Aug
    24
    2010
  • Alfa Giulia GTAm Tops Alfa Voting Poll

         by Aman Chaudhry

    Although Alfa Romeo has to date created more than 70 models in its rich 100 year history, it all came down to a battle between just two iconic Alfas in a poll of fans’ favourites, initiated to celebrate the Italian marque’s centenary year.

    And it was the Alfa Giulia GTAm that came top of the poll, beating the 8C Competizione supercar to the chequered flag with less than one percent more of the vote.

    The Alfa Giulia GTAm, which gained 20.4 per cent of the overall tally, derived from the standard 1750 GT Veloce production model, and secured its place in the Alfa Romeo elite by winning the 1970 European Touring Car Championship in the hands of Dutchman Toine Hezemans. The votes for this poll were collected from admirers and owners – known as Alfisti – who submitted photos of their Alfas to the alfacentenary.co.uk website to create a unique piece of mosaic artwork.

    The GTAm and Alfa’s current supercar, the 8C Competizione, led the way against a shortlist of classics including the 2900 B Le Mans, Alfasud and the 156 GTA.

    A worthy runner-up with 19.8 per cent, the 8C Competizione – worth more than £123,000 – debuted as a concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2003 and went on to be produced in 2008 as a limited edition model of just 500 examples and selling out almost immediately. The car’s name derives from Alfa’s world famous 8 cylinder (8C) engine and the marque’s racing pedigree.

    The Alfa Spider Duetto, widely regarded as a design classic, finished in third place with 16.01 per cent of the vote. This car was first launched in 1966 and famously starred in the legendary film The Graduate in 1967, alongside Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft.

    Alfa Romeo UK Brand Communications manager, Damien Dally, says: “The Giulia GTAm was a great Alfa and a deserved winner. It’s really interesting to see how people voted in the poll. We all have our favourites which is testament to the fantastic cars Alfa Romeo has produced over the past century.”

    The latest five-door Alfa Giulietta model, which takes styling cues from the iconic 8C Competizione, is now on sale in dealerships across the UK.

    Press data & images: Alfa Romeo
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  • Apr
    27
    2010
  • Zagato Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa

         by Aman Chaudhry

    Lake Como in Italy has seen many historic cars at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este each year and the last weekend was no exception. It saw the official unveiling of the Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa race car. Zagato, one of Italy’s top coach builders and Alfa Romeo celebrated their 90 year collaboration and also 100 years of common racing history.

    The TZ3 is built around a mono shell carbon fiber tubular chassis along with a tubular frame and aluminum body sell making it 4.3 meters long, 1.9 m wide and 1.2 m wide while keeping the sports cars’ weight at 850 kg.

    Under the hood you will find a 4.2-liter V8 engine with 420 horsepower, which used dry sump lubrication and allows manual adjustable calibration. A 6-speed sequential gearbox is attached which makes the TZ3 cover 0 to 100 km/h in less than 3.5 seconds and offers a top speed of 300 km/h.

    This is a full-blown race car with OMP developing the suspension, WRC carbon fiber seats and steering wheel and Pirelli supplied the 18 inch slick Pzero tyres.


    The race car was commissioned by the German Alfa Romeo Zagato Collector Martin Kapp.

    The TZ3 Corsa is not a design exercise. It does not take inspiration only from the 90 year collaboration between the two brands, neither only from the Milanese conjunction between Alfa Romeo and Zagato. The TZ3 Corsa is a race car, honouring 100 years of races and victories across the whole 20th century,” stated the press release.

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  • Apr
    26
    2010
  • 2010 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este

         by Aman Chaudhry

    The 2010 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este took place April 23-25 on the grounds at the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este and Villa Erba on Lake Como in Cernobbio, Italy.

    This is one of the most prestigious events for Historic cars all over the world. A traditional event that stated way back in 1929 and then revived in the 1990s under the patronage of BMW.

    Auto enthusiasts present there saw (and touched) some of the brilliant wonders of the world made in the form of automobiles.

    “Once again the Concorso has borne impressive testimony that cars have lost none of their fascination,” commented Karl Baumer, President of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and Director of BMW Group Classic. Dott.

    Jean-Marc Droulers, President of Villa d’Este S.p.A., looked back on two extraordinary days, “The Concorso is ruled by a constellation that could hardly be bettered: heritage, elegance and a passion for cars create the perfect foundation for a weekend such as we have been privileged to experience once again.”

    Some of the winners of the 2010 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este are listed below.

    For further information please click here to go to the official site of Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este

    Trofeo BMW Group – Best in Show by the Jury and Trofeo BMW Group Italia
    1938 Talbot-Lago T150 C SS Teardrop Coupé, Figoni & Falaschi, 1938, Oscar Davis, USA

    Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este – Best of Show by Public Referendum at Villa d’Este, 1955 Maserati A6GCS Spider, Frua, John F. Bookout Jr., USA

    Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award By Public Referendum at Villa Erba Zagato, Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa, Coupé, 2010 Entrant: Martin Kapp

    Class Winner, 1937 BMW 328 Mille Miglia Streamline Roadster, BMW, Christoph Bode

    Class Winner, 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé, Mercedes-Benz, Paul Stewart, UK

    Mention of Honor, 1968 Lamborghini Miura Roadster, Bertone, Albert Spiess, CH

    Class Winner, 1956 Alfa Romeo 1900 SS Berlinetta, Zagato, David Sydorick, USA

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  • Apr
    15
    2010
  • The 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta

         by Aman Chaudhry

    Months after sneaks peeks and leaks, the much awaited  Alfa Romeo Giuletta has finally been revealed on the internet.

    Now, the world really knows what the European Giuletta model looks like. Finally one can find pictures, power figures and other details of this striking hatchback that has been playing with everybody’s curiosity.

    The 2011 five-door Alfa Romeo Giulietta gives you a choice to choose from four different models. In total there are four different turbocharged 4 cylinder engines with 2 petrol and 2 diesel respectively.

    The two petrol versions offer -120 HP 1.4TB and 170 HP, 250 Nm 1.4TB Multiair that gives out 4.6 l/100 km in the extra-urban cycle and 134 g/km of CO2 emissions.

    And the diesels -105 HP , 320 Nm 1.6 JTDM and 170 HP , 350 Nm 2.0 JTDM that delivers 124 g/km of CO2 emissions & 4.1 l/100 km in the extra-urban cycle. Both are second-generation MultiJet engines

    If this wasn’t enough there’s another top of the line Giulietta, which will come with a 1750 Tbi that gives out 235 hp of tourque and, it will come Alfa’s sporty Quadrifoglio Verde trim package.

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    All the engines are combined with a manual 6-speed gearbox while the Multiair and 170 HP 2.0 JTDM engines will be combined with an innovative dual-clutch automatic transmission. The engines have been further improvised with Start/Stop to improve fuel consumption and reduce emissions.

    Fancy new Giulietta sports the new design line like that on the 8C Competizione supercar and is said to use a new platform that will be shared between the Fiat and Chrysler group.  The interiors and the dashboard of the Giuliettatoo bear some similarity with the 8C. Amongst the rest of its features, the 2011 Giulietta carries LED daytime runners (inspired by Audi?) built into the front headlights and rear LED light clusters.

    Unfortunately as exciting promising as the car looks in pictures, our friends in US of A might be tad disappointed as Alfa Romeo has no plans (yet?) to bring the car to the American soil.

    “There are no plans at present to export the Alfa Romeo Giulietta to the North American market,” Richard Gadeselli, Vice President of Communications for Fiat Group Automobiles SpA.

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