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Junkyard Gem: 1979 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce

During the middle-to-late 1970s, things got pretty grim for American car shoppers wishing to drive a (non-exotic) new European two-seat convertible. British Leyland would sell you a 1979 MGB, Spitfire, or TR7 at a good price, but you got only 67.5, 52.5, or 88.5 horsepower, respectively, in those cars (yes, BL claimed the half-horse in official ratings, because that's how the Malaise Era was) plus the Prince of Darkness riding shotgun. Fiat offered the 124 Sport Spider for a bit more than those British machines in '79, but that car had a mere 86 horses under the hood. That's where the Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce came in; for a bit more money, you got 111 fuel-injected horsepower and a car that still looked futuristic more than a decade after its introduction. Alfa Spider prices have gone way up in the last decade, so I don't see many of these cars in the self-service car graveyards I frequent. That makes today's Junkyard Gem, found in a yard near Denver, a fairly rare find. Someone yanked the cylinder head off, probably years ago, and then never finished whatever engine work had been planned. This is a common sight with vintage sports cars in junkyards. The 1994 Colorado State Parks pass shows that at least this Alfa was running 28 years back. Inside, there are many receipts for extensive mechanical work done during the 1980s. These cars were better-built than their British Leyland and Fiat rivals, but that doesn't mean they were easy to work on. How about getting a head-gasket job plus a bunch of other work done for just over 500 bucks? Even with inflation, that's a deal! At some point, someone sliced up the factory radio faceplate to install this 1980s Blaupunkt cassette deck. This looks like a CR-2001, which was high-end factory equipment in Porsches and BMWs around the time this Spider was new. The interior has some parts that look nice enough to be worth buying, so let's hope that some Front Range Alfa Romeo enthusiasts show up and score some nice pieces for their project cars. The MSRP on this car was $11,195, or about $45,700 today. The Fiat 124 Sport Spider went for $7,090, while the TR7 convertible cost $9,235. Meanwhile, a new 1979 Chevy Corvette with the optional L82 engine listed at $11,425 and had 225 horsepower; it also weighed 917 pounds more than the Alfa and had much more ponderous handling.

The Manhattan Classic Car Club | AutoblogVR

The Manhattan Classic Car Club is a haven for enthusiasts in America's biggest and busiest city. Traffic, taxis, and just people getting you down? Head to the former NYPD horse stables on the banks of the Hudson River for your car fix. Senior Editor Greg Migliore shows what life is like for members. Sure, they get to drive a fleet of expensive cars, but they also have access to perks like movie nights and other social events. Want to catch a classic film in a classic Bronco? The CCC is the place to be. Greg then hops behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo 4C Spider for some rush-hour fun. Across town, motorcycle fans have their own haven, Ryders Alley. Need a place to store or work on your bike? This is your sanctuary. Tucked away in a downtown alley that's nearly impossible to find, Ryders serves the cult of two-wheel enthusiasts in the Big Apple. Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski tours the workshop and storage area and takes a few laps around New York in an Indian Scout Sixty. Each week, new episodes will launch on the AutoblogVR App. We'll preview them here on Autoblog, but for the full immersive experience, head over to the app, which you can download for free from the App store and Google Play. Be sure to try it with a cardboard viewer, too! Alfa Romeo Driving Motorcycle Classics Videos VR Original Video alfa romeo 4c virtual reality 360video

Baby Jeep to join Renegade in FCA's plan for new Italian-built models

FCA is boosting its European production, introducing new models that will be built in currently under-utilized manufacturing facilities. Among the new models is a new small Jeep, smaller than the current Renegade, as Automotive News reports. FCA's Mike Manley mentioned the entry-level Jeep model earlier this year, also saying that the vehicle is targeted to European and possibly Latin American customers; in the summer, Autocar placed the launch date in 2022. The new "baby" Jeep would be made in the same factory in Pomigliano, Italy, as the small Fiat Panda, which is a top seller in Italy. The current generation Panda was introduced in 2011; if it gets a replacement in 2022, it could possibly share a platform with the Jeep model — or, the Jeep could be an eventual outright replacement for the Panda. One of Fiat's earlier core products, the Punto hatchback, was canned in August, and that production capacity will be used to make the Jeep Compass instead, at the Renegade-producing Melfi factory in southern Italy. The Compass has not previously been built in Europe. The Fiat model portfolio would be shrunk to just the 500 model family and the Panda — the 500 would also be FCA's key electric vehicle offered in Europe. It is not yet clear whether the electric 500 would be made in Turin, Italy, or in Poland; Turin might also get a Giardiniera-badged wagon version of the refreshed 500. As for the Alfa Romeo brand, it is set to gain an even bigger SUV model than the Stelvio, based on the Maserati Levante's platform. The Levante's sales have suffered recently in China, but Maserati does have light in the horizon: The Alfieri 2+2 grand tourer is still in the cards, with a launch expected for 2020 and both a convertible and an electrified version planned to follow. The Alfieri would be made in Modena, Italy, according to Automotive News' sources. None of these plans namedrop the storied Lancia brand, which has been shrunk to just the Ypsilon hatchback, based on the same platform as the current 500 and Panda. Despite that, the Ypsilon was again the second-bestselling car in Italy after the Panda in October. It is unlikely that FCA will be able to ignore this, but it is just as unlikely that any development money will be afforded to come up with a replacement for the Ypsilon, which is as similarly old as the Panda. Perhaps official announcements expected on Thursday will also clarify what will happen to Lancia.