1982 Alfa Romeo Gt V6 Balocco T1236026 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The Alfa Romeo Giulia starts at $38,990, or $73,595 for the Quadrifoglio

Although the 4C has been on sale for more than a year, Alfa Romeo's US comeback tour really starts with the all-new Giulia. The car goes on sale this month and is expected to compete head to head with sport sedan competition from Germany, England, Japan, and America. The automaker released details on Giulia trims and pricing, and it appears to be right in the mix with the competition. The new Alfa Romeo Giulia starts at $38,990 with destination. While that's on the high side of its class, it's still right in the mix. All of the competition falls between the $34,445 BMW 3-Series and the $40,425 Mercedes-Benz C300. Where the Giulia really shines at this price point is performance, with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine that generates 280 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque. Alfa claims a 5.1 second 0-60 mph time for the base model, which trounces the competition. The big bad Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio starts at $73,595 with destination. That's quite a bit more than the BMW M3 and Cadillac ATS-V, but it's right on par with the Mercedes-AMG C63 S Sedan. The four-leaf clover has a 2.9-liter biturbo V6 that turns out 505 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. That's good for a 3.8 second 0-60 mph and a record-setting 7:32 Nurburgring lap time, if you care about such things. The standard Giulia and Giulia Ti ($40,990) are available with FCA's Q4 all-wheel-drive system for an extra $2,000. The Giulia Ti is available with Ti Lusso and Ti Sport packages for $2,250 each. Think of the Ti Sport as the Quadrifoglio light and the Ti Lusso as the comfortable and relaxed model. All versions of the Giulia come equipped with an 8-speed automatic, and Alfa Romeo currently has no plans to offer a stick shift in the US. The Giulia Quadrifoglio goes on sale this month, with the rest of the lineup hitting showrooms next month. If shoppers can look through the vast competition for what on paper is the sportiest of small sport sedans on the market, Alfa may be here to stay. Related Video:

Abarth 1000 SP is a retro-styled Alfa Romeo 4C

With the whittled-down Fiat lineup in the U.S., you might've forgotten about the brand's sporty division Abarth. But the brand is still active, still selling sporty Fiats in Europe, and now it has created a one-off roadster to celebrate its racing history. It's the Abarth 1000 SP, and it's styled and named after a 1966 race car that won its class at the 500-kilometer Nurburgring race that year. As other news outlets have noted, it's pretty obvious the Abarth 1000 SP is a restyled Alfa Romeo 4C (also disappearing from both the U.S. and overseas markets), even if Abarth doesn't say so specifically. That's not a bad, thing, though, being both an impressive sports car and one bearing the kind of curves that are perfect for the lines of the original car. The 1966 car's low pointy nose, curvy fenders and myriad vents and scoops fit great, and we also dig the exposed roll bar and cut-down rear cowls. The rear bumper maybe looks a little awkward, but overall, we think it's a well-executed car. Mechanically, it seems unchanged from the 4C. It has the same 1,742-cc turbocharged four-cylinder making 240 horsepower and sitting in the same carbon fiber and aluminum chassis. As such, it should probably be called the Abarth 1740 SP or 1700 SP rather than 1000, since the original was named after the displacement of the modified Fiat 600 engine it used. The car is just a one-off, so you won't be able to purchase one, but you might be able to see it at a European car show or museum someday. Related Video:

Michael Schumacher's son Mick to test with Ferrari and Alfa Romeo in F1

LONDON — Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, will test with Ferrari and Alfa Romeo in Bahrain next week, the Formula One teams announced on Tuesday. The German, who makes his Formula Two debut in Bahrain this weekend with the Prema team, will test Ferrari's F90 car at the Sakhir circuit on April 2 after the grand prix there. The 19-year-old, who won the European F3 title last year and is a member of Ferrari's young driver academy, will also test Alfa Romeo's new car on the Wednesday. "I am really looking forward to what I'm sure will be a great experience," he said. "But for the moment, I am consciously putting all thoughts of the test to one side, because I am also very much looking forward to competing in my first F2 race and would like to focus 100 percent on the weekend to come." Britain's Callum Ilott, who is also in Formula Two this season and is another Ferrari academy member, will make his F1 test debut with Ferrari-powered Alfa in Barcelona in May after the Spanish Grand Prix. Schumacher's father, who has not been seen in public since suffering severe head injuries in a skiing accident in 2013, won five of his record seven Formula One titles with the Italian team between 2000-04 and holds the record of 91 wins. Ferrari principal Mattia Binotto said the team's current driver Charles Leclerc was proof of the worth of the academy as a high level training program for talented youngsters. "Mick, who joined the FDA in January, and Callum, who has been with us since 2017, are definitely drivers on their way up," he said. "I believe that driving the SF90 in an official setting such as the tests in Bahrain and Barcelona can be very useful at this stage in their career." Motorsports Alfa Romeo Ferrari Racing Vehicles F1 michael schumacher