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Alfa 4C to set the pace as WTCC safety car

With just 240 horsepower on tap, the Alfa Romeo 4C may not be the most powerful sports car on the market. But its lightweight construction ensures that it has a power-to-weight ratio better than cars with twice the output. In short, it belongs at the front of the pack, and that's just where it will be for this year's World Touring Car Championship. That's because Alfa's nimble little sports car has been selected as the new safety car (what we'd call a "pace car") for the WTCC, starting next month with the season opener at the Moulay El Hassan Circuit in Marrakech, Morocco. For that purpose it's been fitted with the special red and black livery you see here, and will presumably carry some extra safety equipment like emergency lighting, and a couple of fire extinguishers and a first aid kit on board in case it arrives at the scene of an accident before the medical support car can get there. This year will see some new entries in the FIA's top touring car series as the new Honda Civic WTCC makes its debut with four cars on the grid, Citroen entering the series with the new C-Elysee with nine-time rally champ Sebastien Loeb and four-time WTCC champ Yvan Muller behind the wheel. After a Euro-centric start to the season, the series heads to the US in mid-September for the race at Sonoma before winding up with three rounds in the Far East. The Alfa Romeo 4C Will Be the FIA WTCC Safety Car - Eurosport Events, promoter of the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) appointed by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), has chosen the captivating Alfa Romeo supercar as Safety Car for the 2014 season - The multi-award-winning coupe will make its debut on the track with a special livery on 12 and 13 April on the Moulay El Hassan circuit of Marrakech - The recognition is linked to its winning the prestigious Grand Prize as Most Beautiful Car of 2013 at the 29th International Automobile Festival of Paris On display this week at the 84th Geneva International Motor Show with the preview of the Spider version, the Alfa Romeo 4C was chosen by Eurosport Events as the Safety Car of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) for the entire 2014 season. The multi-award-winning coupe will therefore be present with a special livery on the World Touring Car Championship circuits starting from the first event that will be held on the Moulay El Hassan Circuit of Marrakech (Morocco) on 12 and 13 April.

Alfa Romeo Zagato-designed Giulia-derived coupe previewed

Alfa Romeo's long-awaited return to the coupe segment may be imminent. The company published an enigmatic preview image on its social media channels that shows the rear end of what's labeled the "Giulia SWB Zagato," and it pledged to release more details in the near future. While there's not much we can glean by looking at the dark teaser, we can at least say with near-certainty that the coupe won't look much like the Giulia when viewed from the back. The photo depicts a thin strip of LEDs that seemingly stretches across the entire rear end, and the basic silhouette is vaguely reminiscent of the Giulia TZ (Tubolare Zagato) and TZ2 coupes built in very limited numbers during the 1960s. Beyond that, your guess regarding what we're looking at is as good as ours. The name strongly suggests that the coupe will be Giulia-based, shorter than the sedan, and designed jointly with Zagato. Company boss Jean-Philippe Imparato has previously confirmed that the two-door model will make its debut at some point in 2023 and he clarified that it will be "very exciting, very selective, and very expensive." To us, it sounds like the coupe will land as a limited-edition model rather than as a regular-production addition to the company's range. What the coupe will be powered by is up in the air as well. Given the Giulia-derived platform, we wouldn't be surprised if power comes from a version of the 2.9-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 that powers the range-topping Quadrifoglio. The six develops 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque in Alfa Romeo's BMW M3 fighter but those figures could increase in the coupe. Rear-wheel-drive should come standard. Alfa Romeo will publish additional details about the Giulia SWB Zagato in the coming weeks, and we'll see the coupe by the end of 2023. Related video: Design/Style Alfa Romeo Coupe Luxury Performance

Alfaholics built an Alfa Romeo 105 Series entirely out of carbon fiber

Alfaholics has restored numerous 105 Series cars before. And Alfaholics has used carbon fiber parts before. But this is the first time Alfaholics has built a 105 Series with a body made entirely out of carbon fiber. The United Kingdom-based builder and parts supplier debuted the carbon shell this month and will make it available as an option for future projects. It's called the GTA-R 300. Alfaholics is a all-encompassing Alfa Romeo 105 Series (also known as the Giulia) parts supplier, customization shop and restoration specialist run by Alfa enthusiasts Richard, Max and Andrew Banks. The company has become known for its GTA-R builds, which are part of its R-Type program that Alfaholics says is "reserved for our most exclusive restorations which represent the ultimate evolution of the Alfa Romeo 105 Series." Human hands spend more than 3,000 hours building GTA-R coupes (or Ti-R sedans or Spider-R convertibles), and everything can be customized to the client's demands.  Customers are presented with a massive book of options, including choices of engines, gear ratios, suspension packages, damper valving, power steering, seat styles, upholstery, interior lighting, roll cages, dashboard styles, car audio and infotainment, and much more. Up until this point, clients did have the option for carbon fiber parts, but the choices were limited to the hood, the doors, and the rear deck lid. Now buyers can opt for a full carbon fiber kit. The GTA-R 300 gets its name due to its power-to-weight ratio. It's about 84 pounds lighter than the previously range-topping GTA-R 290 and about 154 pounds lighter than a GTA-R constructed entirely out of steel. All said, Alfaholics says the GTA-R 300 has a power-to-weight number of 300 bhp per ton, but it did not provide a specific weight number for the car, as it is not yet completed. Alfaholics does say this build will also include many other lightweight parts such as the Alfaholics GTA-R Ultraleggera billet titanium suspension package. For more information on other current and completed builds, visit Alfaholics.           View this post on Instagram                   Alfaholics GTA-R 300 Carbon Full carbonfibre body conversion, 70kg weight saving over a steel GTA-R.