Latest news with #AlfaRomeo
Auto Car
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
Vauxhall Mokka gets an extra shot of caffeine with new 276bhp GSe range-topper
Vauxhall has reimagined its GSe performance brand with a new version of the Mokka Electric that has nearly double the power of the standard car. Previewed by the Mokka GSe Rally prototype in May, the crossover's arrival marks the relaunch of GSe, most recently used for the plug-in hybrid Astra GSe, as a badge for performance-honed fully electric cars. The Mokka is also a more serious proposition than the Astra, with substantially more power and extensive chassis modifications. Its new motor, which is shared with the Abarth 600e, the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce and the new Peugeot e-208 GTi, puts out 276bhp and 254lb ft. That's sent to the front wheels through a Torsen limitedslip differential, and it allows the Mokka GSe to hit 62mph from rest in 5.9sec. To cope with that significant uptick in performance, the GSe's rear axle has been redesigned to add an anti-roll bar and tauter bushings. Together, these are said to increase the back end's torsional stiffness by 189% compared with the regular car. The GSe also gets more heavily weighted steering, 380mm Alcon front brake discs with four-pot calipers and new dampers with hydraulic bump stops. The Mokka GSe rides on new 20in alloy wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres, and it tips the scales at less than 1600kg. The brand has yet to disclose a range, but the e-208 GTi, 600e and Junior Elettrica Veloce all return around 200 miles between charges. For reference, the standard Mokka EV has a 247-mile claimed range from the same 54kWh battery used by the GSe. Visually, the new model is marked out by its neon yellow contrasting elements and new gloss black panels on its front and rear bumpers. Inside, it has Alcantara bucket seats and door cards, and the infotainment touchscreen features new displays including a g-force meter.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Inside the luxury world of dog wellness — as experienced by one very lucky golden retriever
The Jaguar Supersport, '65 Ford Thunderbird and '73 Alfa Romeo are taken by other clients today, so Dug — an 8-year-old golden retriever — is being chauffeured to the Sunset Strip in a presidential Cadillac stretch limo for his spa treatments. He's headed to Collar & Comb in West Hollywood, where he'll be getting a blueberry facial and exfoliating mud mask from the same professionals who groom the mutts of Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Wahlberg and Dakota Johnson. Dug sits upright on the limo's black Corinthian leather seat, flanked by crystal liquor decanters on one side and a TV and VCR on the other. He gazes out the window, tongue hanging out excitedly, as the spiky palm trees whiz by. Then he flops down and chomps on a stuffed Chewy Vuiton Paris bone toy. Such is the world of dog wellness in Los Angeles. The goal? 'Heal.' Wellness for dogs is a niche industry that mirrors the spectrum of wellness treatments for humans. As with humans, it swings from the relaxing and rejuvenating to the dubious. Vet-affiliated treatments include acupuncture, hydrotherapy and chiropractic care. Nutrition is its own subculture that includes raw and organic food, supplements and Western and Chinese herbal remedies. On the pampering end, dog spas and private practitioners offer massage, reiki meditation, inflammation-fighting red light therapy and skin and nail treatments, such as deluxe 'pawdicures.' Fido feeling anxious? Try forest bathing or see a pet psychic. Human-centric wellness for dogs is 'at a high point,' says 'Pet Buzz' radio show co-host, Charlotte Reed. One reason: As vet bills rise, there's been a greater focus on preventative care in recent years — although such preventative wellness is expensive, too. Also, as self-care for humans becomes more popular, there are simply more wellness products and services being developed for dogs. And an increasing number of pet owners now view their dogs as children, Reed says. A New York court recently ruled that dogs can be legally recognized as immediate family members in the state. 'People are worried about the world. So a lot of people are not having children — and they're treating their dogs like kids,' Reed says. 'Dogs — like kids — are a reflection of your lifestyle. If you're into health and wellness, that's what you want your dog to be into.' At the same time, warns American Kennel Club chief veterinarian Dr. Jerry Klein, pet owners must be careful not to project human desires onto animals that, at best, don't share the same tastes. 