The Alfa Romeo MiTo will make it to the stateside in 2013 and we’re pretty excited about that. To keep us on our feet and excited for Alfa’s return to the U.S., the company is teasing us with another special-edition model for the UK.

Known as the Alfa Romeo MiTo Turismo Sport, the special-edition model adds some more design, upgraded performance and engineering technology. The MiTo Turismo Sport will be available in a choice of three colors including Solid Black, Biancospino White or the new Alfa Metallic Red. The model also features AC, special-edition 16-inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, cruise control, Blue&Me connect technology, fog lamps and a leather steering wheel.

Source: egmCarTech

The waiting is finally over… Alfa Romeo’s stunning concept car, the 8C Spider has passed from dream to become reality, and Auto Express is first behind the wheel.

Launched at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and star of the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the 8C Spider looks set to be one of this year’s most desirable cars.

Hot on the heels of the 8C coupé, which also inspired the Alfa MiTo, the newcomer offers stunning performance, sensational styling… and a not inconsiderable £120,000 price tag, the Spider offers drivers 450bhp from its Ferrari derived 4.7-litre V8 engine.

And to ensure that this model is every inch a match for its supercar rivals, all of that power is channelled to the rear wheels through a six-speed paddle shift gearbox.

A dashboard-mounted button drops the twin-layered fabric roof, which once stowed blends effortlessly with the cars sculpted bodywork.

Up front there’s simply no mistaking this car’s rich Italian heritage. Wide air intakes and jewel like headlamps blend style and purpose in near perfect balance. The set up is matched at the rear, where the drama continues with quad exhaust pipes and simple, circular tail-lights.

But it’s this machine’s classic silhouette – with its long bonnet and stocky proportions – that separates it from its rivals.

It’s been made possible by a clever aerodynamic under tray which helps keep the model pinned to the road at speed, doing away with the need for ugly wings and spoilers.

But while the design might make the very most of Alfa’s rich heritage, the body itself represents the very latest technology. Comprised of carbon fibre it’s based on a steel spaceframe chassis which also offers incredible strength.

What’s more, the gearbox is mounted on the rear axle helping to give the 8C perfect weight distribution, while double wishbone suspension features front and rear. Huge vented disc brakes and 20-inch alloys provide awesome stopping power.

From behind the wheel, the cabin is classic Alfa, with carbon fibre trim adding a luxurious, sporting touch. Deep bucket seats offer the same luxurious leather used by Ferrari, and are hugely comfortable.

And with the V8 engine running, there’s no shortage of performance. Alfa says it’ll do 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 190mph. As it spins into life it’s clear that the engine and exhaust note are at the very heart of the 8C experience. The sound is modelled on the Alfa’s past racers, and while it is never rough, it’s both distinctive and purposeful.

The 8C’s neutral chassis balance rewards smooth driving, offering plenty of mid-corner grip. Turn in is crisp and the car tracks cleanly to the apex. Too much throttle on the way out, however, quickly introduces oversteer which is controled with a mix of sharp, responsive steering and the subtle yet reassuring intervention of the traction control.

The gearbox adds to the experience – switching to manual mode requres the driver to pull on one of the carbon shift levers, while a sport button mounted in the centre console offers swifter gearchanges and and extra revs at the redline.

Impressively, there’s almost no shake in the chassis, and the car never feels overwhelmed by the huge amouts of lateral grip you can harness. Carbon ceramic brakes offer consistent stopping power from very high revs, yet the pedal needs to be pressed hard to feel their full effect.

And if all this sound too good to be true…that’s probably because it is.

With just a handful of models – all of which will be left hand drive – set to reach the UK, supply will be limited. Lottery winners and millionaire car fans are likely buyers, but we promise that if you have the kind of cash you’ll need to take delivery, we would advise you to head for the nearest Alfa showroom now! You won’t be disappointed.

Source Autoexpress.co.uk

There was speculation during the Alfa MiTo developation, that placed many different nameplates on the sport hatch. One of them was Junior, but new reports suggest that Alfa may in fact be preparing an additional model to carry the Junior name.

