Alfa Romeo Return Nearing Reality as Trademark is Issued

Alfa Romeo made a brief return to the U.S. in 2008, in the form of only 50 of the $241,000 8C, but it then quickly vanished, just as it did back in 1995. Now there have been talks amongst Alfa Romeo and Fiat to bring the brand back to the U.S. when the Italian automaker releases its newest creation, the 4C.

Well, the speculation and talking are no more, as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially awarded Fiat with an American trademark for the name “Alfa Romeo 4C.” It looks as if Fiat first filed for the trademark on March 25, 2011 and received the all-important approval on Aril 10th. This makes it a near certainty that this Maserati-built, Fiat-owned stunningly sexy sports car will make its way to the states.

Much like the 8C that predated it, the 4C will be a limited production model, as Maserati only plans to build about 2,500 models per year. Given we saw 90 of the 500 8Cs produced, we will again likely see about 18 percent of the total production, meaning we will have somewhere around 450 of the 4C available per year.

Fortunately, unlike the 8C, the Alfa Romeo 4C will be affordable for the upper middle-class American with a projected MSRP of $59,310. Fiat plans to pit the Romeo against the likes of the Porsche Boxster, the BMW Z4, and the more affordable MX-5 Miata, though its limited production will not make it easy to compete. This gives Alfa Romeo a car to build around in the U.S. and hopefully make a successful return.

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Porsche 911 RUF 35th Anniversary Edition by RUF 2012

There’s plenty to love about the RUF’s special program for the all-new Porsche 911. Not only does it commemorate the German tuner’s 35th anniversary, but it’s also actually the very first turbocharged2012 Porsche 911 in the world. A fact that’s made even more impressive considering that Porsche themselves haven’t released a turbocharged 911.

The showroom model of the RUF RT 35th Anniversary has been dressed in a fancy military green paint finish, which pulls out a ’wow’ reaction among all those that see the car up close. But for all of the likeability of the car’s exterior finish, the RUF RT 35th Anniversary distinguishes itself because of what RUF put under its hood. With a 3.8-liter flat-six engine in tow, RUF added turbochargers to the overall mechanical configuration, thus spiking the sports car’s output from the standard 400-horsepower output all the way up to an insane 630 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 608 lb/ft of torque at 3,000 rpm. The whole set-up is also available with a PDK double-clutch transmission, ensuring superior performance and driver comfort, and allowing the car to hit a top speed of 205 mph.

Consider this special anniversary model a prime example of what a tuned up 2012 Porsche 911 is expected to be, proving that RUF is considered one of the best Porsche tuners in the world.

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Renault Alpine 2014

With sister company Nissan digging into the depths of its history to revive the old Datsun nameplate, Renault felt a little out in the cold. Well, the constructeur automobile Français, err, French automaker has decided yet again to revive its long lost sports car, the Alpine A110, sort of.

Renault has announced that a 50th anniversary Alpine A110 model will make an appearance at the 2012 Paris Motor Show (Mondial de l’Automobile 2012), which opens on September 29th and runs through October 14th. Keep in mind, Renault once explored this topic before, but axed it in 2009.

The original Alpine A110 debuted in 1961 and lasted through the 1977 model year. It had a rather Porsche-like design and had a number of engines ranging from a 66-horsepower 1,108 cc engine to an impressive 140-horsepower 1,605 cc engine.

There is no word as of yet what engine this retro revival will feature, nor what it will look like. Chances are, however, it will be very similar to the original. Given the fact that Renault also owns a large portion of Nissan, this tribute car will likely bear a few Nissan components.

An actual production model is unlikely, as Renault already features a compact sports car, the Wind, and having two similar cars in an already massive lineup could be harmful. Then there’s the fact that Renault-Nissan’s marketing head said “...for an Alpine to make sense financially, it would have to sell in North America and China.” We haven’t seen a Renault in the U.S. since 1989, so it’s a real stretch for it to ever see production.

There have been rumors afloat that the Alpine would be based off of the Nissan GT-R, but that would be a far different car than the original, which defeats the purpose of a tribute car.

