Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Fiat is desperately trying to make its beleaguered Alfa Romeo brand relevant in this millennium. After years of mediocre products and efforts to return to the U.S. market that can best be described as slapdash, Fiat may resort to playing its ultimate race card, as in injecting future Alfa products with fire-breathing Ferrari engines.
A year ago we reported that Alfa was developing a mid-size, rear-drive sedan and coupe based on the Maserati Ghibli that would be powered by Ferrari-tuned turbocharged V-6s. Now, a report in Automotive News echoes our previous coverage and adds that this new lineup of rear-drive offerings would represent a complete reboot of the Alfa Romeo lineup.
- First Drive: 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe
- First Drive: 2014 Maserati Ghibli S Q4
- First Drive: 2014 Ferrari 458 Speciale
Meanwhile, we sort of pity Ferrari. The formerly purebred automaker once simply sold cars to support its racing habit and that was that. But in recent years, Ferrari has been directed to do what Enzo might have considered unthinkable, most notably providing engines to its one-time nemesis, Maserati, and now coming up with powertrains for lowly Alfa. Ferrari is still a long way from becoming Fiat's AMG, but these latest moves could be taking it in that direction.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
Put the internet to work for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment