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Alfa Romeo shows off Giulia and Stelvio GT Junior special editions

Alfa Romeo has announced a pair of new special editions commemorating the 1966 GT 1300 Junior. The Giulia and Stelvio GT Junior series are only available in Europe, and were inspired by the beloved predecessor to the legendary GTV. The Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Junior was part of a larger series of coupes from the 105 and 115 family. Built on a shortened Giulia chassis of the same era, lightweight aluminum-bodied GTAs and GTVs became a force in road racing, as well as GTC cabriolets and versions modified by carrozzerias. Possessing all the style of the Giugiaro-penned top-spec versions but with a less powerful engine and more affordable price tag, the GT 1300 Junior was by far the best seller of the range. It was a bona fide hit, and Alfa Romeo moved over 90,000 units from 1966-76. As the name suggests, the GT 1300 Junior had a 1.3 liter four-banger. Its 89 horsepower was delivered through a five-speed manual to the rear wheels. Weighing only a little over 2,000 pounds, its excellent handling helped make it an iconic model for the Alfa Romeo brand. To evoke the GT 1300 Junior, the Giulia and Stelvio have been dipped in an exclusive gold color called Lipari Ochre, a modern take on one of the GT 1300 Junior's most memorable hues. Both modern Alfas come with five-hole wheels, 19 inches on the Giulia and 21 inches on the Stelvio. There are no performance modifications to either vehicle. The Giulia and Stelvio come with either a 2.2-liter turbodiesel engine making 210 horsepower or a petrol 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder generating 280 horsepower. Both are mated to an eight-speed automatic via a carbon-fiber driveshaft. The Giulia can be optioned with a rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive drivetrain, while the Stelvio comes only in AWD flavor. Alfa Romeo says the GT Junior editions are the third in a trilogy of special editions that began with the 500-unit and wildly be-spoilered Giulia GTAm that debuted in May. That sold out almost immediately, and was followed by 6C Villa d’Este editions of the Giulia and Stelvio paying homage to 1949 6C 2500 SS. The company hasn't said how many units of the GT Junior will be sold, but they won't be coming to the U.S. anyway. Related video:

Alfa Romeo 4C Spider reportedly dead in Europe, only dealer stock remains

It's been hard to get a reliable prognosis concerning Alfa Romeo in general, and especially hard to figure out what's in store for the brand in the United States. Last year the automaker canceled the 4C coupe, last week the brand's future product roadmap appeared to deep-six the anticipated GTV and 8C sports cars in order to focus on more efficient spending in more important segments. In February of this year, Alfa Romeo launched the 4C Spider Italia in a run of just 15 units, the two biggest surprises about that car being the $73,495 price and the fact that it extended the model's run into 2020. We're not yet into 2020, but it looks like the party's over. The French outpost of Motor1 is said to have confirmed with Alfa Romeo that the 4C Spider has ceased production. According to the report, the only 4Cs left across the Atlantic are the ones currently in dealer inventory.  Autoblog asked Alfa Romeo to confirm the news, a spokesman responded by e-mail, "I can't speak for other markets but the US 4C Spider is not cancelled and is still available for order." Introduced in 2015, the 4C Spider still gets on with a turbocharged four-cylinder putting out 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The 4C Spider needs an irrational generosity to love and drive every day, but the last OEM sports car on sale without power steering knows how to thrill when pushed. Our guess is that, overseas, exotic construction and communicative, go-kart handling couldn't make up for a high price relative to the established competition and lack of interior amenities and ultimate refinement. If the European news is true, sales figures lead us to believe it is but a matter of time before the same ax finds its way to the U.S. Alfa Romeo sold 421 4Cs in Europe last year, compared to 238 in the U.S. This year European dealers sold 196 units through the end of September, U.S. dealers moved 127. If we did lose the open-top sports car before 2021, the move would leave the Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV as Alfa Romeo's entire U.S. lineup until more crossover-type vehicles show in 2021. No matter what happens, perhaps by 2021 Alfa Romeo will know precisely where it needs to go and have a clear plan for getting there, and perhaps it will be able to do so with the platform and financial resources within a merged Fiat-Chrysler-PSA Group entity. Even for fun, full-throated products, it's hard to get on in today's market without full-throated focus, support, and marketing.

Alfa Romeo could reportedly bring Sauber F1 tech to its road cars

In the summer of 2018, Alfa Romeo laid out its five-year plan, only weeks before former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) CEO Sergio Marchionne passed away. Alfa ambitiously projected several new vehicles of various shapes, sizes and performance levels but gave only vague details. A new report from Piston Heads adds a layer of color to the timeline, suggesting one or more of these upcoming rides could feature influence from Alfa Romeo's Formula 1 partner Sauber. PistonHeads.com recently had the chance to chop it up with Sauber Team Principal Frederic Vasseur at the F1 pre-season sessions in Barcelona, where Alfa Romeo and Sauber were testing out their just-unveiled 2019 car. According to the brief conversation, Alfa and Sauber have collaborations in the works beyond the paddock. "We are already working on another project together and you will see the result quite soon," Vasseur told PH. "It's a huge opportunity for us, but it will involve only the guys at the factory in Switzerland, as the trackside guys are focussed on the racing." Vasseur later tipped that they might have several projects in development. Without any more details, there's a lot of room for speculation, so let's quickly unpack what Alfa has already admitted to be planning. In addition to two new SUVs that will launch in the upcoming years, the performance-minded Italian brand said it would resurrect two well-known and highly desirable nameplates: 8C and GTV. Both cars will reportedly be hybrids, with the 8C serving as a halo mid-engined supercar, while the GTV will essentially be a Giulia coupe, complete with an eventual Quadrifoglio variant. Considering how great and high-powered the current Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglios already are, it seems unlikely these projects would deal with those current models. It's possible Sauber is helping Alfa Romeo with the GTV, as previous reports suggested the two-door will have F1-derived technology, but it is unclear if the coupe is coming "quite soon." It's also possible that Sauber is collaborating with Alfa on all of its upcoming performance electrification and hybrid technology. For now, it's a guessing game, but if the reports are accurate, we won't have to wait much longer to learn more. News Source: Piston Heads Rumormill Alfa Romeo Crossover Racing Vehicles Performance Sedan F1