Autoblog

Alfa Romeo is returning to the US market in about a year, offering the zooty 8C Competizione and 8C Spider atop a range of less spectacular offerings. While the top-end 8Cs will probably be Italian emigres, the 149 and 169 sedans could be put together in Mexico. Alfa doesn't have a hard and fast decision yet, and could pick another site, even one in North America. Moving the labor to Mexico for the volume sellers might prove to be a wise move on Alfa's part. The dollar continues to take a beating, pushing up the cost of European items on US sales markets, and building somewhere else would sidestep some of those increased costs. Alfa is trying this idea in China, too, where Chery will assemble automobiles for that market. We're all for it if it gets the keys to some stylish Italians in our hands while holding the prices down. The quality can't be any worse than it was in the bad old days that led to the notorious reputation for unreliability that afflicted Italian marques. Besides, those shop queens were so joyous to drive, they made suckers out of all of us, and we'd do it again, given the chance.

[Source: Inside Line]

click above to view more high-res images of the gorgeous GranTurismo

Since Maserati unveiled the GranTurismo almost a year ago in Geneva, the question on everybody's mind has been, when is the convertible coming? The Trident marque from Modena has finally answered the call, announcing that, although it has yet to decide which show will feature its debut, the convertible will hit the market in March 2009.

Based on the GranTurismo's platform, itself shortened from the four-door Quattroporte's, the remaining question is what form the convertible will take. Although Maserati is thought to be developing a hardtop convertible, sources suggest the upcoming model will adopt a folding soft top, leaving the door open for a smaller hard-top convertible in the future.

The convertible GranTurismo will fill a void in Maserati's line-up created by the departure of the previous-generation Spyder – which ended production along with the GranSport and Coupe – and will form a vital component to achieving its sales targets. When the final figures come in later this month, Maserati expects to post its first profitable year since being taken over by the Fiat Auto Group some 17 years ago, buoyed by steadily increasing sales: In 2006 Maserati sold 5,714 units, rising to 7,353 units in 2007, anticipated to reach 9,000 in 2008, putting the company on track to reach its target of 12,000 vehicles annually by 2011.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req'd]

Uh-oh. The big day came and went and you forgot a present for that pint-size kiddie on your shopping list. This is gonna cost ya. We'd charge you for information on the ultimate "stop crying, let me make it up to you" gift, but our lawyers insist it's legally questionable and our life coach says it's "wrong", whatever that means.

So here's what you want to get to make the kid forget the conspicuous and disappointing void under the tree: an Alfa Romeo. Okay, not a real one, but everything is relative and to a child, this will seem just as cool – trust us. These downsized rideable Alfa Spiders are available with a choice of body-styles – 8C Competizione or Brera – and powertrain. A hair under three bills will get pedal-power, or an extra two hundred nets the 6-volt electric version. Shipping's extra if you live outside the UK, and the roadsters are made for kids ages 2-5. Oh, and they're available only in red.

If your kid's passion lies elsewhere than with Alfa Romeo, we'd recommend a better education. In the meantime, don't fret: Turbo Toys has a variety of similar ride-ons, including a Maserati, Audi TT, Jag XK, Porsche, and several Ferraris.

You can thank us later.

[Source: Turbo Toys via Carscoop]

click to enlarge

Dutch designer Michiel van den Brink doesn't seem to be deterred by adversity. First he set out to pen a modern interpretation of one of the most iconic homologated racing GTs of all time, the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. Then he actually decided to build his design, basing it on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, arguably the most dynamically sublime supercar ever to grace tarmac. When the Fiorano's 600-hp Enzo sourced V12 wasn't good enough, he teamed up with tuning house Edo Competition to turn it up to 11 by boring it out to 6.3 liters. The result? 750 horsepower. When Maranello declined to grant him its blessing, he started taking orders anyway from customers seemingly undeterred by the $1.3 million asking price... over the cost of the donor car.

Now that conjecture has begun circulating cyberspace that Ferrari is considering building a small run of convertibles based on the Fiorano, van den Brink has thrown his hat into the ring by unveiling his own design, dubbed the "GT Convertible". A far more convincing and seducing design than the photochops we've seen so far, van den Brink says he'll build it complete with a folding carbon-fiber hard-top for any interested customer.

That's some unfettered ambition, considering we've yet to see an actual copy of the Vandenbrink GTO built, yet despite an undisclosed but undoubtedly high cost for the sublime chop-job, Michiel might start taking orders before you know it.

More details are included in the press release after the jump, where van den Brink alludes to future designs to be based on the Audi R8, Spyker C8 Spyder and Corvette Z06. Oh yes, the future bears promise.

[Source: Vandenbrink Design]

The internet, as usual, is rife with speculation. Today's source is the FerrariChat message forum, where members claim to have inside information on two new Ferrari models that are anticipated for launch within the next couple of years.

The news concerns a convertible version of the current 599 GTB Fiorano, an illustration of which you see above (courtesy of AutoGespot). FChat member "supraman55" says his local dealer confirmed the upcoming model for a debut at either Detroit or Geneva in 2009. Speculation surrounding the 599 Spider is backed up by an interview with Ferrari's General Director, Amadeo Felisa, which appeared recently in the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport. When asked about a convertible 599, Felisa confirmed that Ferrari is developing such a model for possible production in a limited series like its predecessor, the 575-based SuperAmerica. We'll add our own fuel to the fire by speculating that, based on traditional Ferrari nomenclature revived for the 599 GTB, the roadster will likely carry the 599 GTS designation, perhaps married to another name to replace Fiorano for the open-air version.

[Sources: FerrariChat, Auto Motor und Sport, AutoGespot]

It's been a while since we got a fresh batch of Bugatti Veyron Spider/Targa rumors, but Autogespot has ended the lull with inside sources claiming that a prototype of the open-air supercar is already on the road and that sales will begin next year. Apparently, the only downside to lopping off the roof on a car capable of hitting 400 km/h (248 mph) is that aero restrictions are going to limit the speed to a pedestrian 340 km/h (211 mph). We can sense your disappointment, but that's not even the worst of it. The removable roof won't be able to be stored on the go, so if the sky opens up mid-jaunt, you'll be forced to construct a makeshift roof out of the spare $100 bills lining your pockets.

[Source: Autogespot]

Cyberspace is rife with speculation about a new small Alfa Romeo convertible, which could be an indicator of one of two things: either the quintessential Italian automaker has got one such spider in the works, or it's just plain old wishful thinking.

Rumors suggest a revival of the Alfa Romeo Duetto, popularized by Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate, which could feature a retractable hard-top for motoring al fresco under the Tuscan sun or closed again for parking in Rome and winding through the Alps.

Along the road to rehabilitation, Alfa's return to the American market will include two unspeakably beautiful convertibles: the Brera-based Spider, and the recently-confirmed convertible version of the 8C Competizione. A third convertible in the line-up would be likely to come in significantly under the price of either (not hard to do in the 8C's case considering the anticipated €185,000 sticker price that's guaranteed to climb with speculation) in the effort to attract a younger clientele. If the upcoming "Alfa Junior" can serve as any indication, we could be looking at an Italian rival to the likes of the Mazda MX-5 and Pontiac Solctice, which again could be just wishful thinking.

[Sources: World Car Fans and Italiaspeed]

Following the initial confirmation from Alfa Romeo that the drop-dead-sell-my-soul-and-both-kidneys-gorgeous 8C Competizione was going into production, however limited, the temporarily satiated hearts and minds of Italian sportscar fans (and really, who isn't a fan of Italian sportscars?) turned to the next obvious question: what about its equally jaw-dropping open-aired sister, the 8C Spider? We've been patiently awaiting any indication from the Milanese automaker, and the latest reports suggest that Alfa will indeed produce a limited run of the rolling piece of alfresco art.

Italian automotive publication Quattroroute claims that the 8C Spider will begin rolling out of the factory at the end of next year. Like the instantly sold-out fixed-roof version, only 500 examples will be produced, with a corresponding price increase to €180,000.

So, seriously...anyone interested in buying a kidney?

[Source: Quattroroute via Motorpasion]

Why do bad things happen to good cars? It seems to us that Ferraris are getting crashed left, right and center, and we're here to say they don't deserve this. We're speaking up for the little red-headed sportscars that can't speak for themselves (except in indiscernible revs and exhaust notes... and in Pixar movies).

The latest, at least, was not an Enzo. The world supply of those rare supercars is being rapidly and dangerously depleted by ostensibly careless drivers who seem to be routinely writing them off. No, this one was "just" a Modena, a 360 Spider to be precise, crashed into a lamp post at an intersection in Perth, Australia. By the looks of things, it was just the front end that was wrapped around the pole, while the rest of the car looks fine. But there's bound to be some structural damage to the 360's aluminum frame, and you can try to fix that, but she'll never be the same.

In response to this latest assault on the Ferrari community, we're marching to the UN to drum up support for a new bill to be passed that mandates the death sentence for anyone who acts so carelessly as to kill an innocent Ferrari. Exceptions will be legislated for official factory drivers, but everyone else is hereby put on notice.

[Source: Le Blog Auto – French]

As the reigning world champions – poised to secure one if not both titles for a second straight year – Renault hasn't done much to bank on its Formula One success with its model range. It seems the best it could muster is a special edition of the Megane hatchback. But the createur d'automobiles is looking to change that with a roadster to compete with the Mazda MX-5.

Renaultsport chief Alain Dassas confirmed the roadster will hit the market by 2010 with a £19,570 sticker price in the UK. That should be fairly competitive with the Mazda, which (for comparison's sake) ranges from £15,650 to £20,710 in the British market and was enjoying more elbow room after the cancellation of the Toyota MR2. No more info is available on the upcoming French spider at this point, but it promises to be a more serious contender than the Renault Sport Spider (pictured) from the late 90's with its optional windscreen (!) and complete lack of a roof of any kind.

If the old "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" adage has any truth to it, the new roadster should give the Mazda a good run for its money, and give Renault a sporty model as a practical halo for the entire range.

[Source: Auto Express]