A Black Alfa Romeo 4C on a Track with Dramatic Background Music May Frighten You…

It’s no secret that no matter how much an automotive designer wants to take credit for his or her creation, there’s only so much that can be called genuine creativity. Most of the better shapes we see are inspired by nature, usually by muscular predatory animals, which have clearly defined flanks, perfectly resembling the shape of a feline crouched down, ready to pounce – somewhat of a cliché in the industry.

The idea is: the more extreme the flanks, the more coke bottle-like it all gets, and the more we begin to hear names, most of which are Italian (and one Japanese).

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Poll: Which One Would You Go For, the Porsche Cayman or Alfa Romeo 4C?

We have been blessed in recent years with lots of excellent sports cars, from a variety of manufacturers approaching the problem from their own unique perspective.

One carmaker that had been inactive in this particular sporty market sector for a while is Alfa Romeo that has returned it pretty 4C. It promises to be a very enjoyable driving package, with ultra-low weight and punchy turbocharged engine – sure, it won’t please the ear as much as some of the six-cylinder cars, but it is as fast if not quicker than some very unlikely competitors, like Porsche’s reportedly brilliant-to-drive new Cayman.

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Alfa Romeo MiTo Gets 2-Cylinder 105 HP TwinAir Engine, Interior and Exterior Updates for 2014MY

Alfa Romeo has discreetly unveiled the MiTo Model Year 2014, which is now available with the new 0.9-liter Turbo TwinAir engine developing 105 horsepower and with the 1.4 LPG Turbo engine developing 120 horsepower.

The TwinAir unit delivers 105 HP at 5,500 rpm and a peak torque of 145 Nm (107 lb-ft) at 2,000 rpm. Combined with a six-speed manual transmission, the engine averages 4.2 liters/100 km (56 mpg) on the combined cycle and emits 99 g/km of CO2. When equipped with this engine, the MiTo reaches a top speed of 184 km/h (114 mph) and sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 11.4 seconds.

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Pogea Racing Offers the Alfa Romeo 4C Its First Tune, Promises to Boost Power to 415HP

The Alfa Romeo 4C has yet to arrive in dealerships, but Pogea Racing has already presented the first tune for the mid-engined Italian sports car. The tuning program of the Friedrichshafen-based German company has as highlights an engine upgrade that lifts output to 415 horsepower, an aerodynamic kit that reduces lift and massive 19- and 20-inch wheels.

Pogea also throws in sporty suspension components and interior accessories made of materials such as leather, aluminum and carbon fiber. The aero kit gives the Alfa 4C a more striking appearance thanks to the carbon fiber body parts for the front, side and rear. These elements also help reduce the lift forces, thus increasing high-speed driving stability.

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Man Waits for Bus, Gets a Ride in Alfa Romeo 4C from Racing Driver Marc Gené

What would you say if you were waiting for a bus you and all of a sudded got a ride in a brand new Alfa Romeo 4C, with none other than endurance racing driver Marc Gené behind the wheel? It’s a rhetorical question, so don’t bother answering because we know you’d say yes.

That’s exactly what happened to a lucky Madrilenian who jumped right in when Marc Gené pulled over and asked him if he wanted a ride in the 4C. However, the surprise didn't end there. After rolling on the streets of Spain’s capital, Marc Gené asked his passenger if he really wanted to do something that he’d never forget.

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Watch How the Alfa Romeo 4C is Born and Built at Maserati’s Modena Plant

Following yesterday’s details about the manufacturing process of the Alfa Romeo 4C sportscar, the Italian brand released a video that shows how the vehicle is actually built, and it's a pretty interesting process to watch.

Starting with the construction of the carbon fiber monocoque chassis, the video shows all the complicated and time-consuming production steps where manual labor takes the center role. Alfa Romeo says the minimum “takt time” (the manufacturing speed needed to guarantee delivery) is 20 minutes. For comparison, the shortest "takt time" in mass production plants is approximately 50 seconds.

