Owned by Andrea Zagato, whose grandfather Ugo Zagato started the iconic design firm some 95 years ago.
Turn on CC captions for English subtitles.
– See more at: CARBUZZ
All posts by dvaroc
Alfa Romeo 4C and Marc Gené on the racetrack
Video Link: Driving a classic 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ
Driving a classic 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ
Paul Hudson puts a 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ through its paces at the famous Balocco test track.
It’s 50 years since Alfa Romeos Autodelta motorsport division was created; to celebrate, motoring correspondent Paul Hudson visited the brands Balocco test track in northern Italy to experience some of the incredible cars it created. Here, he gets behind the wheel of a 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ – the first car to be produced by Autodelta and won its class at Le Mans. With its distinctive bonnet vents and flush headlights, this little sports car looks like a smaller Ferrari 250 GTO, and it has the soundtrack and handling to match.
via Video: Driving a classic 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ – Telegraph.
Alfa 4C at the Balocco Test Track
Alfa 4C Assembly video
Watch the 4C being built:
Alfa Romeo ready for rebirth with ‘top secret’ sports car, says Fiat CEO | Digital Trends
Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne seems confident that the carmaker is all set to relaunch the historic performance marquee, Alfa Romeo.
Revealing very little details, Marchionne told journalists that the company’s product plans are “top secret.” But the Fiat CEO seemed assured that the automaker is well prepared to kick off a new era for the brand with a slate of new models.
Fiat “has everything we need” to relaunch Alfa Romeo, said Marchionne, according to a report by Automotive News following a Saturday Fiat update event.
The launch of new Alfa Romeo vehicles is being touted as a key part of the company’s strategy to increase overall sales with more premium models, notes the industry news source.
Slated to go on sale in Europe and the US later this year, the Alfa Romeo 4C sports car is expected to be the first in a number of new vehicles in the works.
The overall plan includes revamping Alfa Romeo’s two existing compact cars and adding seven new models to the line-up by 2016, reports Automotive News.
A key component of the strategy includes leveraging Alfa Romeo’s 103-year-old history as a performance brand to lure in new buyers.
After nearly a 20-year hiatus in the U.S., Alfa Romeo’s return to the states is considered pivotal to the longterm success of the brand.
The Italian carmaker has already proven that it’s capable of successfully pulling off a revival with the relaunch of the Fiat brand in the US after being absent 28 years. Though a far easier buy-in for consumers due to the price point, Fiat has gone from being the brunt of jokes in years past to a trendy fashion statement with the introduction of the new 500 compact. Even in tough-to-crack markets such as Los Angeles, the Fiat 500 has garnered a lot of appeal among consumers.
However, getting Americans to buy into a more expensive Alfa Romeo could prove to be far more challenging. Then again. maybe not.
via Alfa Romeo ready for rebirth with ‘top secret’ sports car, says Fiat CEO | Digital Trends.
Alfa Romeo 4C Reveals Manufacturing Secrets, Weighs Just 895 Kg (1,973 Lbs) – Carscoops
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).
Alfa Romeo has managed to transfer carbon fiber “pre-preg” technology inspired by the Formula 1 to standard manufacturing, with the carmaker saying it is the only brand capable to assure a production of over 1,000 pieces per year.
Aluminum is used for structural parts such as the roof reinforcement cage and the front and rear frameworks. The metal is also used in the hybrid-type front brake discs with aluminium bell and cast iron ring gear, reducing the weight of each disc by up to 2 kg (4.4 lbs).
For the body, Alfa Romeo is using SMC (Sheet Moulding Compound), a low-density and high resistance composite material, which has allowed a 20 percent weight reduction of the body in comparison with the traditional sheet steel.
The bumpers and wings are made of PUR-RIM (injected polyurethane), a material that’s 20 percent lighter than steel and is suitable for creating very complex design elements, such as the 4C wing. Even the car’s windows are made of glass that is 10 percent thinner than the one normally fitted on cars.
Alfa says each 4C is road-tested for 40 km (25 mi) by an experienced test-driver, a practice commonly used for expensive supercars. A maximum of 3,500 cars a year will be built, 1,000 of which are destined for European markets.
European deliveries of the Alfa Romeo 4C will begin in the second half of September 2013, with the U.S. version to be released in November 2013 in Los Angeles. First U.S. deliveries are scheduled for the end of the year. Pricing will be announced closer to launch.
By Dan Mihalascu
via Alfa Romeo 4C Reveals Manufacturing Secrets, Weighs Just 895 Kg (1,973 Lbs) – Carscoops.
Alfa 4C at the Apple Developer Conference?
During the opening ceremonies of the annual software developer conference, Apple senior vice president of software engineering and keynote presenter Craig Federighi pauses to address the crowd- leaving images of the forthcoming Alfa 4C on the screen.
Fiat CEO says company “has everything we need to relaunch Alfa Romeo”
(Reuters) – Italian carmaker Fiat “has everything we need” to relaunch its historic performance sports brand Alfa Romeo, Fiat Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said on Saturday.
The launch of new Alfa Romeo models starting later this year has been flagged by Marchionne as a key part of the automaker’s strategy to boost sales of higher-margin premium models.
“It’s all top secret,” Marchionne said in reply to journalists’ questions for an update. “We have everything we need” for the new Alfa Romeo.
The Alfa Romeo 4C sports car will go on sale in the U.S. and in Europe in the fourth quarter of this year.
The Italian carmaker hopes to leverage the 103-year-old brand’s cachet with auto enthusiasts to draw new buyers to Alfa Romeo through a revamp of its two existing compact cars and the addition of seven new models by 2016.
(Reporting by Jennifer Clark, editing by Stephen Jewkes)
EARNINGS
via Fiat CEO says company has everything we need to relaunch Alfa Romeo | Reuters.
2nd Annual Hellertown Italian Car Show
The Hellertown Italian Car Show was a great success despite Friday’s storm, threatening clouds early in the morning, and concerns about wet grounds. We had a strong showing from the club as well as the friendly FIAT folks, some Lancia kids, and Ferraris; not to mention a late showing of a DeTomaso Pantera and one prominent club member who had the audacity to show up in a Jaguar (he had the good sense not to bring it into the show). Just kidding around of course!
The day was cool, the setting wonderful and the company was great as always with these multi-car events. We had catering on site and the food while simple was delicious.
Our host, Mike Space.
Charlie’s Giulia Super
Ed’s 1750 Roundtail
José’s 89 Spider Quad
Mike’s 73 GTV
Bill’s GTV
Greg’s 69 Spider (the first US Spider with fuel injection-WOW!)
Thanks to the Delaware Valley Alfa Romeo Owners’ Club and Fiat Lancia Union members for bringing their great cars, to the town of Hellertown for letting us rip up the pavement a little on the way to and from the show, and to our host, Mike Space for bringing us all together for a great time!