1996 Alfa Romeo Spider Fire Red 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.

Watch 14 hot rides take over concept car lawn at Pebble Beach

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is an annual celebration of the beautiful, old cars that grace Monterey Car Week. But Monterey – and Pebble – features lots of newer metal, too, and that includes the concept lawn at Pebble Beach. Now, "concept lawn" isn't a totally accurate name anymore, and you'll see why in the list below. This year especially, plenty of production cars can be found in the area once reserved for the conceptual. Still, we're happy to see them. Here's what's featured this year: Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Audi R8 BAC Mono Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R Buick Avenir Galpin-Fisker Rocket Speedster Hyundai HCD-16 Vision G Coupe Icona Volcano Infiniti Q60 Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 Maserati Ghibli McLaren 570S Rolls-Royce Wraith By our count, that's seven concepts out of fourteen cars. But it still makes for one hot group of metal. Check 'em out in the gallery above. Related Video: Related Gallery 2015 Pebble Beach Concept Car Lawn View 38 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Design/Style Alfa Romeo Audi Bentley Buick Infiniti Lamborghini Lincoln McLaren Porsche Concept Cars Videos Original Video Pebble Beach

Alfa Romeo Giulia, Stelvio Quadrifoglio get louder and — literally — greener

Alfa Romeo made several small improvements to the Quadrifoglio variants of the Giulia and the Stelvio as part of its 110th birthday celebrations. The changes make both models safer, more stylish, and quite a bit louder. Outside, the design tweaks are largely limited to new-look LED rear lights with darker lenses and 21-inch alloy wheels for the Stelvio. The color palette grows with the addition of three new hues called 6C Villa d'Este Red, GT Junior Ocra, and Montreal Green, respectively. They're heritage-laced colors that dyed-in-the-wool Alfisti will immediately recognize; the green is a tribute to the V8-powered Montreal released in 1970, for example. Step aboard, and you'll notice there's a redesigned center console that stylists carved additional storage space into, a new steering wheel, plus additional upholstery choices. Sparco sport seats built around a carbon fiber shell are waiting on the list of options along with red and green seatbelts. The updated infotainment system we've already experienced in the standard Giulia has found its way to the Quadrifoglio, too. It's displayed on an 8.8-inch touchscreen and Alfa Romeo added a feature called Performance Pages that shows a wealth of drivetrain-related parameters like the turbo pressure, the amount of power generated in real-time, and a chronometer. If these digital features sound familiar, it's likely because some Dodge models — including the Challenger — are already available with the Performance Pages app. We like it there, and we'll certainly enjoy Alfa's spin on it. Bosch helped Alfa Romeo add a panoply of electronic driving aids to the Giulia and Stelvio. The list includes lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, active blind spot assist, traffic sign recognition, and traffic jam assist. The suite corresponds to level two on the SAE scale so it doesn't turn either model into an autonomous car. There are no mechanical changes to report, meaning power still comes from a 2.9-liter V6 that relies on a pair of beefy turbochargers to make 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. It spins the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission, and pelts the Giulia from zero to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds before sending it to a 191-mph top speed. The same six powers the bigger, heavier Stelvio, but it channels its power to the four wheels. Enthusiasts who want to be heard before they're seen are in luck.