2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Estrema Awd on 2040-cars

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This modernized Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint looks great, sounds even better

No matter how good something may be, there's always room for improvement. A UK company called Alfaholics builds an overhauled version of the famous Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint that's supposed to be capable enough to hassle a modern Porsche 911 around the Nordschleife. It's difficult to spot any of the upgrades from the outside, but Charles Morgan shows off the updated performance in a new video from Carfection. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint is a memorable sports coupe that was made in the '60s and '70s, and it sports a gorgeous body from the pen of a then-17-year-old Giorgetto Giugiaro. Alfaholics takes this fantastic platform and adds modern suspension components, upgraded brakes, carbon fiber body panels, and a 240-horsepower engine. These tweaks bring the weight down to about 1,830 pounds and allow for a lap around the Nordschliefe in less than 8 minutes at the hands of a skilled driver. As opposed to just going for outright performance, Alfaholics tries to keep its tuned Giulia Sprint somewhat authentic to the original version. As Morgan shows in this video, the result of the company's work is a coupe with superb handling and an intoxicating exhaust note. Related Video:

Marchionne uses racial epithet to describe what must power future Alfa Romeo models

Sergio Marchionne and his Fiat empire have a lot riding on the US return of the Alfa Romeo brand. The endeavor has been in progress for what feels like a lifetime - certainly for as long as Fiat has had the Chrysler brand under its Italian wing.
It's not surprising that Fiat CEO Marchionne needs a perfect first Alfa to mark a return to America. And here's where things get dicey. Nobody would argue with Marchionne's insistence that Alfa Romeo's be powered by Italian engines - as Marchionne himself is quoted to have said at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, "There are some things that are well done in Italy."
If not what he said, then, it's how he said it that has eyebrows raised. "I cannot come up with a schlock product, I just won't. I won't put an American engine into that car. With all due respect to my American friends, it needs to be a wop engine." Wait, what's that?

Alfa Romeo Giulietta facelift to ape Giulia

When a brand launches a big, bad flagship model, it's only natural that it would seek to tweak the styling of its lesser models to more closely resemble the top dog. For Alfa Romeo, that means instilling a bit of Giulia style in the Giulietta hatchback. And that, in turn, means a new, more aggressive fascia. While these shots show the same kind of dopey headlights featured on the current Giulietta, our spies report that they'll be tweaked to reflect the sharper grille and bolder lower bumper. Even if the shape of the headlights is retained, the look inside the housing will likely change. Changes in back are more subtle, although we can expect the taillights and rear bumper to be retouched. Changes should come to the cabin, too, as indicated by the camouflage inside. Again, though, these are likely to be of the mid-cycle refresh variety, so don't European consumers should expect a dramatic transformation over the current car. Check out the full gallery of spy photos at the top of the page, and keep an eye open for the facelifted Giulietta when it debuts next year at Geneva. Related Video: