Alfa Romeo 4C Concept: Video and Live Shots from the Geneva Motor Show

I know some of our readers will disagree, hell, even some of the folks here at Carscoop will beg to differ, nevertheless, I'm going to say it: I'm utterly disappointed with the styling of Alfa Romeo's 4C Concept, which is slated to enter production in 2012. Alfa had a unique chance to redefine its design language with its first mainstream rear-wheel drive model in decades but instead chose to add the Mickey Mouse - bug face treatment to a body that looks awfully similar to the Lotus Elise.

The specific styling cues may work for the 8C Competizione but if you ask me, the 4C looks just as silly as the MiTo does. Granted; the true essence of the 4C Concept lays under the skin and in particular the mid-engine / rear-wheel drive architecture, but would it be much to ask for some of that styling magic Alfa Romeo has served us over the years?

As always, feel free to agree or disagree in our comments section below.

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Alfa Romeo 4C Concept: Video and Live Shots from the Geneva Motor Show

I know some of our readers will disagree, hell, even some of the folks here at Carscoop will beg to differ, nevertheless, I'm going to say it: I'm utterly disappointed with the styling of Alfa Romeo's 4C Concept, which is slated to enter production in 2012. Alfa had a unique chance to redefine its design language with its first mainstream rear-wheel drive model in decades but instead chose to add the Mickey Mouse - bug face treatment to a body that looks awfully similar to the Lotus Elise.

The specific styling cues may work for the 8C Competizione but if you ask me, the 4C looks just as silly as the MiTo does. Granted; the true essence of the 4C Concept lays under the skin and in particular the mid-engine / rear-wheel drive architecture, but would it be much to ask for some of that styling magic Alfa Romeo has served us over the years?

As always, feel free to agree or disagree in our comments section below.

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Geneva Show: Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe Concept with Mid-Mounted 1.75-Liter Turbo Engine and RWD

Alfa Romeo has unveiled a concept study for a compact and affordable "supercar” called 4C Concept at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The car is a two-seater, rear-wheel drive coupe with a mid-mounted engine that could find its way into production as early as 2012. According to the Italian car maker, the 4C represents “the true essence of a sports car, according to the brand values: performance, Italian style and technical excellence aimed at maximum driving pleasure in total safety.”

As the name suggests, the car is supposed to be a smaller version of the 8C Competizione, which is also true in the case of the design, as the 4C looks very similar to Alfa's supercar. The Alfa Romeo 4C Concept has a length of approximately 4 meters and a wheelbase of less than 2.4 meters. These dimensions emphasize the compact size of the car and also accentuate its agility, Alfa says.

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Duped: Alleged Spy Video of Alfa Romeo 4C an MPCARDESIGN Project

A "spy" video showing an Alfa Romeo 4C GTA and Spider has been circulating around the internet lately, with some screen shots even making their way on British car magazine Autoexpress which posted a story on its website the other day.

We had our doubts about its authenticity ever since we first saw the film last week, and today these suspicions were confirmed after we came in contact with Marco Procaccini from MPCARDESIGN who told us that he made the video as part of a new (independent) Alfa Romeo project he is working on. Apparently, someone got hold of Mario's video, and tried to pass it on as a scoop, duping many people in the process.

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Alfa Romeo Rumored [Again] to be Planning a KTM X-Bow-based Sports Car

At this year’s Geneva Motor Show, Alfa Romeo may take the audience by surprise with a lightweight, mid-engine and rear-wheel drive coupe concept that will eventually become the Italian maker’s next affordable halo car, reportedly named 4C GTA.

According to an Automotive News Europe [ANE] report, a Fiat spokesman has confirmed that development is underway, however the Geneva debut is uncertain due to “delays in the concept model construction”.

The brand’s last affordable rear-wheel drive model was the “Classic Spider”, which was discontinued in 1994, leaving a gap that was never filled by Alfa Romeo. True, the limited run 8C Competizione, built between 2007 and 2008, was an impressive car, but with a price tag of over €200,000 (US $276,160) it was simply too expensive for the average Alfa buyer.

The new model is said to go on sale in Europe by late 2012 with a base price of €40,000 (or about US $55,244). According to inside sources, Alfa plans to build up to 25,000 units by the end of 2017. If true, the 4C GTA could also make it to the States, but nothing’s final yet.

The role of the 4C GTA is clear: it’s expected to attract customers to the firm's showrooms, where the upcoming 159 replacement and the brand’s first SUV model should convince them to sign on the dotted line.

