1974 Alfa Romeo Gtv Turbo , Almost Flawless on 2040-cars

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Fiat gets into the classics game with 'Reloaded by Creators' program

Classic vehicles help modern buyers make new connections to a carmaker's modern offerings. That's why in little more than a month we've seen Jaguar announce a continuation run of the D-Type, Porsche get a show at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles, Land Rover plan to restore a Series I, and Jay Leno celebrate the 1942 Dodge Carryall. Fiat Chrysler already has a heritage division, but the vintage department takes a new step into its history with the "Reloaded by Creators" service. Said to be inspired by retail programs at museums, Reloaded by Creators will see FCA Heritage source and buy noteworthy classics from the Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Lancia brands, restore them to original spec, then sell them to collectors. When Roberto Giolito, head of FCA Heritage, broke the news at Retromobile in Paris, he also revealed the first five offerings: three "ultimate classics" in the Alfa Spider IV serie (1991), Lancia Fulvia Coupe Montecarlo (1973), Spidereuropa Pininfarina (1981), and two custom cars in the Alfa Romeo SZ (1989) and Lancia Appia Coupe (1959). The ultimate classics represent the last of their kind to be built, not necessarily according to model year, but with respect to design and engineering - no major model changes followed. The Lancia Fulvia Coupe ceased production in 1976; the limited edition 1973 Montecarlo model celebrated the car's victory in the 1972 Montecarlo Rally and still wears the original license plates. The 1981 Spidereuropa Pininfarina comes from the beginning of the end of production; after building the Fiat 124 Sport Spider for US-only sale from 1975 to 1983, Pininfarina resumed manufacture in Europe in 1982 and bestowed the new name. The Alfa Spider went out of production in 1993, the 1991 Series IV example for sale here has been in FCA's collection since it was built, used for technical testing. As for the custom cars, Lancia built a variant of its third-generation Appia as a coachbuilt chassis. Pininfarina bodied the 1959 model for sale here, and Fiat showed it first in Paris. Fiat used the funky, Zagato-designed, thermoplastic-composite-bodied, 1989 Alfa Romeo SZ for testing at the carmaker's Balocco circuit. Only around 1,000 SZ models emerged from the factory during a two-year production run. Each vehicle will come with a certificate of authenticity and be guaranteed by FCA, plus be featured on the FCA Heritage site.

Vintage 1921 Alfa Romeo G1 rally car hits RM Sotheby’s

The only known surviving, fully operational example of Alfa Romeo's first commercial car is hitting the auction block at RM Sotheby's at its auction in Phoenix next month, when the 1921 G1 is expected to fetch up to $1.5 million. It's one of only 52 examples, including two prototypes, built between 1921 and 1923, and the only known surviving member of the series, stamped chassis No. 6018. It spent many years on a remote farm in Australia, during part of which the engine was put to work powering a water pump, before undergoing a restoration sometime in the mid-1960s. The G1 is powered by a 6.3-liter side-valve inline six that was said to have been designed with input from Enzo Ferrari, then a driver for the company, and was the largest motor ever fitted to an Alfa. It was based on two cast-iron three-cylinder blocks with fixed cylinder heads, a cylinder bore of 98 millimeters and a stroke of 140 mm to make 71 horsepower and 216 pound-feet of torque, with a top speed of 86 mph. It has a four-speed manual gearbox, which sends power to the rear axle through a single-dry plate clutch and an open driveshaft. The G1 was built to support Alfa Romeo's racing activities and was marketed to the same upscale clientele as Rolls-Royce, Hispano Suiza and others. A stripped-down version of the car won its production class at the Coppa del Garda, according to RM Sotheby's, but the production version suffered for being an expensive fuel guzzler at a time of economic and political chaos in Italy following World War I. So the company exported all 50 production versions to Australia (and possibly to South Africa), where this one was picked up by a Queensland businessman, who later went into bankruptcy and sent the car to a farm in the Outback to hide it from creditors. Ranch workers reportedly found it in the late '40s and used it as a farm runabout before the rear axle failed and the engine was used for the water pump. The remains of the G1 were acquired by a man named Ross Flewell-Smith, who would restore it over 10 years, including finding authentic replacement parts. It would undergo three full restorations in subsequent years.Related Video:

Next-gen Mazda MX-5 Miata mule spied 'Ring testing

Fans of simple, lightweight motoring, rejoice - we now have images of the next-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata undergoing testing at der Nürburgring Nordschleife. Now, to be fair, this isn't some lightly camouflaged example that will give us a great peak of what the next Miata, which will also become the next Alfa Romeo Spider, will look like. This is a mule, with the new bits hidden under a current Miata's body. That doesn't mean there aren't a few scraps of valuable information here, though.
According to our flock of camera-toting spies at the Nürburgring, the next Miata is likely to grow a bit, as new models are wont to do. In particular, it will be longer and wider, and the wheelbase is likely going to be stretched, based on the shape of the wheel wells and doors. Both of those factors will add more space in the cabin.
Those are the big indications provided by these photos, but while the MX-5 might be growing, it's a safe bet based on these images that it, and the (likely pricier) Alfa, will retain the classic, long-hood, short-deck styling that so typifies rear-drive roadsters.