<![CDATA[Jalopnik: 159]]> http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jalopnik.com.png <![CDATA[Jalopnik: 159]]> http://jalopnik.com/tag/159 http://jalopnik.com/tag/159 <![CDATA[Spy Photos: Alfa Romeo 159 GTA, For Real?]]> The last time someone claimed spy shotage on the yet-unconfirmed Alfa Romeo 159 GTA, the subject looked more like a victim of Pep Boys abuse than a legitimate prototype. But new photos of a quad-exhaust 159 in telltale cladding were recently caught as it rounded the telltale Nürburgring. According to Australia's Drive.com.au, an Alfa insider confirmed the 159's platform could handle a V8. That makes the thought of a Ferrari-bred 4.3-liter screamer, over Alfa's Q4' all-wheel-drive system — which can direct 72 percent of power to the front wheels or 78 percent to the rear — that much more tantalizing. Some say Geneva '08 is where the GTA will appear first. We'll take our chances. [Thanks to Greg for the tip.] – Mike Spinelli More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=272217&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Spy Photos: Alfa GTA?]]> We've been waiting for the Alfa Romeo brand to return to the US for so long our Trapper Keeper is covered with four-leaf clover doodles (period joke, kids, just go with it). But if the blokes at Infomotori are correct, there's a GTA version of the 159 on the way. Like Carscoop, we've not heard anything resembling a confirmation on whether Alfa's building a 159 GTA. But that's not stopping the speculation machine, considering these shots indicate more air is needed somewhere in the engine compartment. Perhaps the rumor of a 4.2-liter Maserati V8 isn't far off. – Mike Spinelli More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=268063&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Spy Photos: 2007 Alfa 159 Spotted In Los Angeles]]> So I don't know very much about the Alfa, but I know there's a helluva large community of lovers of the Italian brand formerly known as Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, now known as Alfa Romeo, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fiat SpA since 1986. Yeah, because those two names sound like they've got the same soul, right? Anyway — after Sergio Marchionne confirmed the automaker's return to US soil back in May, there's been much discussion about the vehicles we'd see over here — with the 8C supposedly leading the way. Still, someone's been tooling around LA in what's purported to be a 149 159 — a vehicle not expected to see the light of day until 2007 in Europe, much less on these shores. But, we've got the photographic evidence in the gallery below, and Alfa BB's mega-moderator, italcarguy's very enthusiastic impression below the jump. Salut! [Hat tip to Nick!] – Ray Wert [UPDATE: Nick feels like a tool for saying "149" instead of "159."] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=212103&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Spy Photos: Alfa Romeo 159 GTA]]> Gasp. What's that under the hood of that Alfa Romeo 159 test mule? (Note to Forum Dell'Auto Italia, adjust your dosage; obsessive paranoia can be controlled.) Those are red cylinder heads, are they not? And we all know what that means: Ferrari or Maserati hardware. Eurocar Blog surmises that the red heads, along with quad exhausts in the rear, mean only one thing: A V8-powered Alfa 159 GTA is in the works. Both the 4.7-liter V8 of the Alfa 8C Competizione and 4.2-liter V8 of the Maserati Quattroporte are light enough to do the job in an all-wheel-drive 159 with a 65% torque bias to the rear. Oh my, this could be good. – Mike Spinelli More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=204817&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Finalmente! More on Alfa Romeo's US Return]]> AutoWeek bares Alfa Romeo's plan to return to the states in time for the company's centennial in 2010. As has been reported, Alfa is teaming up with Maserati on development — sharing parts and to save costs, and leveraging Maserati's US sales network to sell Alfas. Models on the way? Glad you asked: More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=187026&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Jeremy Clarkson on the Alfa 159: It's Christopher Walken]]> The Times UK's resident ten-foot-tall car reviewer, Jeremy Clarkson, turned his Fi Fi Fo Fum on the Alfa Romeo 159, a stunning take on the sports sedan that had us head-over-digicam at the Geneva show two years running. Alfa's latest, he says, is the Christopher Walken to the BMW 3-Series's Tom Cruise of sports sedans: a non-obvious star that's capable of a one-in-a-million performance. Of course, what would an Alfa be without at least one example of engineering lunacy:
...In most cars, the cruise control "off" button is clearly visible and easy to use in a hurry. Not in the Alfa it isn't. It looks like one of the pieces from a game of Risk and it's mounted on a stalk just below and slightly behind the indicator.
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]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=163096&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Alfa 159 in (Aerodynamic) Drag]]> Is the Alfa 159 fine as is, or does it need some European design firm with an over-inflated sense of its own worth to pretty it up? We're going with the first one, though MS Design didn't quite fall into the pit implied by the second. The company already had a complete styling package ready when the 159 hit the streets this year. The best part may be the 18-spoke 20" alloys set in dark chrome, though the body kit does little to accent the 159's cop-a-feel lines. As pretty-up packages go, we'll give it a solid B flat. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=162278&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Alfa 159 Sportwagon to Debut in Geneva]]> It's been nearly a year since Alfa Romeo launched its 156-replacement sedan, the 159, at the Geneva motor show in 2005, alongside the Brera concept that became its coupe sibling. This year in Geneva, Alfa's rolling out its 159 Sportwagon alongside the Brera Spider (upstage much?). With that unmistakable Giugiaro-penned nosecone, the 159 is no less a part of the family lookswise, and shares the same 15.3 feet in length and most mechanicals with the sedan, including a range of gas and Multijet diesel engines, six-speed tranny and double wishbone/multilink front/rear suspension. More photos after the jump. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=151769&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Italians Invade Washington: Alfa 159 Spotted!]]> Reader Chris was minding his own business after work when he happened upon an Alfa Romeo 159, rumored to be the vehicle that'll spearhead the brand's return to the US market. Take it, Chris. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=149654&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[On Alfa Romeo's Return to the US Market: The 159 Sedan]]> Edmunds Inside Line reports on Alfa Romeo's predicted return to the US, and road tests the Euro-spec Alfa 159 — the most likely candidate for American import — in Germany. Alfa's new leader Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, formerly the boss of BMW's M division of high-performance tuners, is indicating that the US is a crucial market for the company and that the 159 is the model that will face down his former employer's stateside juggernaut — though he hasn't given specifics on timing or models. Another shocker: A new Alfa Spider will be among the models on the first boat over. We may just have to take that day off. More »
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