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02-04-2011, 03:56 AM
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Country:  | | | Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
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02-04-2011, 04:22 AM
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Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
Some say the lines will be based on this beauty: 
Last edited by CaymanPower; 02-04-2011 at 04:53 AM.
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02-04-2011, 05:11 AM
|  | Porschiste   1,000 post club | | Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Arizona
Posts: 1,281
Country:  | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
Sweet. Alfa's are loads of fun....if a bit plasticky inside. Shame they can't cram a six in....
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02-04-2011, 07:17 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Apr 2010
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Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
Originally Posted by Singletrack  Shame they can't cram a six in.... | With just 850kg (carbonfibre cockpit with front and rear aluminium sub-frames) who cares about a six-pot?! 
Also, expect Porsche to move very soon to four bangers just like BMW has already done: New 2.0 liter TwinPower Turbo 4-cylinder engine |
02-04-2011, 07:47 AM
|  | Admin & Founder | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Kansas
Posts: 28,622
Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
1,870 lbs? Even Lotus couldn't achieve that with the US version of the Elise, I find it hard to believe Alfa could do it, particularly on a US-spec car that has to meet our federal safety standards. By the time you add big chrome bumpers and a set of 22" spinners this car is going to get heavier. 
Still, should be interesting to see and welcome competition for the Boxster, ala what Jaguar is unveiling as well. |
02-04-2011, 09:41 AM
|  | Porsche Enthusiast | | Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: VA
Posts: 228
Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
Originally Posted by CaymanPower | FYI to anyone who gets the impression that the car in the link is the new 4C, it's not. That's the 8C Competizione to which the 4C might bear a family resemblance, that's all. Nobody has images of the 4C yet, just speculation.
However it's an Alfa so it will, by definition, be beautiful.
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02-04-2011, 10:03 AM
|  | Aqua Blue Metallic Mafia OG | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NC
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Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
Originally Posted by CaymanPower Some say the lines will be based on this beauty: | I likes this |
02-04-2011, 10:37 AM
|  | Caymaniac  5,000 post club | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: California
Posts: 5,266
Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
Originally Posted by K-Man S 1,870 lbs? Even Lotus couldn't achieve that with the US version of the Elise, I find it hard to believe Alfa could do it, particularly on a US-spec car that has to meet our federal safety standards. | Exactly what I was thinking. How can they do a car that light?
If they can do it, we would need 415 HP in a Cayman to match the HP/weight ratio.
I will believe it when I see it. For $56,000.
I want one in red. 
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02-04-2011, 10:45 AM
| | Porschiste 1,000 post club | | Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Arizona
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Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
Originally Posted by CaymanPower With just 850kg (carbonfibre cockpit with front and rear aluminium sub-frames) who cares about a six-pot?!
Also, expect Porsche to move very soon to four bangers just like BMW has already done: New 2.0 liter TwinPower Turbo 4-cylinder engine | I know....but if you've had an Alfa six (been there)....or for that matter, a BMW inline six (been there)...a turbocharged four is not quite the same.
Would you be happy with the Chevy Volt set up in your Cayman?
As to the weight....well a Smart ForTwo weighs just 730kg...
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02-04-2011, 10:46 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 464
Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
Originally Posted by FunkyJunk However it's an Alfa so it will, by definition, be beautiful. | Yes... but I was referring to the power to weight ratio. With a 1.8L in-line four turbo aluminium engine in the middle (making 250bhp) and a carbonfibre cockpit - carbonfibre definitely would meet your federal safety standards (see F1 cars) - it's quite possible to achieve such a low weight.
I really wish this was true... simply stunning! |
02-05-2011, 08:11 AM
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Posts: 464
Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
Originally Posted by Singletrack
Would you be happy with the Chevy Volt set up in your Cayman?
As to the weight....well a Smart ForTwo weighs just 730kg...
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We are talking about, allegadly, of a Cayman/Boxster setup with just 850kg and pratically the same power as my Cayman... Would i mind if my engine was traded for a 2.0L turbocharged flat-4 boxer engine (just like Subaru's) in sake of less weight, compactness, lower car's center of mass closer to its geometric center and, ultimately, a better power to weight ratio?
Well... i'm not even talking of better gas mileage and emissions if direct injection would be also used (which, of course, will be)... would i mind?!
And i love BMW straight-six's (particularly the N52B30)... |
03-05-2011, 10:38 PM
|  | Porsche Enthusiast | | Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Tokyo
Posts: 153
Country:  | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
Originally Posted by Singletrack Sweet. Alfa's are loads of fun....if a bit plasticky inside. Shame they can't cram a six in.... | I had an Alfa 147GTA which had their glorious V6 crammed under the hood of their very tiniest car... 250hp FF (about 50hp more than any other FF at the time), AWESOME sound, superbly SEXY bodywork, amazing Brembo brakes, a two tone leather interior almost as nice as a Ferarri's, and an AMAZING special version single-clutch Selespeed transmission that was basically a reworked version of the same Magneti Marelli unit used for the Ferrari F1-gearbox), all for 1/6 the price! I absolutely loved it - something that only the Italians would dare to do! (will try to post pictures later)
And though I am completely satisfied with my Boxster S PDK, which is leagues ahead of the GTA in speed, steering feel, weight balance, cornering ability, suspension and road feel (and it is also my first open car), to be honest, if they actually build an 850kg 4C that looks remotely like this stunning concept car, I will put a deposit down the first day they allow me to - this is the Alfa I have been waiting YEARS for them to build! Gorgeous, light, fast (and perhaps with good handling for a change!).
I just need to work a bit harder so that I can hold onto my Boxster too! (The wife is begging me for the new Cayenne Hybrid so I will need to save my pennies to be able to run three cars...)  |  |  |  | | PDK - Porsche Doppelkupplung |  | (FAQ in Process)
Derived from motorsport, PDK, available for the 911 Turbo for the first time, achieves one thing above all else: it provides the perfect balance between uncompromisingly dynamic performance and exceptional levels of comfort. It’s purely about point of view. The driver’s especially.
The optional PDK with both manual and automatic modes enables extremely fast gear changes with no interruption in the power flow. For improved acceleration and significantly lower fuel consumption – without having to dispense with the advantages of an automatic.
The driver experiences a sportier, even more dynamic drive with more agility. Depending on driving style, gear changes range from exceptionally comfortable to exceptionally sporty.
Manual gear changes are performed using the PDK’s ergonomically designed gear lever or the switches on the steering wheel: nudge forwards to change up, pull back to change down. The logic behind the optional three-spoke sports steering wheel with gearshift paddles comes from motorsport: pull to the right to shift up, pull to the left to shift down.
PDK has been specially tuned to the characteristics of the new 911 Turbo models. It has seven gears at its disposal. Gears 1 to 6 have a sports ratio, with the top speed being reached in 6th gear. The 7th gear has a long ratio and helps to reduce fuel consumption even further.
PDK is essentially two half-gearboxes in one and thus requires two clutches – designed as a double wet clutch transmission.
This double clutch provides an alternating, non positive connection between the two half-gearboxes and the engine by means of two separate input shafts (input shaft 1 is nested inside the hollowed-out input shaft 2).
The flow of power from the engine is only ever transmitted through one half-gearbox and one clutch at a time, while the next gear is preselected in the second half-gearbox. During a gear change, therefore, a conventional shift no longer takes place. Instead, one clutch simply opens and the other closes at the same time. Gear changes can therefore take place within milliseconds.
Clutch 1 controls the first half-gearbox, which contains the odd gears (1, 3, 5, 7) and reverse. Clutch 2 controls the second, which contains the even gears (2, 4, 6).
The optional Sport Chrono Package Turbo with dynamic engine mount system provides PDK with two additional functions, ‘Launch Control’ and ‘motorsport-derived gearshift strategy’.
PDK – sporty, comfortable and efficient. Characteristics that have been given some thought elsewhere too: in the specification for the new 911 Turbo models. | |  |  |  |  |
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03-05-2011, 10:48 PM
| | Porsche Enthusiast | | Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Tokyo
Posts: 153
Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
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03-06-2011, 06:31 AM
|  | Porsche Specialist  500 post club | | Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Florida
Posts: 637
Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
Nice looking car. The weight might be possible....but I doubt at a 'reasonable' price point. That being said, smaller and lighter does seem to be the direction of the future. |
03-06-2011, 06:39 AM
| | Porsche Enthusiast | | Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Tokyo
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Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
Originally Posted by lspain Nice looking car. The weight might be possible....but I doubt at a 'reasonable' price point. That being said, smaller and lighter does seem to be the direction of the future. | Lotus has owned the "smaller and lighter" performance market for some time, but they still haven't a clue how to make a car you can use as a daily driver... The 4C is a radical car for Alfa, something they should have done years ago. Can't wait to see Porsche's new 4 cylinder entry - sure seems like its gonna be a buyer's market!
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03-06-2011, 08:48 AM
|  | Porsche Activist | | Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 394
Country:  | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
Human imagination has no limits. WAW looking car. 
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08-30-2011, 06:32 PM
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Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
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08-30-2011, 07:46 PM
|  | Site Donor | | Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Oahu, Hawaii
Posts: 458
Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
I don't like. It looks like some sort of alien bug.
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08-30-2011, 09:59 PM
|  | Porsche Idealist 500 post club | | Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Oregon
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Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
+1 where did the mags come from? As much as I wish the American car companies well, they would have a huge uphill battle convincing the enthusiasts that they have a line up that would compete with the Europeans. Probably better off trying to reach nirvana with a 60mpg sedan, or, a newfangled minivan. Just sayin'..... 
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08-31-2011, 04:01 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 464
Country: | | | Re: Tough competition from Alfa Romeo to Boxster at the 2011 Geneva motor show!
Originally Posted by hack +1 where did the mags come from? As much as I wish the American car companies well, they would have a huge uphill battle convincing the enthusiasts that they have a line up that would compete with the Europeans. Probably better off trying to reach nirvana with a 60mpg sedan, or, a newfangled minivan. Just sayin'..... | You are not seeing the big picture here... Fiat had publicly said it wanted a production base in North America for its Alfa Romeo brand--and presumably the Fiat brand, too
Chrysler And Fiat? - Forbes.com | Right now, Fiat sells Ferrari and Maserati cars in the U.S., but in tiny numbers. Last year's Maserati sale number was only 2,509, and there are plans to sell a few dozen very expensive Alfa models here in the near future.
Chrysler And Fiat? - Forbes.com | Fiat needs a manufacturing base if it intends to reenter the American market. It makes no sense to import small or low-priced cars, or even mid-level cars from Europe, as the strong European currency makes that a money-losing proposition. Most of the successful European imports--Mercedes, BMW and Porsche (other-otc: PSEPF.PK - news - people )--are expensive luxury cars. Both Mercedes and BMW also manufacture in the U.S.
Chrysler And Fiat? - Forbes.com | Light trucks, which include pickups and sport-utility vehicles, made up 62 percent of Chrysler’s U.S. sales in 2008, the most among domestic automakers. That left Chrysler at a disadvantage as gasoline soared to a record $4.11 a gallon. Fiat’s strengths include a distribution network in Russia, China and South America and a lineup of small, fuel-efficient cars.
Chrysler Trades 35% Stake to Fiat for Cars, Markets (Update2) - Bloomberg | | | |
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