'A lot of this stuff, it's geared to the humans. But what we derive pleasure and relaxation from might create the opposite for a dog that might not want to be touched or handled. People should get their vet's opinion, always, before doing anything that might affect the dog's health.' I enlisted Dug — a wellness newbie whom I've known for years as his owners, Jeff and Lisa Alulis, are friends — to undergo a week of pampering in L.A. in order to explore some of the dog wellness treatments available. Dug is a happy-go-lucky guy. But he had a rough puppyhood, having been abandoned at a shelter where he suffered distemper, a viral disease and heartworm before being adopted. Perhaps because of that, he has nightmares, during which he kicks his feet and yelps. Could a relaxing sound bath help? It was worth a shot. Victorious Solomon greeted us at Den Urban Dog Retreat in a man bun and T-shirt that reads 'meditate with your dog.' The 10,000-square-foot space in Cypress Park, which Solomon owns with Lindsay Velez, is a dog 'wellness campus' — Canyon Ranch for canines — that includes holistic grooming, daycare, hikes and spa services such as massage, aromatherapy, reiki, animal communication and crystal therapy. It also hosts workshops and social events for pups and their humans: Think coffee, DJs and dogs. Solomon led us to a low-lit event space that featured a wall-length mural of a forest accentuated by flickering candles and swinging macramé chairs. About 20 dogs lay on yoga mats with their owners or they milled about the room as the free 'relaxation concert' began, the sounds of crystal quartz and Tibetan brass bowls commingling with intermittent barking. Sound healer Crystal Cao says she configured the event for canines: It was only 30 minutes long due to their attention spans (no distracting squirrels within eyeshot, but still) and she played 'lower, primal, base tones to keep them calm and centered.' But every time she swayed the ocean drum, filled with beads that mimicked the sound of rain, Dug got up to explore, standing in front of it, head cocked to the side. Eventually, like most other dogs there, Dug took a cue from his humans and relaxed on his mat as they stroked his fur. He left the sound bath seemingly relaxed, per usual. But the nightmares persisted. Would his owners bring him back? Absolutely — if just for the dog social hour that took place in the yard beforehand. Dug is up for nearly any water adventure. But walking on a treadmill, in a glass tank filled with water at chest level was new to him — and admittedly a little scary at first. But the folks at Buddy: Canine Wellness in Studio City were so patient he got through it. (Plus, the spa-like lobby featured soothing, scented candles and a jar of milk bone treats.) Buddy isn't affiliated with a veterinary practice. It doesn't diagnose or prescribe but focuses, instead, on preventive health through fitness and recreation. In private sessions, dogs perform strength building and cardio workouts on an underwater treadmill or in a small swimming pool heated to 85 degrees, supposedly to aid blood circulation. (The initial hourlong visit is $250 with fitness assessment; then it's $100 for 30-45 minutes.) The workouts are zero- or low-impact and easy on the joints, so suited for older dogs or those with arthritis or recovering from injuries. Dug is in excellent health. So he visited Buddy for recreation — several clients come to burn off energy when it's too hot to walk outdoors. Dug donned a life jacket in the pool and treaded around in the water, chasing a ball as co-owner Jazz Pritchard led him around in circles on a leash. Dug's head is so massive that, with the rest of his body mostly underwater, he resembled a blond, furry Hippo cutting through the water's surface. If the goal was to tire Dug out, it was met: He slept soundly when he got home. But still: nightmares. Reiki for humans is a Japanese energy-healing modality that, practitioners say, aids relaxation, pain relief and overall health by realigning the body's energy centers, or 'chakras.' For dogs, it looks like a gentle petting session. Reiki practitioner Stacey Gong worked on Dug for 30 minutes as he laid on the grass, seaside, at Miramar Park in Redondo Beach. Gong works for Tailwagger's Massage & Hydrofitness, which also offers restorative and sports massages as well as inflammation-fighting cold laser therapy, among other services. Dug gazed out at the ocean through the Torrey pine trees, as Gong smoothed his fur and gently ran her fingers along his spine. She softly squeezed his hip muscles, then caressed his midsection, shoulders and neck. Dug flipped onto his back, all four paws stretched out wide — Reiki was not so bad! 'His chakras are in pretty good shape,' Gong said afterward, as she applied a series of five essential oil blends specially created for animals. But his third eye chakra, she added, was slow. 'It's swinging in the right direction, but we made it faster, so everything will be in concert,' she said. 