Even though in recent years Alfa Romeo’s formal presence in the concept scene has been limited to the 4C pre-production study, independent designers and studios alike have tried their best to cover the Italian firm’s absence and capture the imagination of the public with plenty of conceptual proposals.

IDECORE, an Italian studio that bills itself as “independent designers and modelers” and which you may remember fromlast year’s Monza V8 study, sent us these computer generated images of a new Alfa Romeo concept named Minhoss.

The Minhoss is a study for a smaller Alfa Romeo sports coupe designed by Marco Marchese.

The young Italian designers tells us that his creation “takes inspiration from the ancient Minoan civilization, melting it carefully with style elements from different models of Alfa Romeo’s past and present”.

The concept was penned to be around 4.1-meters in length (approx. 162-inches long) with power preferably coming from Alfa’s 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder TBi engine tuned to develop around 265-ponies.

Marchese says that the Minhoss would feature a traditional layout with the engine mounted up front, and the gearbox and driving axle at the rear.

Take a look at the high-res photos below and tell us what you think.

Novitec is a German tuning company known for wheedling more ponies from anything that rolls on four wheels and is produced in Italy. This time, the tuner has set its eyes on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta hatchback with the release of a comprehensive styling and performance package.

On the outside, Novitec’s goods include a subtle but attractive ground effects kit (perhaps with the exception of the somewhat over-the-top rear diffuser, which in our opinion, would have probably looked better in a matte black finish).

The car’s looks are further enhanced with quad exhaust pipes, a choice of alloy wheel designs in a gray or black finish with sizes ranging from 18-inches to 20-inches and a sports suspension kit that lowers the ride height.

To improve the Giulietta’s performance, Novitec offers a variety of kits for both gasoline and diesel engines. For example, the 1.4-liter TB petrol can be bumped up to 195HP, while the flagship 1.8-liter TBi is pushed from 235HP to 261HP.

If Alfa Romeo wanted to get people talking with the debut of its 4C concept in Geneva, they succeeded. The Internet is abuzz with rumors of its production potential. There have already been reports that the Alfa will spearhead the marque’s full-fledged return to North America, to be followed by both Spider and Abarthversions. Now, word is that Maserati could get a derivative, too.

If the reports prove accurate and the spinoffs come to fruition, that would mean three brands within the Fiatgroup will get their own versions of the lightweight, mid-engined, four-cylinder sports car. And that’s beforeany of the Chrysler brands get a crack at it, because a Dodge version to pick up where the Circuit conceptleft off could be most tempting. The Maserati version would naturally be positioned and appointed differently from the Alfa or Abarth models. The question is whether the market can bear more than one Elise rival from Fiat/Chrysler, let alone multiples.

We’re still feeling the aftershocks from the unveiling of the tempting Alfa Romeo 4C Concept in Geneva, and reports about its production – and distribution – are already beginning to surface.

When Alfa CEO Harald Wester unveiled the 4C Concept, he indicated that production possibilities are not only being carefully considered, but that the 4C could make it to the United States to spearhead the marque’s return to these shores.

Of course, that’s what Alfa said about the 8C Competizione, with sales totaling 84 coupes and 35 roadsters across the United States. That was it – no additional (read: more accessible) Alfa models followed. Could the production 4C pick up where its big brother left off?

If it does, rumor has it that, instead of selling through Maserati dealerships as the 8C was, the 4C would be sold alongside the Fiat 500 at the many new stores being set up in the U.S.

The same report also indicates that an additional run of Abarth versions of the 4C could be in the cards, as well. Whether they’d be even more performance-oriented versions of the same (as the Scorpion brand does with the Fiat 500 and Punto) or rebodied and rebadged as an Abarth-specific model (roadster, anyone?) remains to be seen. Regardless, consider our interest piqued.

Source:Autoblog

The beauty of Alfa Romeo is that it embodies the same sort of Italian flair as Ferrari and Maserati, but in a smaller, more accessible package. Unfortunately, their current range doesn’t offer the same level of excitement. (Well, the 8C Competizione did, but then it was hardly any more affordable than its Modenese counterparts.) Enter the Alfa 4C.

Smaller than the 8C it essentially succeeds, the 4C doesn’t shed the excitement factor, just concentrates it into a more compact shape. In fact, at less than eight feet long, it doesn’t get much more concentrated than this. Or much lighter: carbon fiber and aluminum construction helps keep the weight down to below 850 kilograms (1873 lbs). The 1750cc, direct-injection turbo four from the Giulietta QV mounted amidship drives just over 200 horsepower via Alfa’s TCT dual-clutch transmission to the rear wheels for a 0-60 time in the fours; and speed being relative to size, we bet it would be one heck of a ride along the way.

The best part? Alfa is currently evaluating production possibilities for the 4C, which could finally lead the company’s long-awaited return to the North American market. That, and the simply awesome matte red paint scheme in which the show car was unveiled here in Geneva. See for yourself in the live gallery below, and scope out the full details in the press release after the jump.

Source:Autoblog