2023 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Sedan 4d on 2040-cars

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Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan debuts with 510 hp, killer curves [w/video]

After a very blurry, accidental photo debut just yesterday, Alfa Romeo let loose the first official images and information about the upcoming Giulia. And she's a looker. We've got a man on the ground in Milan for the reveal who'll be bringing us more about the Giulia later on, but in the meantime let's take a look at the facts. Alfa's rakish new sedan certainly offers enough performance to justify the fast-standing-still styling. The Giulia seen here is the top-of-the-line Quadrifoglio edition, which has a turbocharged V6 that produces 510 horsepower (likely a metric figure, so it might be rated 503 here) and is good for a trip to 62 miles per hour in just 3.9 seconds. The car will also come in lower-power specs, likely using variations of a turbocharged four-cylinder. That quick acceleration is at least partially down to a very impressive curb weight. Alfa hasn't given us an official figure, per se, but does mention that the Giulia has a weight-to-power ratio "lower than 3kg/hp." Doing the math, that would put the sedan under 3,400 pounds, which is impressive. For reference, a BMW M3 sedan makes 425 hp and weighs in at around 3,600 pounds, while a 464-hp Cadillac ATS-V weighs about 100 pounds more. We know from Alfa's US-spec 4C that the sedan might gain a bit of heft in its cross-Atlantic translation, but if it's even in that ballpark, we'll be excited. Handling should be excellent, too, at least as far as we can tell from the case made on paper. The company boasts a 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, with a multi-link rear suspension and double wishbones up front. We're also promised "rapid, accurate steering" which, again, is borne out by the 4C. The Giulia Quadrifoglio features a torque-vectoring rear differential, an active front splitter to improve aerodynamics at high speeds, and a computer system called Chassis Domain Control to keep the various subsystems balanced. Touted as a competitor to the BMW 3 Series (an M3 competitor in this spec), the Giulia will be available as a rear-wheel-drive vehicle as standard, of course. But an optional all-wheel-drive setup is also in the cards. You'll have to decide for yourself if the flowing, long-hood-short-deck styling works, but we think it's excellent (at least based on the first few images). Find a bit more detail about the upcoming Giulia in the press release below, and expect more from Milan shortly.

Abarth SP 1000 factory restomod entering very limited production

In May 2021, Abarth created a one-off roadster to celebrate the brand's racing history, called the Alfa Romeo Abarth 1000. Based on the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, this was a factory-made callback to the 1966 Fiat Abarth 1000 Sport Prototipo, a highly successful competition car designed for gentlemen racers who wanted to do more than just show up, but who wanted to win. The UK's Auto Italia magazine tweeted that FCA Heritage chief Roberto Giolito said the carmaker would produce at least five customer units of the new Abarth 1000, with a price of around GBP170,000 each ($228,500 U.S.) Details beyond that must wait for the February issue of Auto Italia, due to hit newsstands on January 6 for UK readers.  If this happens, it could close the circle on what the 4C was originally meant to be. Legend says the idea for the carbon-tubbed 4C should have spawned a hardcore Fiat that channeled the 1966 Abarth 1000. However, since the 4C took many of its cues and much of its technology from the limited-edition Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, it stuck to being a halo sports car for Alfa Romeo and all other branchings got pruned. Giolito likely reveals more in the interview, seeing as he was head of Fiat and Abarth design from 2011 to 2015. The reboot suits the modern 4C save for the high, 21st-century shoulder line. 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. For such an expensive restomod, we might have wished for some mechanical changes. It appears there's no change to the 4C's mechanicals, with a 1,742-cc turbocharged four-cylinder sending its 237 horsepower to the rear wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. As such, this 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 original weighed 1,058 pounds dry and had 105 horsepower; the 2,465-pound production 4C won't feel as spry, but should perform a little better. Once British readers get the skinny from the magazine interview, we should know more.

2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale previewed ahead of February unveiling

After a false start, Alfa Romeo is finally ready to introduce the production version of the Tonale concept it presented in 2019. It released a short video on its social media channels to preview the model, which will be positioned below the Stelvio as an entry-level crossover. The murky, 12-second flick highlights the Tonale's digital instrument cluster, which features a layout called "cannocchiale" ("telescope" in Italian) by the brand. It seemingly consists of a screen flanked by a pair of round dials, and it's loosely inspired by the layout found in some of Alfa's classic models. Later examples of the 115-series GTV used a pair of large analog gauges separated by warning lights and smaller gauges. Discover driver-centric design in the cockpit of the new #AlfaRomeoTonale, featuring the multi-functional “Cannocchiale” cluster. “La Metamorfosi” begins February 8th. https://t.co/7tknJCcFTR pic.twitter.com/dh7o9BUwBq — Alfa Romeo USA (@AlfaRomeoUSA) January 26, 2022 What's more interesting than the cluster is the image of the Tonale that appears on the middle screen. Shown above, it's our first official look at the Stelvio's baby brother. Surprisingly, the crossover shares more styling cues with the 2019 concept than with the prototype spotted at a design clinic later that year. The shape of the grille hasn't changed much, and there are three U-shaped LEDs integrated into each headlight. The rest of the design remains shrouded in darkness. Our crystal ball tells us that the production model will look a lot like a toned-down version of the concept; we're not expecting the proportions to significantly change. Unverified rumors claim that the Tonale will be closely related to the Jeep Compass beneath the sheetmetal, and it will be offered with several engines and at least one plug-in hybrid drivetrain. It's this system that sources say delayed the launch: Alfa Romeo's boss reportedly sent engineers back to the drawing board in April 2021. Alfa Romeo will unveil the Tonale online on February 8, 2022, at 9 a.m. ET, which is 6 a.m. in California. And, while the odds of seeing it on our shores were previously unknown, Alfa Romeo's American division all but confirmed in a tweet that the model will be sold here. Related video: