Is the next Dodge Viper really just a reskinned Alfa 8C?

Snakes are known to regularly shed their skin to reveal a shimmering new coat underneath. Doing it the other way around would be a unique trick, but if the latest reports are to be believed, that might be what we’re looking at.

Last week at a dealers’ conference, Fiat/Chrysler chief Sergio Marchionne reportedly pulled the covers off a new-generation Dodge Viper. With the current model having already been axed, our interest was, to say the least, piqued by this development. New reports emanating from the exclusive preview have given us cause for a little more consternation, however.

According to AutoWeek, the new Viper – expected to arrive sometime late next year as a 2012 model – looked eerily like an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione with a more Dodge-like front end. That would be a shame, since the Alfa’s styling is its biggest asset; its chassis and performance dynamics, less so. Giving the 8C – based, as it is, on age-old Maserati architecture – a new shell and calling it a Viper strikes us as all kinds of wrong. Then again, like a great many rumors in the autosphere, this could all be mere conjecture.

Alfa Romeo centenary celebrated con brio

The year 2010 marks the 100th birthday of Alfa Romeo, the great Italian automaker that has given us some of the most lust-worthy road and race cars of, well, the last century. It was fitting, therefore, that Concorso Italiano celebrated the occasion with gusto. They even let the Alfas spell out the annual message to the heavens: a simple “100.” It would have been interesting to see them try to use 100 cars to do so; goodness knows there were at least that many Alfas on hand.

Check out the gallery and you’ll see a small sampling of the great variety of Alfas on display. As much as we like the new 8C Competizione, we have to say our favorite Alfa Romeo at Concorso was probably John Shirley’s 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B. Just take a look at that rear!

Report: Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan to launch next year?

With the new Giulietta now out in the open, Alfa Romeo’s attention is turning to its big brother. Set to replace the 159 sometime next year, the highly-anticipated nuova Giulia promises to improve on the outgoing sedan’s lackluster driving dynamics.

Based on Alfa’s variable C/D platform, the Giulia is tipped to get a McPherson front suspension with a twin-link rear setup. As with the Alfa 159, the Giulia is expected to be front-drive, with the trick Q4 all-wheel-drive system available as an option, hooked up to a variety of turbodiesel and MultiAir gasoline engines.

Unlike the MiTo and Giulietta, both of which are hatchback-only, the Giulia promises both four-door sedan and five-door wagons as part of the mix. The tantalizing end of the range, however, is tipped to include an in-house GTA model – with at least 300 horsepower, all-wheel drive and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission – and a lightweight, front-drive version with 350 horsepower to be co-developed with famed Alfa tuner Autodelta.

We’ll have to wait to see if the speculation proves accurate – and, for that matter, if the car will take its design cues from the 8C Competizione, the Bertone Pandion or the Pininfarina 2uettottanta. But in the meantime, you’re invited to tinker around with the online configurator that Alfa just launched for the Giulietta hatchback, where you’ll find you can order it in any color you want, as long as it’s a shade of gray.

Designer Envisions 2017 Alfa Romeo Executive Fastback Sedan

So what if Alfa Romeo’s long-awaited replacement for the departed 166 premium sedan has been put on hold for now (from what we’ve heard, same goes for the successors to the 159, Brera and Spider) while the Fiat Group revaluates the historic brand’s future? It little matters to independent designers like Jacob Mcmurry who have the freedom to envision the future of any model they wish.

In this case, Mcmurry designed a futuristic-looking proposal for a range-topping Alfa Romeo in 2017 that is said to have been inspired by the Carnival of Venice – don’t ask…

The designer claims that the ‘pointy’ Italian saloon with the weird boat tail end would be ideally equipped with a V8 diesel sending power to the rear wheels. More pics after the break.

Via: Yankodesign

Alfa Romeo Kamal SUV: Early Prototype Spied in Italy?

Remember Alfa Romeo’s Kamal Concept SUV that was presented at the Geneva Motor Show back in 2003 supposedly previewing a production model that never came? Well, a worker from the Fiat Group’s Elasis research center in Pomigliano d’Arco near Naples, reportedly bagged this prototype Alfa Romeo SUV at the firm’s facility.

We’re well aware of the fact that some may claim these pictures could be the work of a master photoshopper, but we checked the shots again and again and couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary – even the Grande Punto headlights have the right shades on them. If you disagree, please enlighten us in the comments section below.

Now back to the prototype, if indeed real, our bet would go to an early test mule for a production version of the Kamal Concept that was initially pegged for launch sometime in 2010.

We don’t know if Alfa Romeo kept to the plan – don’t forget, the same company also announced a successor for the 169 executive sedan for 2009, but even if it did, the Fiat Group’s recent tie-up with Chrysler has changed or at least, set everything back.

Via: Worldcarfans , Source: Alvolante

Alfa Romeo Announces UK Pricing for 2010 MiTo with New MultiAir Turbo Engines

Buyers in Britain will be able to order the 2010MY Alfa Romeo MiTo with new turbocharged petrol engines featuring the Fiat Group’s revolutionary MultiAir technology from early January with first deliveries expected in Spring. At launch, two engine versions will become available, 1.4-liter Turbo with 135bhp that’s priced from £15,165 (about USD$24,600), and the range-topping 1.4-liter Turbo Cloverleaf (Quadrifoglio) with 170bhp and a starting price of £17,895 (around USD$29,000).

The Fiat Group’s new MultiAir system directly controls the air and combustion in engines cylinder by cylinder, stroke by stroke, through the intake engine valves without using the throttle.

According to the Italian carmaker, the use of this technology results in a 10% reduction of CO2 emissions and fuel consumption, and a 10% engine power increase as well as a 15% torque improvement over an engine without this system.

Alfa Romeo Announces UK Pricing for 2010 MiTo with New MultiAir Turbo Engines

Buyers in Britain will be able to order the 2010MY Alfa Romeo MiTo with new turbocharged petrol engines featuring the Fiat Group’s revolutionary MultiAir technology from early January with first deliveries expected in Spring. At launch, two engine versions will become available, 1.4-liter Turbo with 135bhp that’s priced from £15,165 (about USD$24,600), and the range-topping 1.4-liter Turbo Cloverleaf (Quadrifoglio) with 170bhp and a starting price of £17,895 (around USD$29,000).

The Fiat Group’s new MultiAir system directly controls the air and combustion in engines cylinder by cylinder, stroke by stroke, through the intake engine valves without using the throttle.

According to the Italian carmaker, the use of this technology results in a 10% reduction of CO2 emissions and fuel consumption, and a 10% engine power increase as well as a 15% torque improvement over an engine without this system.

New Alfa Romeo Giulietta with up to 235HP: First Official Photos [Updated]

*Update: Alfa Romeo has officially announced that the car’s name is ‘Giulietta’

After an bevy of factory spy shots and more recently, a squabble with the current and former employees of the Italian firm’s Milan plant that led to a last minute decision to drop the ‘Milano’ name, Alfa Romeo has finally published the first official image of its new compact hatchback that will replace the 147 and compete in the all-important C-segment in Europe.

Even though there have been rumors about the use of the ‘Giulietta’ name, the Italians have yet to announce something official.

However, there’s still some time left to choose a name as the compact hatch won’t be fully revealed until the Geneva Motor Show in March 2010.

The 147′s replacement, which will be made only as a five-door model, is based on the Fiat Group’s new C-Evo platform that will also be used in future Chrysler and Dodge products.

Measuring in at 4,350mm in length, 1,460 mm in height and 1,800 mm in width, with a wheelbase of 2,630mm, the new compact hatch is slightly longer, taller and wider than the current 147. It also features a boot capacity of 350 liters.

When it arrives in Alfa’s showrooms in spring next year, the hatch will initially be offered with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines, all turbocharged.

The range will include the 1.4-liter TB and 1.4-liter TB Multiair petrol units with 120HP and 170HP respectively, and the 1.6-liter JTDM and 2.0-liter JTDM diesels with 105HP and 170HP respectively.

Later in the year, Alfa Romeo will introduce a sportier version wearing the “Quadrifoglio Verde” (four-leaf clover) badge to compete against the VW Golf GTI and Renault Megane RS. The QV will be powered by a 1.7-liter (1,750cc) four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine delivering an output of 235 horsepower.