'And the dreams — I don't think they're bad. It's more like he's chasing bunnies.' With his chakras aligned, the wind rippling his thick blond fur and smelling of pungent, earthy oregano oil, Dug stood up, panting merrily, and stared directly into the L.A. Times photographer's lens, as if posing. Now on his third day out, Dug seemed to be feeling confident, more familiar with the camera that trailed him, even seeming to court it at times. Was Dug a wellness influencer in the making? If so, Dug already has nearly 4,000 followers on Instagram. Photos of Reiki, seaside — a quintessential L.A. experience — stand to boost that number. But if nothing else, the $150 Reiki session was not a bad way to spend a Dog Day Afternoon. Dug hopped out of the limo at Collar & Comb (the same limo featured in the 1988 movie 'Twins,' starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito) and — like any aspiring wellness influencer — posed for photos, snout in the air, in front of the luxury, members-only grooming and wellness salon. It was a feast of scents inside: gourmet chicken feet treats! New plushie toys! Fresh mint leaves and aloe vera for his upcoming facial! Collar & Comb is a canine luxury ecosystem, with three social houses for dogs and their humans, three grooming salons and four private dog parks, not to mention a fleet of high-end vehicles to transport four-legged clients. And Dug got the true VIP treatment. He was whisked into a soundproof 'spa suite,' where the founder, Paul Leonard, and master stylist, Yanko Hernandez, prepared the ingredients for his treatments. They swirled hand-muddled blueberries and raw honey into organic, sugar-free yogurt for his facial; they stirred exfoliating Japanese volcanic sand into mineral-rich Korean mud for his hydrating mask. In his pursuit of perfection, Leonard barked orders to his staff with all the intensity of an ER doctor in an episode of 'The Pitt': 'Towels!' he yelled. (They appeared within seconds.) 'Comb!' (Same.) Dug took it all in stride, seemingly enjoying the two sets of hands rubbing the fragrant food into his face. He even managed to sneak in a lick, tasting the yogurt. Meanwhile, Dug's dad was treated to a plush bathrobe and champagne while relaxing in a massage chair as a mix of lo-fi jazz and jungle rock played on the sound system. He watched Dug getting pampered through the glass wall. Dug was blown dry and finished off with a hotel-grade, organic cotton towel, rubbed with nourishing paw-balm and spritzed with 'show dog' scent cologne. He didn't join Collar & Comb given the $75 monthly dues minimum (which doesn't include the cost of treatments), but he memorialized the experience with another round of photos, this time posing with an enormous cow knee bone in-mouth, a final treat to top off the indulgent day. Dug may have enjoyed his afternoon with William Riddle, a certified canine masseuse, the most. For one, Riddle's Doggissage is mobile, traveling through parts of Orange County and Los Angeles. So Dug got to relax in the comfort of his own backyard during his deep tissue massage. And the $50 hourlong massage was essentially a vigorous petting session, though different than the Reiki he'd experienced. Riddle applied increasing degrees of pressure, gently loosening up Dug's muscles at first, and stimulating circulation, before going deeper. Dug stretched out on a blanket by the swimming pool, a fountain trickling nearby. Riddle noticed that, like many dogs, Dug's neck area was tight — dogs put 60% of their weight on their front legs, stressing their necks, Riddle explained — and so he spent more time massaging that area. Fine by Dug! Riddle performed somatics on Dug, slowly and smoothly moving his limbs to supposedly refine brain-muscle connection. Fine by Dug! Riddle even used a small metal tool that looked like a comb to help relieve tension. It was like being brushed. Also fine — two paws up! Riddle performs canine massage for both relaxation and rehabilitation — he says that it relieves muscle tension and stress, increases blood flow and mobility and may ease pain from arthritis. But he strongly recommends discussing it with a veterinarian first. Dug ended his massage with a beef stick treat — he'd have his new best friend back to the house any day! Social connection is a key tenant of wellness. So Dug ended his week at Dog PPL, a private, members-only dog park in Santa Monica with a staff of eerily beautiful people. It's like Soho House for pups. For $120 per month, members can visit as often as they'd like. Pet owners must submit vet and vaccine records and dogs undergo a 'temperament test' before being accepted. The fake grass-laden park is also monitored by 'rufferees,' who are trained in canine safety and behavior. It's as much a community for humans, with a cafe and bar (cocktail of the day: muddled hibiscus margarita) and high-speed Wi-Fi so dog owners can work from the park while their pets play off-leash. Events include fitness classes and trivia nights. Dug trotted in, gleaming from his facial and relaxed from his massage, and immediately made new friends. After stopping at the amenities table for fresh water, towels and doggie sunscreen, Dug tussled with another golden retriever, Bubbles, who was wearing a Goyard collar from Paris. But ultimately, she was too expensive for his taste. Then he bonded with a German shepherd named Gino — the most popular guy in the park. Dug was part of the in crowd! Soon they were a threesome, with a Goldendoodle named Harry. (Dog park gossip: Harry had a crush on Gino too and that stirred tensions between him and Dug.) No matter: The visit was thoroughly enjoyable, the perfect way to cap off a week of wellness in Los Angeles.
