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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.

Ram, Jeep redesigns on hold, Alfa Romeo models may come sooner

Last summer, FCA outlined an ambitious five-year plan that sketched out the company's product intentions for each of its brands through the end of 2018. However, even the best strategies sometimes need tweaking. According to Reuters after speaking with unnamed people at auto suppliers, FCA is now possibly delaying at least a dozen projects in North America for a variety of reasons. From vehicle to vehicle, these postponements allegedly last anywhere from just a few months to over a year. The sources from the suppliers claim that in some cases these tweaks are for engineering and design changes. The next-gen Ram 1500 reportedly has among the shorter delays and is being pushed from mid-2017 to November 2017, according to Reuters. Also, the much-discussed future Jeep Wrangler is allegedly moving a little later to July 2017. Among the vehicles purportedly seeing longer delays, the next-gen Grand Cherokee could get pushed back about a year to 2018. That then forces the launch of the three-row, luxury Grand Wagoneer to be even further away. Jeep's upcoming C-segment CUV and the all-new Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Challenger might also see postponements. The one brand allegedly seeing an accelerated plan is Alfa Romeo. Without going into detail, the sources from these suppliers claim that the Italian automaker is getting even more vehicles for its lineup and could get them even faster than planned. "Those plans need to be flexible and fluid, with the potential to add some vehicles, pull some forward and extend the life cycle of others," FCA said to Reuters about all of these allegations. "We look at these programs on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis." Investment in the auto industry has been a major topic for FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne as of late. He believes consolidation is necessary so that companies aren't burning money on the same projects. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Sergio Marchionne FCA fca us

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti

It is the cover car of the moment for enthusiast publications across the country. And the introduction of the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio deserves the notice. With it Fiat Chrysler Automobiles marks the real return of Alfa Romeo sales and service to the North American market. Alfa's two-seater – the 4C – preceded it, but the target market for those coupes and roadsters could be fitted into a commuter jet. The new Giulia is aimed at the midsize sport sedan audience currently occupied by the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Audi A4. The sales potential is huge and historically underserved by Italian brands. While the Giulia Quadrifoglio, with its 505 horsepower and track-ready suspension gets the ink, we think it's the more pedestrian Giulia sedan that's deserving your attention. And by pedestrian we don't mean prosaic; the Giulia is an exciting sedan built atop a competent platform and propelled by a responsive turbocharged drivetrain. With a base price in real-wheel-drive form (all-wheel drive is optional) of under $40,000, the Giulia is accessible in a way the $72,000 Quadrifoglio is not. On Alfa's Build Your Own site we studied the options, selecting an upgrade with Alfa's Giulia Ti. It constitutes a $2,000-bump over the Giulia's $38,000 base, and gives you 18-inch alloy wheels (vs. the 17-inchers on the standard Giulia). The Ti also provides dark gray oak interior accents and the availability of both Sport and Lusso (luxury) appearance packages. Other adds included the Vesuvio Gray exterior ($600), additional leather interior trim ($995), the Ti Performance package ($1,200) and the Ti 18-inch Sport Package ($1,750). The Sport package adds more aggressive alloy wheels, paddle shifters, and aluminum pedals, while Performance supplied the active suspension and limited slip differential. The end result is a net price of $45,535 including applied offers. We think we'd lease it. In talking with an Alfa dealer in suburban Washington, an advertised lease special on a $44,000-Giulia resulted in 39 payments at just over $500 per month, with roughly $7,500 out of pocket and a residual value of $21,239. At the end of that 39 months you have the option of returning the car to FCA or buying it for the residual. We think the Giulia, with an MSRP of between $40,000 and $50,000, is a screaming deal. And to buy your own 'used' car at the end of three years for $21,000? That's a crazy good deal. Related Video: