Tag Archives: Alfa Romeo

News

Maserati and Alfa Romeo Join the Carabinieri Fleet

This morning in Rome, under the ornate ceilings of the General Command of the Carabinieri, a pair of unmistakably Italian machines took the stage—not for a concours d’elegance, but for duty. The national gendarmerie has officially added a Maserati MC20 (in special MCPURA configuration) and an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio to its fleet, each liveried in the force’s institutional blue and equipped for one of the most critical missions imaginable: the urgent transport of organs and blood.

The ceremony, held in the presence of General Commander Gen. C.A. Salvatore Luongo and top Stellantis executives, marked a rare moment when Italy’s storied automotive passion and public service ethos aligned perfectly. “This collaboration represents not only an alliance between Italian automotive excellence and institutional operational efficiency,” said Luongo, “but a true alignment of purpose in service of the community.”

A Maserati First

For Maserati, this delivery is historic—the first time one of its cars will wear the Carabinieri badge. The MC20 MCPURA packs the marque’s 630-horsepower Nettuno twin-turbo V6, a 3.0-liter masterpiece with pre-chamber combustion tech borrowed from Formula 1. Its carbon-fiber monocoque and mid-engine layout are designed for precision and stability at speed—qualities that take on new meaning when the mission is measured in seconds and lives. Special equipment for organ and blood transport has been seamlessly integrated into the supercar’s limited cabin space, transforming this track-bred thoroughbred into an instrument of life-saving urgency.

The Return of a Legend

If Maserati’s entry is groundbreaking, Alfa Romeo’s presence feels like coming home. The Giulia Quadrifoglio continues a lineage that stretches back to 1951, when the Carabinieri first adopted the rugged Alfa Romeo 1900 M “Matta.” One year later, the 1900 sedan became the original “Gazzella”—a term still synonymous with the Carabinieri’s rapid-response units. From the elegant 1960s Giulia to the sharp-edged Alfetta, 75, 155, and 159, Alfa’s four-leaf-clover-badged machines have long served Italy’s uniformed protectors.

Today’s Giulia Quadrifoglio channels that legacy with a 520-horsepower twin-turbo V6, rear-wheel drive, and a mechanical limited-slip differential—pure driver’s-car DNA, reimagined for emergency service. The sedan’s trunk now houses specialized systems for secure medical transport, but otherwise it remains a Giulia in full stride: aggressive, poised, and unmistakably Alfa.

A Modern Mission

For Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, the delivery goes beyond brand symbolism. “The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and Maserati MCPURA are not only symbols of performance and style,” he said, “but concrete tools to ensure speed and safety in missions of vital importance.”

In a world where every second counts, these vehicles stand as proof that Italy’s passion for design and performance can serve something higher than spectacle. They are rolling testaments to how engineering excellence, when paired with institutional purpose, can save lives.

Performance with a Purpose

While the sight of a Maserati or Alfa Romeo in police livery might stir envy among enthusiasts, for the Carabinieri it’s all about function. The MC20’s carbon tub and active aerodynamics deliver precision at triple-digit speeds on open autostrade, while the Giulia’s balance and agility are perfect for navigating Italy’s narrow, twisting city streets. Both are equipped with advanced communication systems and refrigeration units designed to maintain vital medical payloads at stable temperatures—because in this mission, speed isn’t about a quarter-mile time. It’s about survival.

Italian Icons in Uniform

In an era when public institutions often settle for utilitarian efficiency, the Carabinieri’s latest additions remind the world that practicality and passion can coexist. The partnership between Stellantis and the Carabinieri continues a decades-long tradition of Italian automakers supporting law enforcement and public welfare with engineering artistry and national pride.

For Maserati and Alfa Romeo, the assignment couldn’t be more fitting: serving the nation not through horsepower alone, but through heart.

Source: Maserati

Restomod

Totem GT Super Farina: The Alfa Romeo Restomod That’s Pure Italian Poetry

If Singer has rewritten the gospel of the Porsche 911, then Totem Automobili might just be Italy’s answer to that divine restoration craft — except their scripture is written in the language of Alfa Romeo. And this, the Totem GT Super Farina, might be their Sistine Chapel.

Only 40 examples will ever exist, each one hand-built with the kind of passion that makes you want to speak with your hands while talking about it. It’s based on Alfa Romeo bones — but “based on” is like saying the Mona Lisa is “based on a woman.” What Totem has done here is nothing short of automotive alchemy.

A Shade Straight Out of the Seventies

The owner of this particular GT Super clearly wasn’t interested in blending in. He ordered his dream machine in Luci del Bosco, a luscious metallic brown inspired by the earthy tones of 1970s Italian exotica. It’s the sort of colour that looks different every time the light hits it — sometimes liquid bronze, sometimes molten espresso. Add in gold-painted rims, satin nickel accents, and a full carbon-fibre body treated with Totem’s extended satin finish, and you’ve got a restomod that looks like it should be parked outside a Lake Como villa, waiting for the espresso machine to finish.

Retro Soul, Modern Precision

From every angle, the Farina looks impossibly right. The stance, the proportions, the delicious blend of old-school romance and new-school aggression — it’s all there. It’s as if someone took a vintage Alfa and whispered, “you deserve better,” before rebuilding it molecule by molecule.

Open the door, and the theatre continues. The cabin is wrapped in ivory Nappa leather, with Alcantara, carbon fibre, and brushed metal making cameo appearances. The machined aluminium switchgear feels like it was carved by watchmakers, not fabricators. And then there’s that manual gearbox, crowned with a wooden shift knob — a glorious rebellion in an age of paddles and screens.