Car and Driver
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
2026 Dodge Hornet Production Delayed Due to Trump's Tariffs
Production of the 2026 Dodge Hornet is being postponed, as first reported by Automotive News and confirmed to Car and Driver by Stellantis. The Hornet, including the Hornet Hybrid, is built in Italy alongside the Alfa Romeo Tonale and therefore hit with a 25 percent import tariff. Dodge wouldn't confirm whether any 2026 Hornets will be built or if the compact SUV will skip the 2026 model year. Things aren't looking great for the Dodge Hornet. The compact SUV, which arrived for the 2023 model year, managed to move 20,559 units in 2024, but sales took a nosedive in the second quarter of this year. Now, it seems that the Hornet's future is up in the air. Dodge is delaying production of the 2026 model as a result of the Trump administration's recently imposed tariffs on imported cars, as first reported by Automotive News. A Stellantis spokesperson confirmed the postponement to Car and Driver, stating that production of the Dodge Hornet "is postponed for the 2026 model year as we continue to assess the effects of U.S. tariff policies." The Hornet is currently built at a factory in Pomigliano d'Arco, Italy, alongside the mechanically related Alfa Romeo Tonale, and is therefore subject to a 25 percent import tariff. View Photos Marc Urbano Stellantis did not confirm whether this meant that the Hornet would skip the 2026 model year entirely or if there is a possibility that a run of 2026 Hornets will be assembled later. Dodge sold 4108 Hornets in the first quarter of this year, down from 7419 in the first quarter of 2024. But sales really suffered in the second quarter, with just 1539 Hornets finding homes, down 64 percent from the same period the year before, when Dodge sold 4299 Hornets. Through the first half of this year, Hornet sales are down 52 percent year-over-year, although it is still the second-bestselling Dodge, as the electric Charger Daytona has struggled to take off; the Challenger was discontinued after 2023, and the gas-powered Charger Sixpack has yet to arrive to replace the previous combustion-engined Charger. The Hornet also isn't the first Dodge to face tariff-related challenges, with Dodge reducing the Charger Daytona lineup to just the Scat Pack, dropping the base R/T model for 2026 as sales of the Canada-built electric muscle car remain slow. Caleb Miller Associate News Editor Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
Top Gear
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Hall of fame/shame: 33 of Alfa Romeo's greatest hits... and misses
RL Targa Florio (1922): HIT Alfa was race first, road second. In the hands of Ugo Sivocci, the lightened, 6cyl RLTF gave AR its first big international race victory, taking the chequered flag in the 1923 Targa Florio. A couple of months later, the RLTF won the Ravenna Grand Prix, handing a first win to an ambitious young driver by the name of Enzo Ferrari. Enzo would run Alfa's race outfit, before departing to establish his own car company. Whatever happened to those guys? Advertisement - Page continues below Vittorio Jano's 8cyl, twin supercharged masterpiece – and the world's first true single seater GP racecar – dominated track racing in the early 1930s, establishing Alfa as the Red Bull of the era, only 1,000 per cent cooler. Though it started life making just over 200bhp, the P3's output would reach a faintly terrifying 330bhp by 1935. That power would prove just enough to secure one of history's all time underdog victories in the '35 German GP. You might like 6C 2300 Pescara Spyder (1935): MISS The 6C was expensive, powerful and unquestionably beautiful. Unfortunately it was also a favourite of Italian dictator and all round bad egg, Benito Mussolini. In the 1930s, Mussolini brought Alfa under his control, establishing it as a sportswashing instrument of the fascist Italian state. Alfa's always struggled to disentangle itself from national politics, but the late 1930s were a low ebb. Advertisement - Page continues below Though it was a decade old design by 1950, the supercharged 158 won every race of the inaugural season of the F1 World Championship in which it competed, delivering the driver's title to Giuseppe Farina. Lightly fettled for 1951, it took Juan Manuel Fangio to victory that season too. Three