupe Montecarlo (1973), Spidereuropa Pininfarina (1981), and two custom cars in the Alfa Romeo SZ (1989) and Lancia Appia Coupe (1959). The ultimate classics represent the last of their kind to be built, not necessarily according to model year, but with respect to design and engineering - no major model changes followed. The Lancia Fulvia Coupe ceased production in 1976; the limited edition 1973 Montecarlo model celebrated the car's victory in the 1972 Montecarlo Rally and still wears the original license plates. The 1981 Spidereuropa Pininfarina comes from the beginning of the end of production; after building the Fiat 124 Sport Spider for US-only sale from 1975 to 1983, Pininfarina resumed manufacture in Europe in 1982 and bestowed the new name. The Alfa Spider went out of production in 1993, the 1991 Series IV example for sale here has been in FCA's collection since it was built, used for technical testing. As for the custom cars, Lancia built a variant of its third-generation Appia as a coachbuilt chassis. Pininfarina bodied the 1959 model for sale here, and Fiat showed it first in Paris. Fiat used the funky, Zagato-designed, thermoplastic-composite-bodied, 1989 Alfa Romeo SZ for testing at the carmaker's Balocco circuit. Only around 1,000 SZ models emerged from the factory during a two-year production run. Each vehicle will come with a certificate of authenticity and be guaranteed by FCA, plus be featured on the FCA Heritage site.