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This modernized Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint looks great, sounds even better

No matter how good something may be, there's always room for improvement. A UK company called Alfaholics builds an overhauled version of the famous Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint that's supposed to be capable enough to hassle a modern Porsche 911 around the Nordschleife. It's difficult to spot any of the upgrades from the outside, but Charles Morgan shows off the updated performance in a new video from Carfection. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint is a memorable sports coupe that was made in the '60s and '70s, and it sports a gorgeous body from the pen of a then-17-year-old Giorgetto Giugiaro. Alfaholics takes this fantastic platform and adds modern suspension components, upgraded brakes, carbon fiber body panels, and a 240-horsepower engine. These tweaks bring the weight down to about 1,830 pounds and allow for a lap around the Nordschliefe in less than 8 minutes at the hands of a skilled driver. As opposed to just going for outright performance, Alfaholics tries to keep its tuned Giulia Sprint somewhat authentic to the original version. As Morgan shows in this video, the result of the company's work is a coupe with superb handling and an intoxicating exhaust note. Related Video:

Alfa Romeo Tonale drops the non-hybrid 2.0-liter for the U.S.

Until last week, we were expecting the Alfa Romeo Tonale to be sold with two powertrains here. When the compact crossover greeted the world for the first time in February, Alfa Romeo told us our market could expect a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder as the base option, putting out 256 horsepower through a nine-speed automatic to all four wheels. The premium choice would be a plug-in hybrid powertrain that paired a 177-hp, 1.3-liter four-cylinder turning the front axle with a 121-hp electric motor working the rear axle for a combined 275 hp. The PHEV would also be capable of 30 miles of pure-electric motoring in the U.S. Alfa Romeo boss Jean-Philippe Imparato told Automotive News Europe during the media drive that the non-hybrid 2.0-liter is no longer an option for the U.S. because Alfa Romeo needs to go especially aggressive on reducing emissions here. In Europe, the Tonale can be ordered with both powertrains as well as a diesel. Here, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently proposed a new set of regulations that lay out tougher benchmarks for an automaker's CO2 emissions. If the regulations pass, 35% of an automaker's sales in the state will need to be zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) by 2026 and 100% by 2035. California, by itself, is on the cusp of passing Germany as the world's fourth-largest economy, according to Bloomberg. Furthermore, 13 states and the District of Columbia adhere to CARB emissions rules, nine of those follow California's ZEV program, and three more states will join the ZEV regulations over the next three years. Alfa Romeo sold just over 18,000 cars here last year, and it needs plenty of Tonales to offset all those Stelvios. Across the Atlantic, the Euro 7 emissions giving carmakers public fits are slated to come into force on July 1, 2025. For these reasons as well as Alfa Romeo's commitment to going all-electric this decade, Imperato told ANE the PHEV is "an existential need" in the lineup. An Alfa Romeo spokesperson in the U.S. elaborated to Car and Driver, "As a premium brand, the PHEV better aligns with what our customers want in this segment as it provides an elevated experience, greater performance, and more than 30 miles of electric range." The subtext here is that the Tonale's corporate twin, the Dodge Hornet, will offer both powertrains when it goes on sale next year.

2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio prices are a mixed bag

Something happened on the way to the end of 2024, and that happening has resulted in higher-than-expected prices for the 2024 Giula and 2024 Stelvio. When Alfa announced changes for both models in April, we were informed the new Giulia Competizione trim would start at $53,115 in rear-wheel-drive form, the Stelvio Competizione trim would start at $57,420 in obligatory all-wheel-drive form. A month later, Cars Direct got wind of price cuts thanks to Alfa Romeo wanting to give buyers even more reason to put money down on la dolce vita instead of a certain Bavarian. In that report, the entry-level Giula Sprint was going to start at $44,795 after destination, the Stelvio Sprint would start at $46,370. An an Alfa Romeo spokesperson even replied to Cars Direct with, "The reduction in pricing is a lifecycle direction for Stelvio and Giulia to enhance market competitiveness." Looking at the 2024 configurator, the Giulia Sprint improves its advantage before options, whereas the Competizione is $2,345 above expectations. Prices for the 2024 Giula range after the $1,595 destination charge are: Sprint: $44,670 Ti: $47,210 Veloce: $50,970 Competizione: $55,460 Quadrifoglio: $82,970 Quadrifoglio 100th Anniversary: $90,070 What's not included here are mandatory additional costs for the Competizione and both Quadrifoglio trims; they don't offer the free white exterior paint option that the Sprint, Ti, and Veloce do. So the above sums will go up by at least $500, the least expensive exterior color option, to as much as $2,200. As for the Giulia Sprint undercutting the BMW 330i, that only happens if you want a white Giulia on the stock 17-inch wheels. The 2024 330i starts at $45,495, which is $825 above the base Giulia. But the BMW comes on 18-inch wheels, the Giulia on 17-inchers, and stepping up a rim size on the Alfa Romeo costs $1,725. BMW also offers black paint as a free option, whereas going dark on the Giulia costs $660. The Giulia does come with 280 horsepower versus the BMW's 255, so there's that. At the very top, a Giulia Quadrifoglio asking $82,970 might be a tough ask against a BMW M3 asking $81,195, never mind a $90,070 Giulia Quadrifoglio 100th Anniversary. It's the same on the Stelvio side of the fence.