“how To Hotrod (hot Rod) Volkswagen Engines” By Bill Fisher. on 2040-parts.com

Alfa Romeo 8C GTA & Alfa MiTo GTA Spied

The Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA & Alfa Romeo 8C GTA Spied Through the early part of last year we were convinced Alfa Romeo were going to launch a halo version of that cracking little car the MiTo, and bring the GTA badge out of the history box at the same time to create the Alfa MiTo GTA. Blimey, we not only managed to report details of the MiTo GTA but even had a video from Alfa of the MiTo GTA concept running around. But that all seemed to go out of the window when reports started flying round the car world last July that the Alfa MiTo GTA was dead and the hottest we’d get was the Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio, although on both occasions we expressed the belief – probably more in hope than expectation – that Alfa would give us the MiTo GTA.

Upcoming Volvo XC90 gets new safety tech

The Volvo XC90 has been with us for 10 years now -- a long time indeed when it comes to product life cycles of comparable upmarket SUVs. The stylish sport utility was a popular seller in North America for a good part of that decade, and for a while was even offered with a 4.4 liter V8 engine developed by Yamaha and shared with the second-gen S80 (a first for a Volvo passenger car). But if there's one thing Volvo is known for, it's not V8 engines -- it's safety.

A tribute to Ermanno Cressoni

Last week the car design community suffered a great loss. Ermanno Cressoni or 'Arch' as many of his designers affectionately referred to him, passed away on Thursday 30th June in Milan after battling with cancer for 13 months.'Arch' was a reference in car design and his contribution to our profession was much more important than stated in the press. As Alfa Romeo Centro Stile Director he directed the Alfetta berlina, the famous chrome GTV grille from the early seventies is attributed to him, as is the Giuglietta sedan of the late seventies, the Alfa 33, the 75, and many of the racing Alfas we adore from the late 60s and early 70s.