Prodan Dragos’ Alfa Romeo Giulia Concept is one Mean Machine

It’s about time the Italians get off their collective backsides and knock out a competitor to the BMW 1-Series coupe. Something a bit like the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint of the 1960s in that it should be a two-door, three-box Bavarian-killer with a sweet-as-silk motor and looks to die for. Romanian industrial designer Prodan Dragos no doubt agrees.

His Alfa Romeo Giulia Concept packs a 180 hp (134 kW) petrol engine mated to an 80 kW electric motor and a 6spd manual transmission. It also has a lightweight body crafted out of aluminium and carbon fibre-reinforced polymer, with polycarbonate windows to further save on weight.

The A and C-pillars are blacked out and the B-pillar is hidden to give the Giulia Concept a sleek, sporty look. There’s the signature Alfa Romeo grille and charcoal black 20-inch wheels.

It is both modern and retro and, I think, fully embodies the Italian firm’s passion for motor sport and driver involvement.

It is a masterful design and a tribute to Dragos’ talent for design. You can check out our full gallery and leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

By Tristan Hankins

Designer: Prodan Dragos via Carbodydesign

PHOTO GALLERY

Oops! They Did it Again: Alfa Romeo’s Return to the US Delayed Until 2013

It’s 2003, 2004, 2006 – you get the idea- happening all over again; Alfa Romeo’s return to the US market has been delayed and will not happen in 2012 as was the most recent plan. Instead, Fiat Group and Chrysler LLC CEO, Sergio Marchionne, has pushed the Italian brand’s arrival back for another year, or so until he announces another delay.

Technically, Alfa has already returned to the market it abandoned in 1995 by selling 100 units of its 8C Competizione supercar. And Marchionne won’t exactly break his promise about 2012: the small detail is that it will be only with a few examples of the limited-edition 4C coupe.

If –and that’s a very big IF- everything goes according to schedule, Alfa’s actual second coming to the US will happen in mid-2013 starting with a compact crossover model.

The reason for the latest delay is the fact that Marchionne has thrice in the last 18 months rejected proposals for the new Giulia, the compact sport sedan that will replace the 159 and will be the second model, after the SUV, to be sold to the US market through Fiat dealerships.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this time it’s for real. Because since 2000, when the then-CEO Paolo Cantarella announced a return to the US in alliance with GM, which was subsequently pushed back to 2002 before being abandoned, we’ve already heard more than enough reports on the matter.

And this is all starting to sound like TV televangelists who every other day, and twice on Sundays, predict the end of the world yet, despite their "prophecies", planet Earth is still here.

Via Autonews

PHOTO GALLERY