Tag Archives for AlfaRomeo
Australian police hope to attract stares with Alfa MiTo cruiser
Filed under: Hatchback, Alfa Romeo, Police/Emergency, Australia
If your aim in choosing a new car is to get noticed, there’s no shortage of attention-grabbing wheels to pick from, but few cars get noticed as quickly as a police cruiser. Sure, the flashing lights and blaring sirens might help, but not as much as the looming threat of being ticketed. Still, Australia’s New South Wales police department seems to think it needs some help getting noticed.
That’s precisely why Sydney-area law enforcement has taken delivery of an Alfa Romeo MiTo. Noticeably bereft of emergency lighting, the MiTo will be used for community outreach and safety awareness programs. Whether the wee Alfa will prove more effective in its assignment than a Hummer H3 or Holden Commodore remains to be seen, but it might help the authorities catch up with the next F1 champion who tries spinning donuts on city streets.
Gallery: Australian Police Alfa Romeo MiTo
[Source: Car Advice via eurocarblog]
Australian police hope to attract stares with Alfa MiTo cruiser originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 05 Jun 2010 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Alfa MiTo Kit-One from Magneti Marelli Elaborazione isn’t the GTA
Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Europe, Hatchback, Alfa Romeo
Upon reading his own obituary, Mark Twain once famously quipped, “The report of my death was an exaggeration.” Turns out, with apologies to the famous poet, that the same could be said of the Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA. The project may or may not be dead, but what we can tell you for certain is the spy shots that surfaced a couple of weeks ago were not of the GTA.
What we were actually looking at is a tuning kit by Magneti Marelli. Those who recognize the name may know it as Fiat‘s electronics division and a major OEM supplier, which produces everything from ECUs to headlights. It worked with Ford and Microsoft on the development of the Sync and Blue&Me in-car computer systems, and developed the Kinetic Energy Recovery System for Ferrari. In fact, the company’s scope reaches so far that they claim their parts are in just about every new car on the road today, wherever it’s made. Now the company is launching its own tuning division called Magneti Marelli Elaborazioni. The MiTo spied – as astute commenter “adpb” pointed out – was actually their first product, called the Kit-One.
The modification package is comprised of stiffer springs than lower the car by 30 millimeters, the “Parco Chiuso” dual-exit exhaust system with bypass valve, 305mm Brembo disc brakes, a competition ECU good for an extra 31 horsepower, 18-inch matte black wheels and a rather divisive body kit made by Carrozzeria Castagna Milano (who you might remember for their Aznom Corvette and various Fiat 500s) of which only 200 sets will be made. Each item can be ordered separately, and the division has also got packages in the works for the Fiat 500 and Grande Punto. And with their new facility going up in Auburn Hills, Michigan, we wouldn’t be entirely surprised to see them modifying Chryslers, Dodges and Jeeps in the near future. In the meantime you can check out the MiTo with the Kit-One in the gallery below.
[Source: Magnetti Marelli Elaborazioni]
Alfa MiTo Kit-One from Magneti Marelli Elaborazione isn’t the GTA originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 May 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Spy Shots: Alfa Romeo testing GTA versions of 8C, MiTo for centenary launch
Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Hatchback, Alfa Romeo
You didn’t think Alfa Romeo was done celebrating its centenary already, did you? The 100-year-old Italian automaker kicked off the festivities by launching the new Giulietta hatchback, then teamed up with three of Italy’s hottest coachbuilders – Bertone, Pininfarina and Zagato – for a trio of mouthwatering concepts. But the party’s just started, people.
Next up, if these spy shots and emerging reports are anything to go by, is the return of the GTA. Shorthand for Gran Turismo Allegerito (that’s lightweight GT to us yanks), the nameplate has adorned some of the fastest Alfas to date, and is about to return on two highly anticipated sports models.
The most enticing is surely the 8C GTA: Based on the sumptuous 8C Competizione, the GTA version is tipped to gain a 50-horsepower boost from its 4.7-liter V8 to bring output up to 500, unburdened by 150 kilograms (330 pounds) of excess weight trimmed by the use of carbon fiber. Reported improvements to the six-speed sequential transmission and suspension upgrades surely won’t hurt, either, with an expected 100-example production run. The 8C GTA was rumored way back in 2008, but was recently spied undergoing testing in its native Italy.
Joining its big brother, the baby MiTo GTA was previewed in concept form at the Geneva Motor Show in 2009, but was subsequently put on the back burner. Which was a real shame, considering its 240-horse turbo four and sport-tuned chassis. But if the latest spy shots are any indication, it looks like the program has been put into high gear. 2010 is quickly shaping up to be one of the most exciting years in Alfa’s history, and if its return to North American shores comes to fruition as planned, we just might have reason to celebrate, too.
[Source: Unica-Strada]
Spy Shots: Alfa Romeo testing GTA versions of 8C, MiTo for centenary launch originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 May 2010 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Alfa Giulietta sets the pace at Monza as Superbike safety car
Filed under: Europe, Hatchback, Alfa Romeo, Specialty
As one of the most historic racing tracks in Italy, if not the world, Monza is inextricably intertwined with Alfa Romeo. Now those ties have been reinforced with the introduction at the circuit of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta as the safety car for the Superbike World Championship, which held its fifth round at Monza this past weekend.
The Giulietta takes over pacing duties for SBK (as the series is known in shorthand) from the MiTo, which itself had assumed the mantle from the 159. The Quadrifoglio Verde version, with its 235-horsepower, 1.7-liter turbo four, will continue its role for the eight rounds remaining in the series this season. If your Italian is up to snuff, you can read more about it in the native-tongue press release after the jump. And if not, well, we’ve gone ahead and translated it (thanks, Google!) for you, too.
Gallery: Alfa Romeo Giulietta
[Source: Alfa Romeo]
Continue reading Alfa Giulietta sets the pace at Monza as Superbike safety car
Alfa Giulietta sets the pace at Monza as Superbike safety car originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 May 2010 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Fiat unveils five-year product plan, we dissect in detail
Filed under: Performance, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, Dodge, Maserati, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Luxury, Lancia
It would seem that Fiat head Sergio Marchionne is nothing if not ambitious. Following the seven-hour-long marathon presentation of Chrysler’s latest business plan back in November of 2009, the giant Italian automaking alliance has just released its own five-year business plan, which includes Fiat, Maserati and Ferrari in addition to announcing the long-awaited return of the Alfa Romeo brand to the United States as a full-range automaker.
We’ll start with Ferrari… for obvious reasons. Kicking off a series of six new models will be a replacement for the four-seat 612 Scaglietti, which is destined to add a hybrid powertrain to its impressive V12 engine. Next up is a convertible version of the new 458 Italia sometime next year, and later another 458-based model that will be much more track focused, like the 430 Scuderia.
Staying with the Prancing Horse lineup, we should see a new range-topping Ferrari to take the mantle from the discontinued Enzo hypercar, very likely to see an engine utilizing forced induction along with a lightweight platform. The 599 GTB will get a replacement as well, and the recently released California will see itself updated and granted an M designation.
Like what you’re hearing so far? There’s plenty more where that came from, make the jump for the rest of the goods.
Gallery: Fiat Five-Year Business Plan 2010
Continue reading Fiat unveils five-year product plan, we dissect in detail
Fiat unveils five-year product plan, we dissect in detail originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