Ultimately, Renault left us pretty much empty handed on details, so we all just have to wait patiently until September. Unless Renault decides to play nice and give us at least a glimpse.

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BMW 650i "Shadow Walker" by SR Auto Group 2012

We’ve said this countless times on these pages, but it’s still worth repeating: we love it when a car is dressed in a matte black paint finish.

Even more so if the car in question comes with the kind of fantastic styling exhibited by the new 2012 BMW 650i Coupe. And so, like a prayer from the heavens, one of our favorite tuners decided to dress up the top-of-the-line 6-Series in matte black - to go with other styling enhancements - before giving a nickname befitting its new look: Shadow Walker.

To enhance the stylish two-tone exterior of the Shadow Walker, SR Auto Group combined the gloss black faces on the sports saloon with matte black inserts, resulting in a look that can only be described by our open-eyed stuttering upon seeing the photos of the car. SR Auto Group rounded out the exterior upheaval with a new set of 20" bespoke Niche wheels, further adding a beyond ridiculous, stealthy black look to the 650i Coupe.

More modifications are expected to be offered, but we couldn’t keep these photos of the Shadow Walker away from you. Chances are, it’s going to be somebody’s wallpaper pretty soon.

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BAIC to Reveal Two New Vehicles in Beijing

Back in 2009, we reported that little-known Chinese car manufacturer Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Co. Ltd., which fortunately goes by the acronym BAIC, officially purchased the intellectual rights to the Saab 9-3 and 9-5. It was a rather odd transaction, to say the least, as few people knew what BAIC’s plans were with these rights.

Well, BAIC has officially come forward to let us all know the plan. There are two BAIC cars making their debuts at the Beijing Auto Show, which opens to the press on April 23rd and the general public on the 27th, one of which we know is based on the Saab 9-3.

The Saab 9-3-based model is dubbed the C70, but that is about where our knowledge stops, as BAIC has kept a pretty tight lid on the happenings on at their office. We can speculate that the C70 will feature a Saab engine, likely the 210-horsepower 2.0-liter used in the final 9-3.

The larger BAIC C80K is the most likely home for the high-output Saab V-6 from the defunct 9-5. This model has a little more info available, as BAIC teased us with a few images of the upcoming vehicle. From what we can tell from its outside, this vehicle appears to be designed to compete with the likes of BMW, Mercedes, and maybe even Bentley, but that 3.0-liter V-6 wouldn’t hold a candle to those makes. This makes it a possibility that the C80K’s engine is an in-house build.

Really cool, yet potentially dangerous, features on the C80K are the B-pillar-less suicide doors. This looks really cool, by giving one wide open entry with both doors open, but could potentially weaken the structural integrity significantly. We also know that the C80k will measure in at 205 inches long and 75 inches wide.

That’s about all we know right now about these new BAIC models, except that they will only be available in China. We will pass along more details as they come along.

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Range Rover Sport Capital City Edition by Kahn Design 2012

Ever the expert in tuning programs for the Range Rover, Kahn Design still manages to build some unique packages, further illustrating just how good these guys are when it comes to working on the British SUV brand.

For their latest program, Kahn Design turned their attention towards the Range Rover Sport which they’re calling the Capital City Edition. To keep with their fresh approach in tuning Range Rovers, Kahn Design fitted the Capital City Edition with an RS600 body kit that includes a new front lip, a new rear diffuser, a unique two-tone, tinted windows, smoked lights, and a white-and-red finish with a predominantly white color on the car. This is matched with a red bonnet or a striped red bonnet, and plenty of other red details on the car. In addition, Kahn Design also fitted the Range Rover Sport Capital City Edition with a new set of 22" RS600 wheels finished in matte grey with a red outer lip.

For the interior, Kahn Design will provide a black leather treatment with red accents. Add that to new components like a Kahn instrument binnacle, a new steering wheel, a quilted leather upholstery and aluminum accents and pedals, and you have an overall program that not only speaks to the awesomeness of the Range Rover Sport Capital City Edition, but to the level of expertise Kahn Design continues to exhibit.

