1989 Alfa Romeo Spider on 2040-cars

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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

Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale supercar revealed with gas and EV versions, gorgeous either way

This gorgeous red supercar is the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale. The name “33” has several references, the first being to the design, as this new 33 Stradale borrows from the famous Tipo 33. Secondly, Alfa is only producing 33 examples of this supercar, and all of them are already sold. The powertrain strategy for the 33 Stradale is perhaps the most interesting part of it, as buyers can choose between a twin-turbo V6 and a fully electric version. AlfaÂ’s gas-powered 33 Stradale produces 620 horsepower, is shifted via an eight-speed automatic dual-clutch gearbox and puts its power down exclusively to the rear wheels via an electronic limited-slip differential. Its top speed is 206 mph, and the 0-62 mph time is “less than three seconds.” The engine itself is said to be a derivative of the Ferrari-developed V6 you find under the hood of the Alfa Quadrifoglio models. The battery-electric 33 Stradale produces “more than 750 horsepower” and goes 0-62 mph in under 2.5 seconds, but Alfa isnÂ’t saying much else about the powertrain. We presume it will be all-wheel drive due to multiple electric motors being necessary. Range is currently estimated at 280 miles on the optimistic WLTP test cycle. The platform is a combination aluminum H-frame and carbon fiber monocoque that shares plenty with the Maserati MC20, and the roof is engineered with the same materials, supporting the butterfly doors. A front-axle lift system comes standard, and you also get a drive mode selector to choose between Strada (road) and Pista (track). Launch control is activated via a “Quadrifoglio” button. Big Brembo carbon ceramic brakes do the stopping, with six-piston calipers in front and four-piston units in the rear. While there may be a lot underneath that is shared with the MC20, its design is pure Alfa Romeo. Its interior is just as impressive as the beautiful exterior, too. The controls in the center stack are all about physical engagement, as they feature the most beautiful design that just makes us want to turn, twist and toggle them. Above that rests a widescreen touch display powered by Uconnect5 in a similar layout as the MC20. The cluster features a “3D telescope display,” which Alfa claims is the first of its kind. Plus, the steering wheel purposefully doesnÂ’t have a single button on it for maximum driving enjoyment.

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider First Drive [w/video]

New cars are getting, to quote Alice during her Adventures in Wonderland, "curiouser and curiouser." Take the Alfa Romeo 4C, a car from a mass-market European brand with supercar-like construction at a price that starts under $55,000. The exotic looks on the outside are countered with an almost pre-war era lack of frills on the inside, but the 4C drives like a street-legal go-kart when you put it to work. That price is either a bargain or a ripoff, depending on your priorities. This oddity now has a topless variant in the 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, which is almost identical to the coupe at first glance. On the stat sheet, two numbers separate this open-top car from its closed-cabin sibling. The first is ground clearance, which goes down in the Spider: 4.4 inches here compared to 4.5 inches in the coupe. The second number is 22. That's how many pounds the Spider gains by losing its roof, for a claimed weight of 2,487 pounds. Alfa Romeo senior product planner Fabio Migliavacca says none of that mass comes from body reinforcement. The 4C's carbon fiber tub was engineered for convertible duty from the go. Alfa Romeo engineered the 4C's carbon fiber tub to handle convertible duty from the beginning, so the roof on the coupe – made of the same sheet-molded compound as the rest of the body – isn't a structural member. The Spider's canvas soft top accounts for an extra 14.3 pounds, making it heavier than the roof on the coupe. And yes, you read that correctly, the Spider comes standard with a canvas top. The optional carbon fiber roof panel costs $3,500. In fact, the options list is so full of woven composite accessories that, during the presentation, one journalist asked if the $1,595 charge for destination and handling could also be had in carbon fiber. The other 7.7 pounds comes from small alterations. The Spider gets larger mufflers – 11-liter cans here, as opposed to eight liters on the coupe - for a richer exhaust note. The car's rear haunches are reshaped to be fuller than those on the hardtop, and the engine cover is now a single solid piece, without the coupe's revealing clear insert. A few changes on the Spider will come to the coupe, including a pair of cellphone pockets, one next to each seat. The awful Parrot stereo goes away, replaced by a more friendly Alpine unit. Some coupe options are standard features on the Spider, like the full leather interior. Two of the six seat styles and four of the six available wheels are exclusive to the Spider.