Alfa Romeo = Kappa look alike!?

[Robotech]

Is it just me or does anyone else see a STRONG resemblance between this car and our Kappas? It almost looks like the Sky and Solstice had a kid with a mutated gene to make it a hardtop.



Bigger image: http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.au...img_8695-1.jpg

I like the way it looks...I do...but I just can't help seeing so many design similarities. Details are nice too:

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/31/a...merica-in-2008

After being absent from the US market since 1995, Alfa Romeo is finally coming back to America one year from now and they are returning with a bang! The opening salvo from Alfa will be the 8C Competizione, which has been appearing in Europe for several years now. Alfa is only building a grand total of 500 8Cs for the entire world with less than 100 of those coming here, and they will be the last of the series.

As part of the preview for this weekend's Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance, Maserati North America boss Jim Selwa unveiled the 8C for the first time in North America in final production form. Befitting such a low volume car, it will command a commensurately high volume price. In Selwa's words, it will be "somewhere north of $200,000." The carbon fiber bodied Alfa has a 4.7L V-8 with 450 hp passing through a six-speed paddle-shifted transaxle. Needless to say, there is no wrong wheel drive silliness here.

Under the glass rear hatch resides some custom fitted leather luggage, including a special briefcase in it's own slot at the back. The 8C will be offered through a limited number of Maserati dealers with the highest rated outlets getting priority. After the 8Cs are all gone, the Alfa renaissance will continue with more mainstream models coming over in 2009. According to Maserati NA Page Ranking manager Jeff Ehoodin, the models that will be available will be announced at a later date. For those with a taste for Italian style, the 8C is a wonderful way to start.

Oh and the rumor is that Jim Glickenhaus of the Ferrari P4/5 has the first US spec 8C.

[Helios]

it looks like a solstice with an uglier front fascia/ grill. i dont like the front fascia on the solstice and i like this one even less. overall, both the solstice and this one look good, but the front end is what kills it for me. And yes it does have a striking resemblence to the kappas.

[lostcause]

for 200K can I assume she comes with it or is that an add-on dealer option?

[GetAboutRL]

Try keeping a "princes" happy !

[MidniteBlues]

She's to skinny lostcause, and has no boobs--- I like my women to have some "meat" on them. When you hug them there is something there--

[ChgoBlues]

Well, I like it too but the reality of it is, not in my lifetime. But personally, I think it looks more like a Benz SLK.

And personally, sure she's a nice girl but not what I'd want next to my car.

[marlboromike]

How soon we forget...that front end it the Vauxhall lightning concept car of the SKY...in miniature of course...and if u juxtapose the front head lights...the SKYS..Whammo!

[SKY VUE 1]

Somewhere north of $200,000??? No thank you - I'd rather have a SKY of every color.

The front end reminds me of a Subaru Tribeca...

[KappaMan]

Originally Posted by Rob King, Pasadena Art student

..."There are times when two studios are going to come up with the same look, the same design. I’ve come to realize that the designs are similar, but it’s unlikely that [GM] borrowed from me," King says. "Ken [Okuyama] has drawn this design before, Franz [von Holzhausen] has drawn it, I’ve drawn it. It’s the same design language. It’s a form language for muscle cars and power."...

From an article back in 2002
Stolen by Design? An exclusive AutoWeek look at the fine line between design inspiration and theft

Originally Posted by Same article

...Most design coincidences are the result of reading the same research the same way—and living in the same cloistered design world. [Imre] Molnar [Dean for College for Creative Studies in Detroit] believes that’s exactly what happened with the Solstice design—designers tend to swim in the same inspirational streams. They read the same magazines, attend the same conferences and graduate from the same schools. So it’s not necessarily surprising that auto designs appear that aren’t attributable to any one thing or any one designer. King started swimming the gene pool, and out popped an idea others would recognize.

"They all see the same s—t," Molnar said.

Those who do their research tend to look at common data about the similar groups of buyers from the same designer perspective, so it’s not unexpected when they come up with similar ideas. ...

Not plagarism, but a form of inbreeding. Even if the designers are across the ocean, they still all attend autoshows around the world...


-How come all concept cars have the thinnest whiff of rubber between the road and the wheel?
-Why do wheels on concept cars get bigger year over year? (last year, saw several concepts at 26" wheels)
-All sporty concept cars have unbelievably large overall size to them. They get bigger year over year.
-All sporty concept cars have small, crazy-raked back windshields to them.

[marlboromike]

Many of us believe that the Vaxhall Lightning was English only...but the design came about when Opel engineers and Vauxhall engineers put their heads together in England....the german engineers were asked to go to Vauxhall.

[KimberlySky]

I don't overly care for the front but hell if someone gave me one free and clear I would drive her!!! Hee hee. I just wouldn't spend the money.

[1994SC2]

Im with Robotech, the backend and lines strike me as very Kappa. The front end gets a bit funky, but then they shove some chick in there to distract me and all is good.