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Volkswagen Sirocco R vs. Ford Focus RS

Models like the Volkswagen Sirocco R and the Ford Focus RS are hits on the European market, so it’s not surprising to see them get put next to each other on the Nurburgring race track for a little competitive action. The two cars provided quite a show tooas you will see in this video which is about eight minutes long. Take a seat and enjoy!

As a reminder, the Volkswagen Scirocco R is powered by a four-cylinder 2.0 liter TSI engine that delivers 265 HP and 258 lbs-ft of torque. On the other side, the Ford Focus RS is powered by a 2.5 liter 20 V DOHC RS engine that delivers 300 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. The Volkswagen can hit a top speed of 155 mph, while the Ford goes up to 163 mph.

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Renegade Mercedes Techs Joyride a C63 AMG Coupe Black Series

Many years ago, I was a lowly sales person at a Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep dealership in Florida. As a sales person, you got to test drive nearly every new car and every trim level of every new car, as they came in. It was the only way to really get a feel for each car. There were only a few vehicles that we were forbidden to touch. Those vehicles were the Dodge Viper and the Ram 1500 SRT-10, because those were considered collectibles and the extra mileage could reduce their value – plus they knew what we would do with them.

This is pretty much standard procedure at every single car dealership, including Mercedes. TheMercedes C63 AMC Coupe Black Series is much like the Viper and SRT-10 Ram were for Dodge, simply untouchable. Apparently a few technicians at Star Motors in Ottawa, Canada did not get that memo.

They took one of the 30 models of the Black Series available in Canada out on an 8:11 joyride through Ottawa. It would be one thing if they just drove it around to look cool and brought it back to the shop safely. Nope, these techs decided to see what this AMG coupe could do on multiple occasions.

At one point, the driver mentions that in manual mode, the car does not automatically up shift. The passenger didn’t believe him, so the guy proceeds to take the car up to redline in first gear and keep it there for about five seconds. This car can certainly handle that, but as all new car techs should know, these things require a break-in period before seeing that sort of stress.

Thankfully, the snoops over at MBWorld.com recognized the dealership, and alerted officials at Mercedes-Benz Canada. Mercedes is currently attempting to track down the owner of this thrashed upon vehicle to let him or her know the scoop on the car. Whether or not Mercedes will compensate the owner with anything is not known

All we can hope is that these techs got what was coming to them by the car gods!

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McLaren MP4-12C Shooting Brake 2014

It seems as if the new Ferrari FF will soon have a serious competitor from McLaren. The British company has tried to keep their future models as much of a secret as possible, but now AutoExpress has obtained the first details on a future shooting brake model set to arrive in 2014.

The new model will be based on the platform of the new MP4-12C supercar and will be similar in concept to the Ferrari FF. However, the British magazine reports that the Mclaren model will be significantly cheaper. While the FF is priced at about £230,000 ($366,000 at the current exchange rates) on the British market, the new McLaren model will be priced from about £150,000 (about $240,000).

The new McLaren Shooting Brake (not its actual name, at least as far as we know) will be a two-seater model, but with more boot space than the MP4-12C. Under the hood, expect to see the same 592 HP 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine as the sports car, meaning the future model will deliver impressive performance numbers.

Check out our rendering of what we’re calling the McLaren MP4-12C Shooting Brake and let us know what you think!

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Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 sound check

We get pretty excited when we see a plethora of supercars in the same video, so when we saw models like the Mclaren MP4-12C, the Koenigsegg CCXR, and Agera R all put together, we just had to take a look. Then we found out that the star of the show was actually the Porsche 997 GT3 RS 4.0 - and there wasn’t just one but a bunch of examples of this awesome sports car.

The cars were caught by Youtube user jorrie2 during a Nurburgring testing session and next to very impressive driving shots, the video also reveals just how cool this car’s engine sounds.

As a reminder, the GT3 RS 4.0 is powered by a 4.0 liter engine producing an incredible 500 HP and 339 lb-ft of torque. This power is enough to sprint the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds.

