The Demo Site

Click above to taste view more of Scrimaglio's Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo wines

We've heard it before: drinking and driving don't mix. We know. And we're not about to condone the combination of the two. But we also can't help but wonder why there seems to be so much crossover between automobiles and alcohol: beer and whiskey logos on race cars, Martini striping on rally cars, champagne sprayed all over victorious drivers, mixed drinks named after sports cars.... You get the picture, and so does Fiat. The Italian auto giant isn't about to miss out on the action, so they've teamed up with Scimaglio vineyards to launch their own line of fine wines.

Scrimaglio is a family vineyard with roots going back over a century in the Nizza Monferrato winemaking region of Italy. Through their "fashion wines" project, they've now launched wines under the Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo labels, including whites, reds and sparking Spumantes. We're still hung over from New Years' Eve, so we won't be tasting them for you just yet. But we like the pretty bottles, which you can check out in the gallery below. Just make sure you have a designated driver before you do.

It was my painful duty this morning to deliver a mild kicking to the latest incarnation of the Alfa Romeo GT, the Cloverleaf JTDm Q2.

At around £22k, this coupé has the looks and price advantage to worry the Audi TT, but falls hopelessly behind the Ingolstadt icon on refinement, fit and finish, and interior packaging. Oh, and it's the same price as a BMW 120d coupé, which is better in every area (if not prettier).

I can't help thinking, though, that Alfa's biggest threat comes not from brands that it might consider traditional rivals in the two-door market, but from Volkswagen's Scirocco.

Here's a £20.6k car with better packaging, far more accomplished road manners, a more refined diesel engine and, well, as close to a safe badge as you can get these days. It's plain better to drive than the GT, and it even looks pretty.

In the past, Alfa always seems to have found a niche for vehicles like the GT: price and styling have been the most common. But these days, it's under attack from more angles than ever. The sooner Alfa gets the Mito sorted and on sale, and then comes up with a more accomplished sporting range, the better.

It looks like the rest of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competiziones are starting to get into customer hands since that first one was delivered to James Glickenhaus. Last weekend at Motor4Toys we just missed a red one, but it happened to show up this morning at our weekly gathering in Irvine, California. The car drew a huge crowd, who universally praised it for its voluptuous good looks and gorgeous red paint job. The owner drove in and parked, revving it a bit to treat the onlookers. Although we've had the great pleasure of seeing the car in person a few times already, it is still stunning. And it was fun to watch the others seeing it for the first time. This is truly mobile art. Drew and Jonathon happened to be at the show this morning as well and are trying to convince the owner to let them take it for a spin. Hopefully they get their wish, but until then, check out the gallery to see some of my pics along with Drew's typical photographic magic.

The Essen Motor Show in Germany is underway and Marangoni has just revealed its latest creation called the Marangoni M430. The car is based on the new Alfa Romeo Mi.To and is inspired by the Ferrari F430. You're hardly going to forget the Marangoni in a hurry with its striking gullwing doors, red tires that are wrapped in 18-inch black wheels, and a body-kit that gives the cute little Mi.To something to be aggressive about.

Performance is also enhanced courtesy of Mariani. The 1.4T turbocharged unit has been hiked by 64-hp for a total of 220-hp. Complimenting the extra output is upgraded braking system with 330×26 discs and 10-pot calipers.

Marangoni has also added a new rear-diffuser and an upgrade two-tone interior.

Marangoni M430 - Alfa Romeo Mi.To:

Source: autoblog.it (via WCF)

We're already distressed about not being able to buy the Brera in the U.S. Now, Alfa Romeo is giving its Brera the Turismo Internazionale treatment for the Paris Motor Show, and we want it even more. Called, naturally, the Brera TI, the car gets a number of modifications that separate it from the standard coupe: stiffer springs and dampers, 19-inch wheels with 8C-derived rims, red Brembo one-piece front calipers, and TI logos on the front fenders for the outside.

Inside, along with more TI logos, are highly bolstered and top-stitched seats, aluminum console trim or optional carbon fiber, aluminum pedals, perforated leather throughout, and the choice of a leather dash. The car goes on sale later this year with either the 185-bhp 2.2 JTS engine or 3.2-liter V6.

[Source: Top Speed]

Press release

The Paris show hosts the world première of the sporting TI specification of the Alfa Brera that is due to go on sale in autumn 2008. This version is distinguished by the TI logo applied to the front wings and will initially be available with 2.2 JTS (Manual and Selespeed) and 3.2 V6 engines and later also with other engines.

TI stands for Turismo Internazionale, an acronym that Alfa Romeo used to assign only to its best-equipped cars with the most sophisticated engineering. Such cars were derived from standard production models but, as a result of experience built up on racetracks throughout the world, were customised with mechanical and styling changes to create thoroughbred sports cars that could still be driven on ordinary roads.

The Alfa Romeo engineers adjusted the tuning of the suspension system to emphasise the car's renowned attributes of sportiness and handling still further: the springs and dampers are even stiffer, designed specially to ensure an effective grip by the 19-inch tyres, while the shape of the brand new alloy rims, inspired by the 8C Competizione, has been developed for maximum weight containment and efficient cooling of the braking system. The latter features large brake discs and Brembo red one-piece front callipers with a radial attachment. These top-quality engineering attributes mean full expression of Alfa Romeo driving satisfaction, with its time-honoured qualities of agility, precise steering and safety under all conditions.

Inside, the TI weds the sporty spirit of an Alfa Romeo with the class and elegance that is expected of an Italian product. A carefully-crafted finish and material quality was the brief of the Alfa Romeo Style Centre when developing the interior environment. The high-containment anatomical seats are trimmed with soft leather and finished with top-stitching and a metal plate bearing the TI logo. The dashboard central console and the steering wheel panel are in dark brushed aluminium or carbon fibre, as an option. The anatomical steering wheel grip and gear knob are in perforated leather. The interior environment can be made even more exclusive by adopting a leather dashboard, a sophisticated option created with hand-crafted diligence.

For maximum driving satisfaction, the instruments can also come with sporty graphics, with white lighting, while the pedal unit and foot rest are in aluminium with a special non-slip treatment.

The version on show in Paris is equipped with a lively 185 bhp 2.2 JTS engine (an up-to-date power unit made entirely of aluminium and equipped with direct fuel injection) combined with a Selespeed sequential gearbox. It also offers a long equipment list that includes a dual zone climate control system and VDC stability system with optional extras such as a radio navigation system, xenon headlights, sky window, adjustable door mirrors with memory, luggage retaining net and sensor pack.