quarters of a century later, Alfa's yet to add to those back to back F1 titles. As milestones go, at least the 158's a pretty one. Disco Volante (1952): HIT This experimental racing car looks wildly futuristic today. When the Disco Volante landed in the early 1950s, we're lucky it wasn't burned at the stake by panicking onlookers. With enclosed bodywork sculpted in the wind tunnel, the spaceship-like Disco Volante boasted a radically low drag coefficient. Fitted with Alfa's straight six engine, it was capable of 140 miles an hour. The tomorrow we were promised, but never got. Italy's answer to the Willys Jeep and Land Rover, a whole lot more unnecessarily complicated than either. Developed in response to a request from the Italian government for a light reconnaissance vehicle, the Matta was offered in military and civilian guise. Sophisticated suspension meant it would get very off road. Complex 1.9-litre petrol engine (complete with twin overhead cams) meant it probably wouldn't get back. Another Alfa low drag experiment, Franco Scaglione's BAT lived up to its name by looking a) like the company car of some shadowy, caped superhero, and b) utterly, well, bats**t. Scaglione blended science and art to create a prototype both extraordinary and extraordinarily efficient: despite its 4cyl engine developing barely 40bhp, the original BAT was allegedly clocked at 124mph. The Batmobile was no slice of show stand vapour. It worked . Advertisement - Page continues below Probably the most influential Alfa of them all. The delicious, Bertone designed Giulia wasn't just smartly engineered and fine to drive, it effectively invented the exec saloon class, paving the way for BMW's 3 Series and the rest. With a lightweight monocoque body, sublime aluminium twin cam engines and coil spring suspension all round, the Giulia was a genuine trailblazer: Alfa leading the charge rather than playing catch up. Giulia Sprint GTA (1965): HIT The OG. The pinnacle. The (tiny, lightweight) daddy. With steel panels switched for aluminium, Plexiglas glazing and magnesium wheels, the GTA boasted a power to weight ratio of 230bhp per tonne in race trim: by 1960s standards, basically a space rocket. The GTA was sublime on track – racking up a reputed 200 victories in the 1966 season alone – and perhaps even better on the road: a fizzing, furious ball of pure joy. Advertisement - Page continues below And here's to you, Mrs Robinson... Pininfarina's pitch perfect roadster was a hit even before its starring role in The Graduate . Once Dustin Hoffman got his slender hands on it, the Spider – or Duetto, as some knew it – rose to the status of bona fide pop culture legend. It would prove to be the final car designed by Battista Pininfarina himself. What a way to bow out – so immaculate were the Spider's lines, it would remain in production for nearly 30 years. The prettiest Alfa of all time, so therefore the prettiest car of all time. Effectively a roadgoing version of Alfa's Tipo 33 sports racing prototype, at launch the 33 Stradale was not only the world's most expensive car, but also its fastest accelerating, the 2.0 V8 generating 230bhp in a spindle of aluminium weighing barely 700kg. Despite its groundbreaking performance, despite its butterfly doors, despite those looks , the 33 Stradale struggled to sell. A Bertone concept based on a spare 33 Stradale chassis (told you Alfa struggled to sell them) and named after British football's least popular competition, the Carabo was Marcello Gandini's blueprint for the future of the supercar, foreshadowing the Lamborghini Countach with its outrageously wedgy profile and scissor doors: in fact, it was the first car ever to use them. Stood less than 39 inches tall, thus making the original Ford GT40 look like an SUV. Peak early 1970s cool. The 2+2 Montreal not only looked magnificently louche, but – with a 2.6-litre V8 closely related to that of the 33 Stradale – had the soul of a supercar, and performance to match. OK, at launch it cost twice as much as a Jag E-Type. And more than a 911. And pretty much the same as a Ferrari Dino. But did any of those cars have retractable headlight grilles? No, they did not. Case closed, your honour. Alfa's first FWD offering was a technological tour de force of its day, upstaging Lambo's Countach prototype when it was unveiled at the Turin Auto Show. But