Autoblog

James Glickenhaus is best known in these parts as the rich guy who paid Pininfarina a lot of money to create a custom body for his Ferrari Enzo, thus creating the renowned and oft-driven Ferrari P4/5. Apparently Glickenhaus is not strictly a Ferrari fan, as he has now become the first of 100 Americans to receive the keys to a U.S.-spec Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione coupe. Glickenhaus even reportedly paid enough extra for his 8C Competizione to get the Alfa Romeo factory to finish his car in the same shade of red used on his one-of-a-kind P4/5. Shortly after Glickenhaus took the keys and went for a first drive, the same dealership handed over two more 8Cs to slightly lesser mortals.


[Source: VeloceToday via AutoFiends]

Click above for hi-res gallery of the Alfa 8C Spider

It's hard to follow up on such a lust-worthy supercar as the 8C Competizione, but that won't stop Alfa Romeo from trying. With the initial run of 500 coupes already hitting the roads and the U.S. allotment already sold out,Alfa is set to begin delivery of a second batch of roadsters, called the 8C Spider. Demand is high for the limited-production convertible, but those committed to getting their hands on one will have to pay a considerable premium. About 40% more over the six-figure price of the fixed-roof version, to be exact, with the Spider selling for 174,000 in the UK versus the 123,000 charged there for the 8C Competizione. No doubt they'll still sell out in a heartbeat, allowing Alfa to move on to producing the anticipated final iteration of the 8C: the lighter-weight, more powerful GTA, which will undoubtedly command an even higher premium. Beauty, as they say, has its price.

[Source: evo]

Long known amongst car people around southern California for its fine dining, upscale boutiques and most importantly its twice-monthly collector car breakfast cruises, the Enderle Center in Tustin, California decided to do something a little different to celebrate its 30th Anniversary: host a Classic European Concours. For this inaugural event they even flew in Pininfarina designer Maurizio Corbi who answered questions and sketched dream cars for the crowd. When someone groaned after hearing Corbi was partly responsible for the new Ferrari California's form, he quickly pointed out he did the front, which brought relieved laughter. Local collector Dick Marconi brought several cars from his nearby Marconi Automotive Museum, which supports the Marconi Foundation for Kids. Several of Dick's artworks were also displayed in the center's Chemers Gallery, but the cars were really all the art we needed to see.

Classics from the '30s, '40s, '50s, and '60s, along with sportscars from the '70s, '80s, and '90s were arranged by country of origin and parked through the central parking lot alongside a pedestrian-friendly red carpet. Ferraris were featured and there was an incredible assortment on hand, everything from Cher's Daytona Spyder to an extremely rare 195S, one of two in existence. The F50 wasn't too bad either. Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and even Pegaso were also well-represented. It was a great first effort and a fun show, small and manageable with some breathtaking classics, all with great stories behind them.

When our camera started acting up we spotted our pals from Speed and Motion, who graciously agreed to let us use their images for our gallery. Click and enjoy, and be sure to check out the Speed and Motion site for a greater selection of photos and videos from this show, as well as dozens of HD clips from other local events.


Photos copyright ©2008 Speed and Motion

It's that time of year, when various agencies far and wide begin handing out awards for the new crop of cars. The '09 model-year vehicles are all known by now and the press has had plenty of time to size up the competition. Recently, The Detroit Free Press appeared to have let the EuroCOTY cat out of the bag a bit early when it reported that Alfa Romeo had managed to snag the top honors with its new MiTo subcompact. Although we'd be hard-pressed to argue otherwise, it turns out that the rumor isn't true. The real European Car of the Year award will be announced on November 17.

The MiTo did win the Auto Europa award, though, which is granted by the Italian press. Second place went to Alfa's sister company Lancia for its homely-looking Delta and the Ford Fiesta grabbed the bronze. Thankfully, we'll be able to pick up a Fiesta in the U.S. for the 2010 model-year, and after driving one in Europe, we're looking forward to the sub-compact making the trek across the pond.


[Source: The Detroit Free Press via Motor Authority]

Dang. And everything was looking so good for a return of the Alfa Romeo brand to the United States. Too bad, it seems, 'cause the latest reports indicate that the Italian purveyor of stylish automobiles such as the Brera, 159 and the drool-worthy 149 will be pushed back to 2011 at the earliest. Fortunately for the very well heeled, the Alfa 8C Competizione has been made available through an assorted group of Maserati dealerships, though it's already sold out. Such a quick sellout indicates that there are plenty of enthusiasts anxiously awaiting the marque's entrance Stateside, but our current horrible economic climate will likely dictate otherwise.

Alfa's owner, Fiat, is having difficulties of its own as it attempts to stem the tide of falling sales figures along with rest of the industry. Apparently, the only way for Fiat to make money selling cars in America is to build them here. We wish some sort of deal could be made with Cerberus to use up some of the under-utilized factories that Chrysler currently has available. and a deal Something like this could indeed take place, but probably not until the auto market stabilizes and the Detroit 3 figure out their various positions in the new-look landscape. Thanks for the tip, Elias!

