#ItalianCar

Alfa Romeo has treated 21 very-special customers to a unique ownership experience. Last weekend lucky European buyers who purchased the special “Launch Edition” of the brand’s sultry 4C sports car enjoyed two days of fun in Italy.

The all-new Maserati Ghibli made its world premiere at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show, marking the first time the Italian automaker will have two four-door sedans on sale at the same time.

The slow-selling Fiat 500 hit another snag after NHTSA gave the compact car a three-star crash test rating, a dismal score in an era where five-star ratings are practically ubiquitous.

Dodge revealed teaser shots of their Dart compact car, designed to replace the wretched Caliber crossover, and so far it looks to be the first hit of Alfa Romeo-inspired product for North America.

With the previous generation Alfa Romeo Spider now firmly in the ground, Alfa is looking to the next generation, and reports indicate that it will be a substantial break from the last car (pictured above), based on the stunning but portly Brera sports coupe.

AutoGuide’s spy photographers caught an updated version of the Ferrari California testing near Ferrari’s home base of Maranello, Italy and our photographers noted that an unusual whistling sound – possibly that of a turbocharger, was heard emanating from the engine bay.

The Sports Car Club of America’s B-Spec class is meant to give automakers and racers alike a relatively affordable platform to go racing with machines similar to those available from the factory. While safety and chassis modifications are allowed, engine power is restricted to keep the playing field even.

Two employees at Italian tuning house Abarth have been arrested for selling $1.3 million in stolen parts, while 23 other employees and Italian postal service workers have been summoned for questioning after an 8-month investigation.

Legendary design firm Pininfarina is ending its auto production business, but will retain its engineering and design divisions. Pininfarina said it will shed 127 jobs due to the division’s closing.

2012 is going to be a big year for Ferrari, with two major product launches at the upper-end of the Italian supercar manufacturer’s model range. Ferrari will be bringing out replacements for its now defunct Enzo supercar and its 599GTB grand tourer.

Ferrari‘s been making a big push to promote the winter driveability of their cars, even going as far as to set up a winter driving school in Colorado featuring their new, AWD Ferrari FF.

Now Ferrari has released a video of their rear-drive California tearing up the slopes in St. Moritz, Switzlerland. It’s actually a pretty uninspiring video as far as hooning and speed go, but seeing any Ferrari driving on a snowy course is a novelty.

Hit the jump to see the video

Chrysler has launched their first two re-badged Lancia product in the UK (where the Lancia brand has been defunct for a number of years), with a pair of hatchbacks based on the Lancia Delta and Ypsilon compact and subcompact cars.

Sales targets for the Fiat 500 were set at an ambitious 6,000 units per month, and surprise surprise, the car isn’t meeting them. This might be due to the fact that it’s a subcompact, foreign branded car in a market where gasoline is (relatively) cheap and large vehicles reign supreme. Or it could be the fault of your marketing agency, if you ask Chrysler.

Ferrari is launching their first winter driving school on American school in January, 2012, with the aptly named Winter Driving Experience in Aspen, Colorado. Participants will get to use the all-wheel drive Ferrari FF 4-seater, and conduct a variety of driving exercises on both snow and ice.

Although Lamborghini‘s Sesto Elemento concept was originally designed as a concept, whispers regarding its production-ready nature seemed to start as soon as it was unveiled.