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China trumps the U.S. again to become Bentley’s biggest market

The U.S. has long been Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s, and Bentley’s largest market partly due to its massive population, but mainly because Americans really love their exotic cars. However, just last year China overtook the U.S. as Lamborghini’s biggest market, and became Ferrari’s second largest market. If you want further evidence of just how popular luxurious cars are becoming in China, then take a look at the title.

Yep, China has become Bentley’s largest market after a massive increase in sales in the first quarter of this year. An incredible 578 Bentley models have been sold in China thus far, while ‘only’ 450 units were sold in the U.S. However, sales in the U.S. did grow by 40% from this time last year, so that just goes to show how incredible the Chinese market currently is.

It’s literally come out of the shadows in the past few years to become the focal point of dozens of automotive manufacturers. However, with China’s economy beginning to slow, Bentley’s chief operating officer, Christophe Georges believes these figures won’t be maintained stating, “The Chinese and U.S. markets are both strong. I don’t see (China’s lead) as a permanent situation.”

One of the key reasons why Georges believes the U.S. will remain Bentley’s largest market in the long run is due to new showrooms being constructed in Nashville, Thousand Oaks, and Charlotte. Furthermore, Bentley is expected to launch a brand new SUV in the coming three years, and while the Chinese do indeed love their SUVs, they cannot match the love for them that Americans have.

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Fiat Viaggio 2013

What happens when an "American" car, like the Dodge Dart, wants an Italian name but also wants to live in China? You give up yet? You get the Viaggio, Fiat’s newest sedan coming to Chinese dealerships in late-2012.

We have all come to grips with the fact that the Dart is essentially just an Alfa Romeo Giulietta in a different wrapper. Now Fiat is about to confuse all of us even more by essentially taking the Dodge Dart’s blueprints to China and manufacturing the Viaggio. From the teaser images Fiat released, we can tell that the only difference between the front end of a Dart and the Viaggio is that they have differing front fascias. On the rear, the Viaggio will not bear Dodge’s full-width light bar and the license plate recess moves to the trunk lid. That’s where the differences stop, with exception of some chrome accents.

To recap, the Dodge Dart is a Giulietta with a new body, and the Viaggio is a Dodge Dart with a new front fascia and different taillights. So that would make the Viaggio and Giulietta third cousins once removed, right?

Enough with the genealogy, the Viaggio will bear the same MultiAir turbocharged 1.4-liter engine that the Dart has, but in two different versions. The base model will crank out just 120 horsepower and the optional engine will produce 150 horsepower, 40 horsepower and 10 horsepower less than the Dart’s 1.4-liter, respectively. The engines will link up to either a five-speed manual transmission or a dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Fiat has kept wraps on whether or not this model will remain only in China, or if it will be an export model. Likely with manufacturing happening in China, this creation will stay there. To avoid confusing us all, Fiat, we ask that you please keep this model overseas. We would appreciate it. You can catch a full look at the Viaggio at the Beijing International Auto Show on April 23rd.

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Jaguar F-Type Coupe 2014

Not too long ago, Jaguar unveiled the first official details for their F-Type roadster which is set to be announced later in 2012 with sales to begin in mid 2013. While the official details confirm that only a roadster version will be offered, in an interview with AutoExpress, Design Director, Ian Callum, revealed that a coupe version will also be offered in the next 12 to 18 months.

"A coupe version will appear. Buyers in this market tend to keep their cars for 12 to 18 months, then they want something new. We’ll leverage that by offering a coupe. That’s going to be vital to keeping the car’s lifecycle going."

Callum also confirmed that the production version F-Type version would take 95%of its design elements from the C-X16 concept: "Sometimes a production car can be a big disappointment after you’ve seen the concept, but the F-Type will include 95 per cent of the C-X16. I can promise that you won’t be disappointed."

The new Jaguar F-Type Roadster will be powered by a 3.0-liter V6 engine that delivers a total of 250 HP in the normally aspirated version and 375 HP in the supercharged R version. Jaguar has also confirmed that the future F-Type two-seater convertible will be priced under the current XK, or at about $85,000. That would mean the F-Type Coupe would have a similar if not identical engine lineup and will also be in the same price bracket, possibly with a few thousand dollars knocked off.

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