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Alfa Romeo 4C Reveals Manufacturing Secrets, Weighs Just 895 Kg (1,973 Lbs)

The all-new and highly anticipated Alfa Romeo 4C signals the Italian brand’s rejuvenation and its return to the United States this autumn after a hiatus that lasted close to two decades. Alfa’s new small sports car will be built at Maserati’s plant in Modena, just like the 8C Competizione supercar before it.

Designed from the beginning to have a supercar-rivaling weight/power ratio of less than 4 kg/hp, the Alfa Romeo 4C has a total dry weight of just 895 kg (1,973 lbs), which makes it lighter than a city car and one of the lightest production cars in the world. To achieve these figure, engineers used aluminum, steel, lightened SMC (Sheet Moulding Compound) and carbon fiber.

Alfa Romeo says the secret of the 4C’s lightness and dynamic behavior lays in the use of 10 percent carbon fibre, which represents 25 percent of the 4C overall volume.

Carbon fiber was chosen for the structural function monocoque that makes up the central, load-bearing cell of the chassis, as the material offers the best weight/stiffness efficiency. The monocoque weighs just 65 kg (143 lbs).

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Alfa Romeo Adds Some Color to the Giulietta and Calls it Collezione Edition

Not having much else to do these days, Alfa Romeo's design and marketing staff came together and created a new special series of the Giulietta compact hatch for the UK market. It is named the Collezione, which is Italian for Collection, and it brings some color along with additional styling and equipment features to the Giulietta range. Read more »

Sergio Marchionne Apologizes for Racial Slur against Italian Americans

The Italian American One Voice Coalition, which is the largest Italian American anti-bias organization in the U.S., announced it has received a formal written apology from Chrysler/Fiat CEO, Sergio Marchionne, for his use of a pejorative term, offensive to Italian Americans, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

You probably remember that, at a press conference at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, Marchionne commented on the long-delayed introduction of the new generation Alfa Romeos to the U.S. saying: “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. There are some things that are well-done in Italy."

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Recall for Alfa 8C, Maserati Quattroporte and GranTurismo, and Subaru Outback and Legacy

The beginning of the week brings two separate and unrelated recall actions, the first from Alfa Romeo and Maserati, and the second from Subaru.

Maserati's North American division issued the recall for certain model year 2005-2008 Quattroporte, 2008 Granturismo, and 2008 Alfa Romeo 8C vehicles, because rear tie rod assemblies on these cars may have insufficient anti-corrosion material applied and could rust and weaken, leading to a possible fail.

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Alfa Romeo Launches Fast & Furious 6 Limited Edition Giulietta in the UK, Only 6 Units Available

To mark Giulietta’s presence in the latest release of the action franchise Fast & Furious 6, Alfa Romeo has released an exclusive "Fast & Furious 6 Limited Edition" Giulietta of which only 6 units will be made.

The limited production Giuliettas are powered by a 1.4-liter MultiAir engine developing 170 horsepower and feature signed dashboards by the movie cast members. All six models are also equipped with a Fast & Furious numbered plaque, corresponding to each film in the franchise, while owners will have the opportunity to attend a stunt day with a stunt coordinator from the movie industry.

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New Alfa Spider and Mazda MX-5 will Reportedly Get Different Engines

The marriage of Japanese technology and Italian design is a very fortunate one; the collaboration between Alfa Romeo and Mazda, for the creation of the new Spider and MX-5 is even more so. However, while we do expect the two cars to be quite competent, we’re curious to see how the manufacturers choose to differentiate them.

Now, while the styling will be predictably different, the cars will share the same platform and many mechanical bits. One thing they won’t share are reportedly the engines, which will be manufacturer-specific for each of the two offerings.

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Alfa Romeo Promotes Giulietta's Fast&Furious 6 Movie Gig with Ads [w/Video]

Alfa Romeo wants the world to know that one of its cars, the Giulietta compact hatchback, has a role in the sixth installment of the high-speed "Fast & Furious" franchise, which will have its world premiere this week on May 7 in London, before its public release on May 17 in the UK, and from May 24, in the rest of the world.