[Source: Italispeed]

IndyCar teams and fans have grown accustomed to the proliferation of Italian racing car chassis as Dallara has been supplying them for the past eleven seasons, now all but exclusively. But with Honda's engine supply contract coming to a close, series organizers have been discussing new powertrain options with a number of manufacturers. Among them is Alfa Romeo, the Italian automaker widely anticipated to make a return to the North American market in the near future.

This wouldn't be the first time Alfa Romeo has provided motivation for the largely American racing series, having participated in the late 80's and early 90's with a project adopted from Ferrari. However, despite the company's deep racing heritage, Alfa Romeo does not currently compete in any major form of motorsport since the N.Technology team stopped campaigning race-prepped 156 Super Turismos in the World Touring Car Championship. The responsibility for developing the IndyCar engines – 3.5-liter V8s under the current regulations, tipped to be replaced by turbocharged fours – would presumably fall to Fiat Powertrain Technologies, headed by Paolo Martinelli, formerly head of Scuderia Ferrari's engine program. Nothing's certain, however, since IRL organizers are also rumored to be discussing a renewal with Honda as well as with Audi, Porsche and an undisclosed fifth automaker.

[Source: Italiaspeed]

Alfa's MiTo already has us excited enough, and now along come images of the upcoming 149. Auto Express has put two shots of the pleasingly-styled hatch online. The 149, a replacement for the 147, shares some familial styling cues with the MiTo, which in turn shares some lines with the 8C Competizione. The 149 is an exceedingly handsome three- or five door that would woo us on looks alone. Performance will be there to back up the racy sheetmetal, with gasoline and diesel powerplants, variously turbocharged. At the low end, the 149 packs 120 horsepower, and it can reach as high as 250. The hotrod versions will also get a trick differential, dubbed Q2, which will aid in getting that power to the ground. The car will drop in mid 2009, and is rumored to adhere to US safety regulations, boding well for this sinewy Italian making it across the Atlantic to the North American market. Please. We're begging.

[Source: Auto Express]

Maserati is on a bit of a tear, and if things keep going its way, the Trident will turn that into a full-on ripper. The Gran Turismo S and Quattroporte S have secured the right kind of buzz, a Gran Turismo convertible – said to feature a cloth top, not a folding steel unit – is on the way, and there's always that Gran Turismo MC Corse Concept to hope for. If additional models get to wear the badge, they will come via Alfa. Fiat underlings Maser and Alfa have pledged to share technologies, so if Alfa picks up a RWD platform from someone else, that's an opportunity for Maserati to create a small sedan and coupe to fit underneath the GT and the Quattroporte. What Maserati will definitely not be creating, however, is a wagon: the Kuban GT has been taken off the menu. You'll hear no complaints from us about that, for while there can't be too many Maseratis, there can certainly be the wrong kind of Maserati.


[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

And with these words, the Alfisti shall rejoice: Alfa Romeo is finally back in the United States. While a full scale return by the Italian maker won't happen until 2009 or 2010, you can officially buy the Alfa 8C Competizione starting this month through one of the designated Maserati dealers tabbed to carry this rolling piece of automotive hotness. Check that, you can arrange delivery. Seems all of the 8Cs earmarked for the U.S. are already spoken for. So at least in theory, Alfa has returned. The 8C Spider open air version won't show up until 2010, but we really like the coupe enough not to be too distressed about the wait.

When the full operation ramps up, we are expecting that someone strolling into an Alfa Romeo dealership will be able to purchase not only the 8C Competizione and 8C Spider, but hopefully the hotter 8C GTA, the Brera and 159 or their replacements, the MiTo and 149, and whisperings also suggest a large rear-drive car possibly based on a Jaguar platform, along with a BMW X3 rival. Sounds a bit like Heaven. As always, we'll keep you posted.



[Source: Automotive News, sub. req.]

Standing in front of the Alfa Romeo display in Paris, we found ourselves in a bit of a conundrum. The big news from Alfa was, of course, the official worldwide show debut of the MiTo, and the stand was rife with them. But we've already brought you galleries of photos of the MiTo, and even flew all the way over to Italy to drive it. (For you, of course.) But a European car show wouldn't be a European car show without some shots of an Alfa Romeo. Fortunately the Italians were kind enough to oblige with a new, hotter version of the impossibly gorgeous Brera.

The Brera Ti picks up some of the improvements developed by British rally and racing concern Prodrive (yes, that Prodrive, the ones who field Aston Martin in Le Mans, Subaru in the WRC and brought Honda back into F1). The Ti gets a stiffened suspension, 8C-style 19-inch anthracite alloys and Brembo brakes, pumping up the go to accompany all that show which you can check out in the gallery below.