Sources stated it will be styled by Alfa’s own design center in Turin and that the “rakish, very compact and extremely low two-seat coupe” will make use of modified version of the KTM X-Bow platform, originally engineered by Italy’s Dallara Automobili for the Austrian motorcycle maker. Power is said to come from the Giulietta’s 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, expected to deliver over 250HP.

Let’s that just hope that if the 4C GTA rumors turn out to be real, the sports car will be instantly recognizable as a true Alfa Romeo and not a rebadged X-Bow.

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Alfa Romeo Rumored [Again] to be Planning a KTM X-Bow-based Sports Car

At this year’s Geneva Motor Show, Alfa Romeo may take the audience by surprise with a lightweight, mid-engine and rear-wheel drive coupe concept that will eventually become the Italian maker’s next affordable halo car, reportedly named 4C GTA.

According to an Automotive News Europe [ANE] report, a Fiat spokesman has confirmed that development is underway, however the Geneva debut is uncertain due to “delays in the concept model construction”.

The brand’s last affordable rear-wheel drive model was the “Classic Spider”, which was discontinued in 1994, leaving a gap that was never filled by Alfa Romeo. True, the limited run 8C Competizione, built between 2007 and 2008, was an impressive car, but with a price tag of over €200,000 (US $276,160) it was simply too expensive for the average Alfa buyer.

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Alfa Romeo Giuseppe Merosi Design Study for a RWD Sports Coupe

From the creator of the Alfa Romeo Vittorio Jano Sedan and Sport Wagon concepts comes this new design study for a classy-looking GT. Named after Giuseppe Merosi, a famous Italian automobile engineer Giuseppe Merosi who worked for Alfa Romeo (then named A.L.F.A.) in the beginning of the previous century, the prototype presented by Marco Procaccini from MPcardesign is a four-seater sports coupe designed to feature a much missed by Alfa Romeo fans, rear-wheel drive layout.

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Concept Flashback: Alfa Romeo’s 1996 Nuvola Prototipo V6 Sports Coupe

Welcome to the story of the Alfa Romeo Nuvola Prototipo, one of the most gripping concepts to wear the famous Visconti Serpent badges in the past two decades. Unveiled for the first time at the Paris Motor Show in 1996, the Nuvola Prototipo was named after Tazio Nuvolari, the legendary Italian motorcycle and racecar driver who competed for Alfa in the 1930s.

The Nuvola had all the essential ingredients of a proper Alfa Romeo sports coupe - a beautifully crafted body and interior, classic proportions, a dedicated chassis and enough power to put a smile on your face.

Of course we would have preferred a rear-wheel drive setup, but its four wheel drive layout is much less of a compromise (for a sports car) than if power was transferred exclusively to the front axle.

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Concept Flashback: Alfa Romeo’s 1996 Nuvola Prototipo V6 Sports Coupe

Welcome to the story of the Alfa Romeo Nuvola Prototipo, one of the most gripping concepts to wear the famous Visconti Serpent badges in the past two decades. Unveiled for the first time at the Paris Motor Show in 1996, the Nuvola Prototipo was named after Tazio Nuvolari, the legendary Italian motorcycle and racecar driver who competed for Alfa in the 1930s.

The Nuvola had all the essential ingredients of a proper Alfa Romeo sports coupe - a beautifully crafted body and interior, classic proportions, a dedicated chassis and enough power to put a smile on your face.

Of course we would have preferred a rear-wheel drive setup, but its four wheel drive layout is much less of a compromise (for a sports car) than if power was transferred exclusively to the front axle.

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IDECORE's Alfa Romeo Monza V8 Concept [with Video]

This is IDECORE's (an acronym for "ideas, concepts, relationships") Alfa Romeo Monza V8,a new digital concept in honor of the Italian firm's centennial celebration. IDECORE, which bills itself as "independent designers and modelers", sees this model as an Executive Sport 2+2 with a next-gen Multiair V8 driving the rear wheels.

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IDECORE's Alfa Romeo Monza V8 Concept [with Video]

This is IDECORE's (an acronym for "ideas, concepts, relationships") Alfa Romeo Monza V8,a new digital concept in honor of the Italian firm's centennial celebration. IDECORE, which bills itself as "independent designers and modelers", sees this model as an Executive Sport 2+2 with a next-gen Multiair V8 driving the rear wheels.

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Alfa Romeo Vittorio Jano Sport Wagon by Marco Procaccini

A few months back we showed you Marco Procaccini's Vittorio Jano design study for an Alfa Romeo 159 replacement (see here). The slinky fastback notably featured an aggressive front end treatment and a C-Column / rear glasshouse design somewhat reminiscent of the Lotus Evora.