The Giulietta makes a special appearance in the movie when it disembarks from a gigantic Antonov plane during take-off, and then the driver tries to interfere with the cargo aircraft's take-off run.

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Alfa Romeo Reportedly Planning Late 2015 Launch for Jeep-Based SUV

Welcome to another story on an upcoming Alfa Romeo model. Nothing is ever certain, company insiders are quoted, and dates are given for the release of new models, some more implausible than the other. This time we talk about the Alfa Romeo-badged SUV, which, according to new information, is set to make its debut by the end of 2015. Read more »

Alfa Romeo Stradale Design Concept Imagined as an 8C Competizione Replacement

Few, if any, Alfa Romeo models of recent times, have rekindled a passion for the Italian brand as much as the 8C Competizione, which was produced in coupe form from 2007 to 2009 and as a roadster from 2008 to 2010 in just 500 examples each.

Even though the 8C Competizione was built on Maserati gear (platform and engine) and assembled at the Maserati factory in Modena, Italy, its unique and exotic looks were enough to get the hearts of Alfa Romeo fans in racing mode. That said, attempting to design a successor isn't the easiest task for any designer, professional or not, but it's one that Aurelio Argentieri is willing to take on.

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Alfa Romeo Could Bring Next-Gen MiTo to the U.S., Crossover Version Planned

After a long wait, Alfa Romeo vehicles will be again available for U.S. buyers later this year with the launch of the 4C sports car. However, the Fiat-owned carmaker plans to bring more models to the United States, with the next-generation MiTo sub-compact hatch being a very strong candidate. Read more »

iDrive: Alfa Romeo Brera is Bold, Good Looking and Almost There

There are two basic categories of car buyers: the ones who view an automobile as a means of transportation and the enthusiasts. The first group walks into a purchase with their head firmly on their shoulders, considering things such as finance, depreciation and such before signing on the dotted line, while the latter let their heart rule their head.

Motoring journalists are, mostly, petrolheads and the crew here at CarScoops is no exception, thus we decided to seek cars that stir the emotions. The Italians undoubtedly do have a long tradition in this particular field; so, with Alfa Romeo getting ready for its big comeback, picking its last mass-production coupe, the Brera, was a natural choice.

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Report: Maserati May Make its Own Alfa 4C-Based Sports Car

The Alfa Romeo 4C is a very appealing car, for any type of motorist, with its unique styling, strong and efficient engine and of course the badge (and grille, in this case). It is so appealing, in fact, that UK magazine Autoexpress is saying Maserati is currently looking at the car, and they may make their own version of it, in order to help them reach their target of selling 50,000 cars per year by 2015. Read more »

This is How Alfa Romeo Plans to Triple its Sales in the Next Three Years

If Alfa Romeo keeps procrastinating and delaying the launch of their revised range of cars, we will be forced to start writing jokes and make fun of them for not being able to start the "brand revival", until our pointy pleasantries get the job done and force them to launch the models, out of sheer shame.

So what is the latest piece of news from Alfa Romeo? Well, it’s what we've been getting for the last two years: more future plans, of the very detailed kind.

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Fresh Rumors Emerge About Alfa Romeo Sale, Audi Tipped as a Buyer…Again

Audi is reportedly negotiating with Fiat for the acquisition of Alfa Romeo, sources close to both Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne and Audi CEO Rupert Stadler told Wards Auto. It’s a not new story, but it's also one that refuses to die…

The two executives are in talks over a major deal, the sources say, with the main topic being the sale of the Alfa Romeo brand, but also of Fiat’s Pomigliano d’Arco assembly plant, which currently builds the Fiat Panda supermini. Audi’s plan is to use the plant to make Alfa Romeos under its leadership, as the facility was built in the late 1960s specifically for Alfa Romeo production.

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