the Alfasud was undone by politics and rust – to stimulate the economy of the country's south, the Italian government insisted it would be made in a factory just outside Naples, resulting in all the quality you'd expect from a workforce with no experience of car building but plenty of experience of going on strike. The driving position was terrible. The underpinnings were pensionable. The reliability... wasn't. But the fuel injected V6 was glorious, gifting the GTV serious smarts not just on the road but around the track, too: it would go on to win the European Touring Car Championship four years on the spin. Sensible buyers went for the cheaper, more reliable Porsche 924. But where's the fun in sensible? Alfa's tie-up with Nissan – a liaison that also birthed the Nissan Sunny – could have delivered Italian looks with Japanese build quality. Sadly the Arna served up exactly the opposite: utterly anonymous visuals, married to the thrilling lottery of 1980s Italian electrics. Alfa reckoned it could sell 60,000 Arnas a year, but didn't manage that number in total over the car's four year lifespan. That rarest of things, an entirely forgettable Alfa. Yep, the 1980s were a bad era for Alfa. The 75 wasn't quite such a flop as the Arna – which, OK, is like being 'nicer than chlamydia' – but was still decidedly floppy. Effectively a reworked version of the old Giulietta – which itself had borrowed plenty from the even older Alfetta – the 75 was behind the times even at launch. Roof mounted switchgear, the world's oddest handbrake and mystifying lack of rear legroom see this one filed under 'WTF ergonomics'. Riccardo Patrese described it as 'the worst car he ever drove'. Alfa's 1985 F1 machine was so spectacularly uncompetitive that, halfway through the season and with no points scored, the team simply ditched it for the previous year's car (which also failed to score a point, but hey, always good to change things up, right?). The experience proved so traumatic it sent Alfa into a self imposed three decade exile from F1. We've all been there. You've spent years developing a V10 F1 engine, only to discover that it's just too heavy to stick into your Grand Prix car. So what do you do? Stick it in middle of your sensible executive saloon, of course, to create a 600bhp 217mph racing monster. History's ultimate sleeper, the 164 ProCar would never race competitively, which – given it blended F1 car power with absolutely zero downforce – was possibly for the best. Some will tell you 'Il Mostro' is perhaps the ugliest car ever to wear the Alfa badge. You must ignore these folk. The brutalist SZ was a thing of uncompromising beauty, its thermoplastic composite bodywork (meant to save kilos, somehow ended up weighing almost exactly the same as the 75 saloon on which it was based, because Alfa ) looking better with every passing year. You may disagree. But you'll be wrong. Peak touring car cool. For the 1993 season, Alfa rocked up at Germany's DTM championship with this satanic reworking of its 155 saloon, replete with four wheel drive, carbon fibre body and a sophisticated 2.5-litre V6 spinning to nearly 12,000rpm. Sounded great, looked great – and (perhaps most improbably) went great. The 155 crushed Merc and BMW in their own backyard to deliver the 1993 DTM title to Nicola Larini. In your face, Germany! Again! An extraordinary feat of packaging. Extraordinary in the sense of 'what did they do with all the cabin and luggage space?' The GTV may have been as practical as windscreen wipers on a submarine, but made sense on an emotional level (the most important of all the levels) with its combination of sparkly engines, happy handling and a pretty interior that occasionally didn't even fall apart within 20 minutes of driving off the forecourt. 