Alfa's Ferrari-powered M3 rival [Drive.com.au]

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Spy Photos: Alfa GTA? [internal]

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

Scoop: Alfa Romeo 159 GTA ? [Carscoop]

Related:
Spy Photos: Alfa Romeo 159 GTA [internal]

DRIVING THE 149 159:

When you first start the car, you are immediately reminded you are in an Alfa Romeo. The car shares the same distinctive grunt of the 164 Quadrifoglio. When you get going, you notice the clutch has a high release, but quickly get used to it. As you accelerate through the gears the car throws down the hammer and pushes you back into your seat. Once again you get the Alfa feeling when you see the tach rise to about 4500 RPM and then scream from 4500 to red line. This wagon was the Q4 version so having AWD was really nice rather than FWD. I did not notice any torque steer while accelerating in a straight line or out of a corner. It felt real crisp all the way through. The transmission was really nice and smooth. Finding the gears and changing them was effortless. The ratios are nice and close keeping you right in the power band between up shifts while hearing the motor bellowing out its deep tone.

RIDING IN THE 149 159:

You get in the car and it feels like you're sitting on your sofa, but the sporty side bolsters that are wrapped around your sides remind you that you aren't ready to watch Fast and the Furious, but about to be in it. Shut the door and you get that nice solid sound. When you turn the key, you get a nice digital heads up display in between the speedometer and tach. Here you are told everything you need to know, operating temps, fluid levels, day, time, etc. The driver's controls are very friendly. All the gauges and buttons are easily accessible. On the center console, you get fuel, oil temp, and water temp gauge angled towards the driver. Below that is the radio along with the a/c and heater controls. I'm 6' and had no problems sitting in the front or back seats. The fit and finish is nice with a great combination of leather and brushed aluminum. The ride is very smooth and quiet. You go over a bump or pothole and it doesn't even phase you. When you are driving along the road, it's nice and smooth. When you wanna see the race side of it, it's ready to show you what it's got.

LOOKING AT THE 149 159

This car was well thought out and gives a lot of hints from Alfa's past. The center grill is very SZ from the 60's. The single bar grille between the lights and center grille immediately throw the early GT Jr.'s in your face. A little hump at the front of the center grille makes you remember seeing a Giulietta Spider for the first time. Open the hood and the upper part of the grille is attached to the hood as in the legendary Giulia Super. Light up the turn signals on the front fenders and you get the impression you are looking at a 6C 2500. Reach for the chrome door handle and you see yourself opening the door to the past. When you sit behind the steering wheel and look at the gauges, you see the classic dual bullets that was so commonly used in the Spider for so many years. The center console offers you a Jr. Zagato look although this time in brushed aluminum instead of stainless steel. You get three auxiliary gauges directed right at eye level so you can just glance over while you are driving just as in the Spiders of the past.

Overall, the car is a huge score for Alfa Romeo. They WILL succeed with their current line up when it shows up. If you are thinking about buying a car anytime soon, wait a little longer for the Alfa. I know for a fact, we will be placing orders for a few of them when they are released. The one thing that's best about this car is that it makes you (smile). You look at it and you (smile), you sit in it and you (smile), you put the pedal to the floor you (smile), you think about the car you (smile), you know one day Alfa will return to the US with a fleet of its best products yet you almost want to (smile) (smile) (smile).

italcarguy - 2007 159 Q4 Sportwagon! [AlfaBB.com]

Related:
Alfa Romeo 149: A Parade of Spec Designs [internal]

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

[UPDATE: ECB has an enlargement of the engine, which apparently suggests itcould be a bi-turbo V6. Check it out after the jump. Oh well...]

Alfa Romeo 159 GTA test mule [Eurocar Blog]

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Finalmente! More on Alfa Romeo's US Return [internal]

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:

· 159—Facelifted version of current model arrives in U.S. in late 2009. All new: 2012
· Brera—Facelifted version of current model arrives in U.S. in late 2009. All new: 2013
· Spider—Facelifted version of all-new model arrives in U.S. in late 2009. All new: 2013
· Kamal—Compact SUV inspired by the Kamal concept goes up against the BMW X3 in 2011
· Sprint—Future uncertain for entry-level coupe seen as a spiritual successor to the Alfa Sud Sprint, developed under the internal codename Racer. Earliest arrival: 2011
· 169—Crossover replacement for recently discontinued 166 due in 2012
· 147—Entry level model currently not planned for sale in North America

Raise your grappa glasses — and here's hoping for more rear-drives in Alfa's future.

The United States of Alfa [internal]

Related:
The Italians Are Coming! Fiat Announces Alfa Romeo's US Return; Report: Alfa Romeo's US Return Pegged for 2010; On Alfa Romeo's Return to the US Market: The 159 Sedan; More on Alfa Romeo [internal]

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.

So when the traffic ground to a halt on the M40 I bet the chap behind me was keen to know why I didn't slow at all and then, for no obvious reason, suddenly indicated left.

Alfa Romeo 159 — Jeremy Clarkson [The Times UK]

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More on the Alfa Romeo 159 [internal]

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 at World Car Fans

Related:
Alfa 159 Sportwagon to Debut in Geneva [internal]

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.

Related:
Photo of Brera Droptop Released, Geneva Unveiling Expected [internal]

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.

"Saw a new Slfa Romeo 159 in Redmond, WA about an hour ago on the Microsoft Campus. i was leaving my office to take my '88 Trooper (2nd car ... great ski/dog hauler) to Novus for windshield repair when i spotted a new, grey Alfa 159 with white tape on bumpers/lower doors cruising slowly through the MS campus. Unfortunately it was two lanes away and I fumbled the camera phone and dropped it on the floor, so no accompanying pic. I know Spinelli's a bit of an Alfa freak so thought you'd like to know. Wonder if this is any indication that alfa is a bit closer to returning to the US?

We'd take that as a yes, Chris. But then, we're Alfoptimists, as opposed to Alfoptometrists, which is a whole 'nother field.

On Alfa Romeo's Return to the US Market [Internal]

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.

Sport, Style, Quality: Hallmarks of the 159, the Flagship Sedan for Alfa's Return to the U.S. [Edmunds]

Related:
It's Official: Alfa Romeo Coming Back to US; Alfa Romeo 149: A Parade of Spec Designs [internal]