2015 Alfa Romeo 4C

For once, Alfa Romeo lived up to its word and finally marked its return to the North American market today after a 22-year long hiatus with the debut of the 4C mid-engine sports coupe at the 2014 New York Auto Show.

Since the car is more or less the same as the one we've seen in Europe (a question mark remains on whether it has gained weight in N.A. spec) with a 1.75-liter turbocharged inline four channeling 237hp and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) of torque to the rear wheels via a paddle-shifting TCT twin-clutch transmission, we'll just jump to what Alfa said about availability.

In the U.S., the 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C was in showrooms last June in a special Launch Edition trim of which only 500 examples will be built.

The serialized 4C Launch Edition models sport the following features:

· Alfa Red, Rosso Competizione or Madreperla White exterior paint

· Bi-xenon headlamps with LED illuminated daytime running lights

· Carbon fiber rear spoiler and mirror caps

· Aluminum rear diffuser

· Race suspension tuning with front- and rear-sway bars and performance-tuned shock absorbers

· Racing exhaust

· Staggered 18-inch (front) and 19-inch (rear) forged wheels painted in Dark Gray

· Red lacquered brake calipers

· Sport seats with black microfiber

· Leather-wrapped instrument and door panels

· Red or White interior accent stitching on the instrument panel, steering wheel, handbrake, floor mats and door handles

· Serialized “Launch Edition” plaque

Pricing has not yet been announced, while we're still waiting for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to tell usthrough which dealerships it will offer the car.

By John Halas

Note: Updated with live photos from the NY Auto Show

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Top 10 New Cars From 2015

When it comes to assessing future automotive classics, experts usually focus on used cars that are well over 10 years old, but what about brand new models? 

Here’s where Hagerty steps in, with its annual list of vehicles that stand out as likely being collectible within the next 25 years. 

To qualify for the "Hagerty Hot List", a car has to be made during the 2015 model year and have an MSRP of under $100,000, with Hagerty's collector experts giving a special preference to newly released vehicles over ones that appeared in previous lists - whenever possible. 

The only model that reappears in this year's Top 10 is the Alfa Romeo 4C. Obviously, this list is for cars sold in the US market. 

"We hear a lot of chatter about how cars made today are boring," said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. "The cars that made this list prove there are still cars to be excited about. They are true drivers' cars that are definitely enjoyable now, but each one that made the list has that special something that will make it a collectible in the years to come." 

You can check Hagerty's Top 10 future collectibles for the 2015MY below, but before you do, let me just say that, I'm surprised they included the BMW M4 Convertible, as besides the original M3 E30 Convertible that was a special case because it was produced in limited numbers, no other open-top M3 has ever managed to come even close to its coupe counterpart in pricing. 

The 2015 Hagerty Top 10 Hot List in alphabetical order (with base price): 

1) Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition ($69,685) –" Alfa Romeo returns to America after a twenty year absence with a junior supercar that boasts an impressive 0-60 time of 4.1 seconds, and a carbon fiber chassis. It oozes Italianness from every single carbon fiber making it perhaps the hottest car on a very hot Hot List." 

2) BMW M4 Convertible ($73,450) – "The M3 and M5 have been the go-to cars for BMW Motorsports junkies since the late 1980s. The M4 offers those fans the silky torque of a twin turbo, inline-six engine, but, perhaps more importantly, it's the only M-car, other than the pricey M6, that can be had as a convertible."

3) Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 ($75,000) – "The ultimate road course ready Camaro. Boasting a weight loss of 300 pounds and the LS7 V8 with 505 horsepower and 481 pound feet of torque, Chevrolet let the engineers out to play and they created a monster. Anyone who isn't aware that we're living in a new golden age of automotive performance has been clogging up the left lane for too long."

4) Chevrolet Corvette Z06 ($78,995) - "Bang for your buck is an understatement for the supercharged Z06, which may well be the all-time performance for the dollar champion. The Corvette has now entered supercar territory at a fraction of the price of the competition from Germany and Italy. " 

5) Dodge Challenger Hellcat ($58,295) – "It feels like the 1960s again. The Cold War is back and so are the muscle car horsepower wars and Dodge just exercised the nuclear option with this beast. Limited production and 707 horsepower means that the Hellcat earns its moniker. Clearly the Challenger Hellcat is here to turn fuel into noise and rubber into dust and little else. " 

6) Ford Mustang GT Performance Package ($37,125) – "Although the 50th anniversary edition will be produced in far less numbers, we at Hagerty think the GT performance package is the true driver's car. Ford had a tough job following up the 2005-14 Mustang but they've done it very well (better perhaps than in 1967 when the Mustang was re-designed for the first time). Here's to another fifty years."

7) Mazda MX-5 Miata 25th Anniversary Edition ($33,000) – "The popularity of Japanese collector cars is on the rise and the Miata has established itself as the quintessential modern roadster. With this special edition also the last of its generation, it is already sealed as a collectible with only 100 models making the trip to North America."

8) MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop ($24,950) – "New for 2015, the 2 door hardtop John Cooper Works MINI is the most powerful MINI ever produced. The performance specs are impressive, but what will have collectors drooling in the future is the attention paid to the MINI's design concept."

9) Subaru WRX STI Launch Edition ($38,190) – "With a stiffer body, advanced suspension and a turbocharged Boxer four cylinder the STI is quite literally a factory built rally car that you can drive off the showroom floor. The smile inducing acceleration is simply intoxicating, and the very limited release Launch Edition will be loved by collectors and rally fans for years to come."

10) Volkswagen Golf R ($36,595) – "4Motion" all-wheel drive, 292 horsepower, 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph make the all new VW Golf the most powerful VW hatchback to date. With a 2.0L turbocharged inline 4 this VW is bound to excite collectors now and in the future. It's the Golf that GTI fan boys and girls have been begging VW to build." 

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