145 Cloverleaf (1995): HIT Discerning hot hatch enthusiasts of the era bought a 306 GTi-6, but the 145 was the romantic choice. Its looks might have been slightly gopping – blame Chris Bangle – but a zippy 148bhp twin spark 2.0-litre, crisp five speed box and tidy chassis imbued the Cloverleaf a unique charm. Few survive today, those that avoided falling victim to 'roadside beech trees' instead falling victim to rust. As we all know, front wheel drive super saloons don't work . Asking the same two patches of rubber to manage both propulsion and steering duties is a recipe for wayward handling and driving dissatisfaction. But there's always an exception that proves the rule, and the 156 GTA delivered BMW bashing performance despite its wrong wheel drive configuration. How the company managed this witchcraft, no one seems quite sure. Including Alfa. On paper, it looked great. And frankly 'on paper' was the best way to experience the Spider (and its coupe sibling, the Brera). Great on a bedroom wall poster, rather less great from behind the wheel. The Spider's chassis served up none of the excitement promised by the rock star aesthetics, while the build quality was notable only for its utter absence. You'd have been delighted if someone on your street bought one, so long as that someone wasn't you. Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione (2007): HIT The 8C – which, under its indecently beautiful carbon fibre skin, borrowed plenty from the less scarce Maserati GranTurismo – was far from the last word in handling dynamics. Hardly a problem, as 'going for a drive in it' was frankly an unnecessarily distraction from the main pleasure of 'just standing and staring at it'. Sounded as good as it looked, which is saying something. A treat for eyes and ears. Aimed to stick it to BMW's Mini with irresistible Italian styling and irresistible Italian handling. Failed on pretty much every front. The MiTo looked weirdly gawky, and, with its Fiat Punto underpinnings, steered no more elegantly. Might have sold more if Alfa had a) offered it as a 5dr and b) made it less pants. And then there was the name – a portmanteau of 'Milano' and 'Torino' – which sounded like a brand of canned canine sustenance. A dog's dinner. So close, yet so far. The 4C's list of raw ingredients were so delicious – mid-engined, rear drive, two seats, lightweight carbon chassis – it seemed impossible that even Alfa could bugger up the bake. Somehow it managed it. The 4C drove in a fashion so disjointed, so lurchy and so twitchy, one could only conclude it was either a) broken or b) haunted by vengeful spirits. More fool us for daring to believe. As the old quote goes, it's the hope that kills you. Giulietta QV (2014): MISS You want to out-Golf GTI the Golf GTI, you'd better bring your A-game. With the Giulietta QV, Alfa failed to bring any game in the first half of its alphabet. Stodgy handling and an even stodgier double clutch gearbox – along with frustratingly offset pedals, frustratingly unyielding seats and... in fact frustratingly nearly everything – relegated the Cloverleaf Giulietta to the most tepid end of the great hot hatch league table. Came for the king, missed by a mile. Now that's a proper Cloverleaf. The super saloon edition of Alfa's first RWD offering in decades was an absolute honey, its 'three quarters of a Ferrari engine' V6 generously doling out ample power, noise and skids on demand. The Alfa was sharper handling... and the M3 a classier all-rounder, but who would you prefer to hang out with? A true spiritual successor to the Giulia Sprint GTA. Compliments don't come much higher. Alfaholics GTA-R (2017): HIT Is this merely an excuse to stick another GTA on the list? Yes, yes it is. Do we apologise for this? No, no we do not. It might hail from Bristol rather than Balocco, but Alfaholics' glorious restomod sharpens up the 1960s original to appeal to our discerning 21st century palates. Given the 3,000 hours of work that goes into each car, the GTA-R's £300k price tag doesn't sound that ridiculous, right? Someone? Anyone? On 10 April, 2024, Alfa revealed its first EV, proudly announcing its battery powered SUV would be called the Milano. Five days later, it was rechristened the Junior. Why? The Italian government curtly reminded Alfa that only products made in Italy could employ such an Italian name. And the Junior – despite Alfa's claims of passione and velocita – was very much made in... Poland. A marketing fail on so very many levels. So rare and absurdly expensive is Alfa's new mid-engined supercar, you could argue it's no more than an irrelevant sidenote. You might well be correct. But, at the same time, the 33 Stradale is proof that, when Alfa can avoid being entirely mad for a while, it's still capable of cooking up world class delicacies. Sure, there's plenty of Maserati under the skin, but the nuova 33 Stradale is also fizzy, fun, special to sit in and breathtaking to behold.
