2022 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Sprint Awd on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Is Alfa Romeo readying 4C Spider for Detroit reveal?

The 2015 Detroit Auto Show just keeps looking like one of the best automotive events in the Motor City in years, and it seems increasingly likely that we're going to see another sports car reveal there with the production Alfa Romeo 4C Spider. The latest hint towards the unveiling of the Spider comes from FCA's own blog. In a story about the first customer deliveries of the 4C Launch Edition, the last sentences nearly let the cat out of the bag: "Alfa Romeo plans to introduce eight new models by 2018. You'll get your next Alfa fix at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January." Just looking at the roofline of the 4C, it's pretty clear that a convertible was in the cards from the very beginning. Alfa confirmed that with the Spider concept (pictured below) at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, and reaffirmed the drop top in the company's five-year plan. Further evidence for the fast approaching debut came recently when a fully production-spec 4C Spider (pictured above) was spotted being professionally filmed in Spain. It sported some changes over the concept, including a cooling inlet on the driver's side rear fender and exhausts at the corners, instead of the center. Related Gallery Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Concept: Geneva 2014 View 13 Photos Related Gallery Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Design Preview News Source: Objects in the MirrorImage Credit: Carscoops, Related images copyright 2014 Drew Phillips / AOL, Alfa Romeo Design/Style Rumormill Detroit Auto Show Alfa Romeo Convertible Performance FCA 2015 Detroit Auto Show alfa romeo 4c alfa romeo 4c spider

Watch Alfa's 4C storm up Goodwood's hillclimb course quicker than a Corvette

Alfa Romeo's gorgeous 4C remains a car that we in the United States are forced to admire from afar. Thankfully, our petrolheaded brethren in the UK and Europe seem all too happy to flaunt the 4C at most every opportunity. Take this video of the team at Goodwood, running the mid-engined Alfa up the estate's historic hill. Watching the 4C run the course while belting out its adorably angry engine note is plenty entertaining on its own. Of course, it gets better when the Goodwood folks lay down some serious rubber following the car's 61.1-second lap. That number bests the wet time of the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, by the way. Have a look below for the full video from the team at Goodwood.

Is your new-car warranty good at the race track?

We've all heard the horror stories. Your buddy knows a girl that was dating a guy whose best friend's brother once broke his brand-new, recently purchased performance car while making runs at a drag strip or laps at a track day, and the manufacturer wouldn't cover the repair under warranty. True story? Urban legend? Complete crap? Yes, no, maybe. One thing's for sure: Automotive warranties have always come with caveats. In 1908, an ad in the Trenton Evening Times clearly stated: "All Ford Cars Guaranteed for One Year." Although it changed over time, by 1925 the Ford New Car Guarantee only covered 90 days on material and 30 days on labor, and it clearly stated that that there was "No guarantee whatever on Fan Belts, Glass, Bulbs, Wiring, Transmission, Bands, Hose Connections, Commutator Shells, Rollers, Spark Plugs or Gaskets." Whether or not Ol' Henry would pay to fix your Model T if you broke it shaving a tenth off your lap time at the local board track seems to be lost to history. We're guessing no. But what about today? Do new-car warranties in 2017 cover cars when they are driven on race tracks? We researched the warranties of 14 auto brands to find out, and the answer is yes, no, maybe, depending on the brand, in some cases the model, and whether or not your car is modified from stock. Acura has been out of the high-performance car game for a number of years, but jumps back into the party in 2017 with its hybrid-powered $173,000 NSX supercar. And Acura's warranty, as well as Honda's, clearly states that it does not cover "the use of the vehicle in competition or racing events." View 33 Photos So we asked Sage Marie, Senior Manager of Public Relations for Honda and Acura. "If the car is stock, the warranty covers it on a track just as it does on the street. No question," he told us. "However, if the car is modified, say with slick tires or other components that would put higher stresses on the vehicle's parts and systems, then we would have to investigate the circumstances further." Marie went on to say the same would be true for any Acura model or Honda vehicle, including the new 2017 Honda Civic Si. This became a common theme. Chevrolet actually started this practice with the fifth-generation Camaro on the high-performance ZL1 and Z/28 models.