Although the MiTo was earmarked to hold down the lower end of the Alfa Romeo range with styling drawn from the 8C Competizione, in terms of body style, at least, the new Junior may in fact be closer to the halo supercar – more of a sports coupe than a sport hatch. The platform will allegedly be based on the MiTo’s, sharing some of the same engine options while introducing a new hydraulic manual as well as a new dual-clutch gearbox to the range. Little else is known about the Junior, but expect similar styling to the MiTo with a lower roofline and sleeker profile.

Sister company Lancia may yet get its own version to revive the Fulvia name, and given parent company Fiat’s new alliance with Chrysler, we’d hope the new small sportscar might make it over the Atlantic as part of Alfa Romeo’s long-anticipated return to the North American market.

Source Autoblog

The sporty MiTo by Alfa Romeo was named 2009 European car of the year. The stylish little two-door hatchback scored 462 points in voting by automotive journalists from across Europe.

The Lancia Delta finished second and the Ford Fiesta placed third. The Fiesta is to go on sale in the United States in 2010.

The awards complete a very good two-year run for Fiat Auto, which owns the Alfa Romeo and Lancia brands. Fiat’s quirky 500 subcompact won the award last year.

The MiTo gets its name from a contraction of Milano, Alfa’s home city, and Torino, where Fiat is based.

Source: freepress

Ah yes, the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider. With only 500 units going into production (and of course the crazy price tag) we all probably could only dream of seeing it at the auto shows and sitting in it for a few minutes. But until then, Alfa has been kind enough to release some new images of the beauty.

Refresher: Power comes from a 4.7 liter 8-cylinder engine producing 450 horsepower.

Alfa 8C Spider

The highly buzzed Alfa Romeo’s Mi.To hatchback is already spawning rumors of a convertible version. The much anticipated release could hit the market in 2009, only a year after the hatchback’s unveiling.

As reported by Noah Joseph:

Alfa Romeo’s new Mi.To hatchback hasn’t even seen the light of day yet and already it’s spreading like wildfire across the automotive news media. Only days after initial details and images were released, already rumors are beginning to circulate of a convertible version. And why not? Alfa roadsters are eminently desirable, and since the Mi.To’s styling was so directly inspired by the 8C Competizione’s, why shouldn’t it get a Spider version of its own?

Anticipated to hit the market in the summer of 2009 – a year after the hatchback’s official unveiling – the Mi.To convertible’s design and production could very well be outsourced to one of the myriad Italian design studios desperately looking for work and experienced in convertible conversions. (Several – including Bertone and Fioravanti – have already done convertible concepts based on the Grande Punto on whose platform the Mi.To is based). Alternatively, Alfa could do it all in-house, as it did with its other convertibles, potentially sharing development with Abarth. Meanwhile, Alfa could opt to squeeze in a pair of small rear seats, or alternatively pull them out as it did when converting the Brera to the Spider. If both were built, the Mi.To Spider would sit below the speculated Duetto revival in Alfa Romeo’s drop-top line-up, and could very well make it Stateside to do battle with the MINI Cabrio.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Originally by Noah Joseph from Autoblog on March 21, 2008, 1:01am

Alfa Romeo just released initial details and images of the long-awaited Mi.To hatchback, and already industry analysts are predicting the MINI rival could make it across the ocean when the company returns to the American market.

Newly-installed Alfa Romeo CEO Luca De Meo needs to double the brand’s sales to 300,000 units by 2010 to make it profitable, and the Mi.To is central to that goal. Alfa hopes to sell 70,000 to 75,000 units of the junior hatch, which goes on sale in European markets this July starting at Є16,000. Alfa hasn’t officially confirmed that the new hatch will make it Stateside, but the Mi.To was reportedly engineered to meet U.S. safety and emissions regulations. While we wait for confirmation, you can check out the high-resolution images in the gallery below, and, as a special treat for all you Alfaphiles out there, a video after the jump.

Gallery: Alfa Romeo Mi.To

[Source: Automotive News (subscription required) via eGM Car Tech]

Originally by Noah Joseph from Autoblog on March 17, 2008, 12:32pm