Top Gear
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Alfa Romeo boss: 'Quadrifoglio can be BEV, but it can also be ICE'
Interview CEO Santo Ficili talks to TG about what the future looks like for Alfa Romeo Skip 5 photos in the image carousel and continue reading By law, Alfa articles start with an Italian exclamation. Here goes: mamma mia , the petrol Quadrifoglio lives! Bravissimo ! Etc. Until recently Alfa planned the next Giulia and Stelvio as all electric. Now, CEO Santo Ficili says that's changed. Tariff chaos and a slow in the EV transition mean that flexibility is a must. 'There will be PHEV and HEV and BEV.' He goes on. 'My dream is to keep alive the Quadrifoglio. We can't forget this. Quadrifoglio can be BEV, why not? But it can also be ICE.' Viva V6. Advertisement - Page continues below The electric Alfas will be first, with Stelvio at the end of this year and Giulia next – main versions first then Quadrifoglio. They can have up to 800V for fast charging, big batteries for long range, and rear or twin motors. Ficili says they are having a last minute front end redesign, so they have enough cooling intakes for petrol engines. 'The design must be in line with the other models that we want to launch.' You might like How will Alfa make cars that feel different from the rest of the sprawling Stellantis Group's? 'I think the Alfa Romeo brand is Italy, is red or rosso in Italian, and is sport. Italian. Red. Sport. We need to find the right balance between these three. What I want for the product is Alfa Romeo only.' Design is the first element of this Alfa character, explains Ficili. 'When you look at the car, you must understand immediately it is an Alfa. And the driver must have everything under control. So I'm not imagining tonnes of things around you that don't help. Advertisement - Page continues below 'We need the right balance between suspension, steering, absorption, exhaust and engines to find the right handling of the car.' But there's a problem. Stubbornly low sales. Alfa hyped the Tonale and Junior as sales boosters because small and compact crossovers dominate today's market. But actually Alfa monthly sales are the same as five years ago, when the MiTo and Giulietta were in their death spirals. I mention I've lost count of the number of previous Alfa bosses who said sales would double, only to see them fall. 'We need to keep the customers who are in love with Alfa – and there is a long queue, because of the legacy, the racing, the glory, the product we created in the past.' OK, but why aren't the people in this queue buying your cars? And how do you build buzz for Alfa among people who don't actually know much about all that? 'Junior is the right model to satisfy younger people. A bridge between new customers and the older Alfisti.' He says it's doing well. Meanwhile the Tonale, which started quite strongly then tailed off, will get a deep facelift late this year. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. With that and the next Stelvio and Giulia, there'll be a freshness about Alfa's range that it hasn't had for many years. Even so, Alfa will always be small. 'We aren't BMW.' Indeed. BMW, with its much bigger range, sells 20 times as many as Alfa. But then Alfa is just a small part of the huge Stellantis Group and gets lots of synergies. The challenge is to make its cars different from the related brands. To help keep the Alfa flame burning bright, there will be more of the high end specials like the 33 Stradale, once its two-year production run is over. 'If I can also search for synergies with Maserati, we can imagine for sure to make products like this. We had the 8C, 6C, 4C. It's easy. Why? Because I can look in the past of Alfa Romeo.' But it's £1.7m a copy. I mention that if Alfa is making pretty ordinary small crossovers like the Junior, it has to earn the right to its name by also having more distinct cars at a less extreme price than the 33. He says the 33 will be a design influence. 'We can consider parts of this design, and move from these to the future models.' From 1950 to 2010 Alfa made so many gorgeous and relatively affordable coupes and spiders. 'There is space to work in the smaller segments: coupe, spider. But this is not our priority now, because now we need the models that can deliver volume that can sustain the brand.' There's simply too much turbulence, too much uncertainty, to have the luxury of launching minority cars. 'We need to consider the two years ahead that are not so clear. And then we'll see.'