Heart of a Modern Italian Beast

Under the bonnet, Totem could’ve played it safe with a lightly warmed-over Alfa twin-cam. But that’s not their style. Instead, they teamed up with Italtechnica, who conjured a twin-turbo 2.8-litre V6 that sounds like it was tuned by Pavarotti’s pit crew.

In its “standard” form, it delivers 600 horsepower and 700 Nm of torque — but if you tick the right box, you’ll get 750 hp and 986 Nm, which are numbers that start to feel a little… unholy. All that in a compact, lightweight body that channels its power through a proper manual? That’s not nostalgia — that’s nirvana.

The Price of Passion

At €539,000, the GT Super Farina isn’t just expensive — it’s exclusive. You could buy a small fleet of Giulia Quadrifoglios for that. But none of them would feel like this. None would blend 1960s romance with 2020s performance so seamlessly.

Totem hasn’t just made a car; they’ve made an emotion you can drive. A tribute to Alfa Romeo’s soul, to Italian craftsmanship, and to the art of making machinery that moves you — literally and spiritually.

If the GT Super Farina proves anything, it’s that sometimes, il cuore sportivo still beats loudest when it’s hand-built, polished to perfection, and painted the colour of autumn sunlight over Tuscany.

Source: Totem Automobili

News

Alfa Romeo Delays the EV Switch: The Giulia and Stelvio Live On

There’s life in the old snake yet. Just when we thought Alfa Romeo’s petrol-powered era was quietly being tucked into its museum glass case between a 155 V6 Ti and an 8C Competizione, the brand has decided to crank up the V6s once more. Yes — the Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio are coming back, and they’re bringing all 513 horses with them.

That’s right: the cars that defined Alfa’s return to proper rear-wheel-drive swagger will not be quietly pensioned off in favour of an all-electric future. Instead, they’ll keep selling through 2027, defying both time and emissions legislation — a kind of automotive Sinatra comeback tour with exhaust pipes.

Giorgio’s Greatest Hits

Launched way back in 2015, the Giulia and Stelvio rode in on the then-new Giorgio platform, which Alfa designed with nothing but feel in mind. The steering? Still unmatched. The balance? Beautiful. The looks? Let’s just say even parked next to a brand-new BMW, the Giulia still has the sort of sultry stance that makes Munich’s efforts look… managerial.

But while rivals have spent the last decade learning new tricks, the Giulia and Stelvio have aged like Italian wine — complex, maybe a touch unpredictable, but utterly intoxicating. They’ve had the odd facelift, sure, but their bones are nearly a decade old. In car years, that’s almost Jurassic.

Which is why this decision feels both romantic and slightly rebellious. Alfa’s UK boss, Jules Tilstone, told Autocar: “Eighty per cent of the market is still ICE. People are looking for fun-to-drive performance ICE cars, and the Giulia and Stelvio offer that in spades.” Translation: the world might be plugging in, but Alfisti still want the noise, the soul, and the smell of hot brakes.

Return of the Quadrifoglio

In an unexpected twist, Alfa will restart production of the Quadrifoglio twins in 2026 — the six-cylinder symphony that was supposedly retired for good. Built at the Cassino factory, these will use effectively the same 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6s as before, though no one’s saying how they’ll get past the new Euro 7 regulations. Magic, probably. Or lawyers.

Tilstone insists the “powertrains will be effectively the same,” which in Alfa-speak means we’ll still get the same manic, rear-biased, tail-happy brilliance we’ve come to love — only this time, it’s a greatest hits encore before the electric curtain falls.

Why the Delay?

Originally, Alfa’s plan was to go all-in on electric successors: a new Stelvio EV in 2025, followed by a Giulia EV with as much as 1,000bhp — think Italian Tesla Plaid, but with cheekbones.

But then, the market shifted. EV demand slowed, especially in the premium and performance space. Porsche’s electric Macan isn’t exactly storming the charts, and Alfa’s own data showed that customers weren’t quite ready to swap fuel pumps for plug sockets. So, the brand hit pause.

The new Stelvio is now due in 2027, built on Stellantis’s STLA Large platform — the same one underpinning the new Dodge Charger. That means flexibility: full EV, hybrid, and good old-fashioned combustion. Somewhere, someone in Modena just smiled.

Electric Dreams, Gasoline Heart

Don’t mistake this as Alfa abandoning its electrification mission. The smaller Tonale and Junior crossovers — especially the latter — are steadily building Alfa’s EV credentials. In the UK, 30% of Junior buyers already go for the full-electric version, and Tilstone seems perfectly content with that balance.

“Everyone is talking about the transition to full electric,” he said, “but it’s important that Alfa Romeo continues to offer the Stelvio and Giulia for the foreseeable as jewels in the crown of our range.”

He’s not wrong. These cars are Alfa’s heartbeat — the ones that remind us why the brand still matters in a world of silent torque and range anxiety. They’re flawed, sure. They’ll drink more than your average Tesla owner’s monthly power bill. But they’re alive.

So, the Giulia and Stelvio will soldier on until 2027. The Quadrifoglio badge will return, roaring into a world increasingly uncomfortable with noise. And Alfa Romeo, against the grain of an industry sprinting towards silence, will give us one last chance to feel something.

Because if the Giulia Quadrifoglio taught us anything, it’s that emotion still matters. And in a future of electric efficiency and algorithmic speed, Alfa’s refusal to let go of petrol passion feels like an act of beautiful defiance.

Bene. Now let’s just hope they keep the six-cylinder snarl — and not replace it with a sound file called “Emotion_01.wav.”

Source: Autocar