Now Marco is back with a more practical Sport Wagon variant of the Vittorio Jano which -in theory- is 50 mm longer and 10 mm taller than its saloon sibling.

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Alfa Romeo Vittorio Jano Sport Wagon by Marco Procaccini

A few months back we showed you Marco Procaccini's Vittorio Jano design study for an Alfa Romeo 159 replacement (see here). The slinky fastback notably featured an aggressive front end treatment and a C-Column / rear glasshouse design somewhat reminiscent of the Lotus Evora.

Now Marco is back with a more practical Sport Wagon variant of the Vittorio Jano which -in theory- is 50 mm longer and 10 mm taller than its saloon sibling.

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Carscoop Interviews Yana Briggs, Designer of the 2022 Alfa Romeo Mode Concept Study

Though we'd all like to think we're pretty unbiased when it comes to gender roles in the workplace, there are still a few that manage to surprise us.

Take for example automotive designers. The list of male personas in the industry is almost endless: Harley Earl, Raymond Loewy, Ian Callum, Chris Bangle, Giorgetto Giugiaro... Now try and think of female car designers and you're unlikely to come up with even one name without Googling it.

While doing background research on a sleek design study called the 2022 Alfa Romeo Mode, Carscoop was surprised to discover that the designer behind the project was a woman. As a great number of ladies we speak to roll their eyes at the slightest mention of cars, we were determined to investigate.

What we discovered was designer Yana Briggs, who was kind enough to agree to do an interview with us. We ask Yana about herself, the challenges of working in a male dominated industry and her Alfa Romeo design study. Intrigued? Then follow the jump for the interview.

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6:05 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Carscoop Interviews Yana Briggs, Designer of the 2022 Alfa Romeo Mode Concept Study

Though we'd all like to think we're pretty unbiased when it comes to gender roles in the workplace, there are still a few that manage to surprise us.

Take for example automotive designers. The list of male personas in the industry is almost endless: Harley Earl, Raymond Loewy, Ian Callum, Chris Bangle, Giorgetto Giugiaro... Now try and think of female car designers and you're unlikely to come up with even one name without Googling it.

While doing background research on a sleek design study called the 2022 Alfa Romeo Mode, Carscoop was surprised to discover that the designer behind the project was a woman. As a great number of ladies we speak to roll their eyes at the slightest mention of cars, we were determined to investigate.

What we discovered was designer Yana Briggs, who was kind enough to agree to do an interview with us. We ask Yana about herself, the challenges of working in a male dominated industry and her Alfa Romeo design study. Intrigued? Then follow the jump for the interview.

Read more »

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Foose-Made Alfa Romeo Carabo Replica Found on eBay

Originally made for Alfa Romeo by Bertone, the (real) Carabo was built atop a chassis donated by Alfa's 33 Stradale. Packing a 230-horsepower V8, it debuted at the 1968 Paris Motor Show. But this isn't it.

Don't worry, this isn't some tacky, Fiero-based kit car, either. The guy behind this replica wanted to purchase the original from Bertone (so the ad says) but the design firm wasn't willing to part with the masterpiece, so he decided to say to hell with that and have his own built...by Sam Foose. For those who just got out of bed, that would be Chip Foose's father.

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New Alfa Romeo Spider Design Study

Here are the names of the three designers behind this Alfa Romeo Spider: Alberto Gaiani, Massimo Paparella and Michela Zedda. They're from the Politecnico di Milano University, and this is the result of a project in conjunction with Alfa.

If ever built, this Spider would likely have an FR layout, a power cloth top, and retain the trademark Alfa nose. From these shots, it looks like a Pontiac Solstice / Saturn Sky from Alfa, a higher-luxury would-be Miata hunter.

Samuel Codegoni, a teacher at the university, explains the design like this: "One of the main ideas that drove this project was to express a sense of tension in action. This decidedly moves away from the first production model takes as a reference: the iconic Duetto of the 1960's - the second reference was the Alfa Spider from the '90s, with its typical wedge-shaped profile."

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Zagato Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa: Official Specs and Photo Gallery from Villa D'Este

The Zagato-penned and developed Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa was finally revealed in a world premiere at this past weekend's prestigious Villa D'Este Concours.

As Zagato pointed out, the car is not a design exercise but a one off racing special that was commissioned by German collector Martin Kapp who owns, among other Alfa Romeos, an SZ coda tonda and SZ coda tronca, TZ, and TZ2, Junior Z and S.Z.

Inspired by its 1960s predecessors, the original Alfa TZ and TZ2, the TZ3 Corsa is based on a mono shell carbon fibre tubular chassis, coupled with a tubular frame and a lightweight aluminum body.

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