1979 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce Convertible 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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On International Women's Day, Alfa Romeo salutes its legendary female race drivers

Alfa Romeo is celebrating International Women's Day by highlighting some of the women who have raced its cars over the past century. They collectively achieved a long list of impressive achievements on and off the track in the face of adversity. One of the earliest-known women that raced an Alfa Romeo professionally is Maria Antonietta d’Avanzo, an Italian baroness who started competing shortly after World War I. Her career spanned several decades, during which she competed against numerous pilots, including an ambitious young man named Enzo Ferrari who would have a profoundly important effect on Alfa Romeo's image and success on the track. He was a mediocre racer, by most accounts, but he proved to be a brilliant manager and was soon put in charge of the carmaker's racing efforts. Ferrari sold Anna Maria Peduzzi one of her first race cars: an Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Super Sport. Racing either alone or with her husband, she took first in the 1500 category of the 1934 edition of the Mille Miglia. Helle Nice and Odette Siko also raced Alfa Romeo cars during the 1930s; the latter finished fourth overall and first in the 2.0-liter category in a privately-entered 6C 1750 Super Sport. Alfa Romeo's official entry, an 8C 2300, took second overall. Belgian-born Christine Beckers and Dutch racer Liane Engeman both competed in the GTA — one of the company's most successful race cars — during the 1960s. Alfa Romeo later hired Engeman as a model. Maria Grazia Lombardi (also known as Lella) raced a GTV6, but she's better known as the only woman to have scored points in Formula One. She competed from 1974 to 1976 and scored half a point in 1975. She also raced in four editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished 20th overall and second in her class in a Lancia Stratos. Colombian pilot Tatiana Calderon joined the Sauber Formula One team as a development driver in 2017 after a successful career racing karts. In 2018, she became a test driver for Alfa Romeo's Formula One team. She doesn't line up on the starting grid (at least not yet) but she plays a big part in creating the company's top-level race cars. Unlike many of her predecessors who raced as privateers or for small teams, she's officially affiliated with the company. Race teams (and car manufacturers in general) began welcoming more women into their ranks in the 1990s. Sibling company Maserati also shed light on some of the women who have played an important role in its racing history.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV to lead Italians' EV charge in 2026

Stepping up its commitment toward electric mobility, Alfa Romeo’s chief executive CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato says that the second-generation Stelvio SUV will arrive with electric power in 2026 to replace the current model, and be followed a year later with a large EV sedan. As reported by BritainÂ’s Autocar, the Mk2 StelvioÂ’s design wonÂ’t change much, but the underpinnings will adopt the so-called STLA platform, which is part of Alfa ownerÂ’s StellantisÂ’ range announced a couple of years ago. For the 2024 model year, both the Guilia sedan and the Stelvio will continue with gas power before the switch to electric, and will receive one final refresh before then, said senior VP Larry Dominique. The Italians have also added what Dominique called “buzz models”: the Estrema and the Lusso and Competizione editions. On the subject of extended range for the EVs, Imparato mentioned that the Guilia successor would likely offer up to 435 miles on one charge. Given that the upcoming saloon and SUV will share a platform with the Giulia, they will most likely share its fundamental drivetrain offering too. Alfa has also suggested that the 500-plus horsepower Quadrofoglio will eventually evolve into an electric variant of the Guilia, pumping out a possible overachieving 1,000 horsepower. A new plug-in hybrid SUV called Tonale, a bit smaller than the Stelvio, is due shortly at dealers in the U.S. Related video:

Dodge Charger to slim down and run turbo four in next generation

The current Dodge Charger is getting long in the tooth. It was originally introduced in 2005 as a 2006 model. In car terms, that's an eternity, though it's been refreshed twice. Still, FCA US will keep the LX-generation car going, reportedly facelifting it one last time for 2019. After that, there are some bigger changes in store . Automotive News is reporting that the follower to the current LX Charger will lose almost 500 pounds and will once again offer a turbo four-cylinder. You might remember the front-wheel-drive four-banger Charger of the early '80s. The recharged sedan will be twin-turbo and it's going to use the 300-horsepower four-cylinder engine currently under development for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler, AN says. The target weight for the future car is around 3,500 lbs, while the current car has a curb weight of nearly 4,000 lbs. Look for it to arrive in the early 2020s. The new platform will have a touch of Italian flair instead of the Daimler-Benz flavor embedded deep inside the LX cars. It will be built on an extended version of the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia's "Giorgio" platform, according to AN. Dealers were already shown a styling-buck almost a year ago. Related News: Featured Gallery 2015 Dodge Charger R/T View 42 Photos News Source: Automotive NewsImage Credit: AOL Alfa Romeo Dodge Future Vehicles Sedan FCA