Are we looking at the steering wheel?
Alfa Romeo has signaled its intentions towards becoming a purely electric brand in the coming years but it’s not calling time on the internal combustion engine just yet. The final chapter of the ICE book will be published on August 30 when a supercar will break cover. It doesn’t have a name yet, although some have been calling it the “6C” because of its rumored six-cylinder engine or “33” since the design is said to take after the 33 Stradale.
To hype up the upcoming performance car, Alfa Romeo took to Instagram to share a new teaser image on its Italian account. As to what exactly we are looking at, it appears to be the steering wheel with a brown center cap and a silver badge. Although the mid-engined machine is expected to be largely based on the Maserati MC20, the steering wheel has a different look and seems to boast a minimalist layout with few controls on the spokes.
It is believed only 33 cars will ever see the light of day and all of them have already been sold to wealthy individuals looking to own a piece of future history. Price? Over €1 million, but take this figure with the proverbial pinch of salt. That would make it roughly five times pricier than what Maserati is charging for a base MC20 at home in Italy.
The Alfa Romeo 33 is believed to have a top speed of 206 mph (333 km/h), therefore making it slightly faster than its Maserati sibling that can “only” do 202 mph (325 km/h). There’s no word about the 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint but we’ll remind you the MC20 does the job in only 2.9 seconds.
It’s unclear whether it will use the Trident’s twin-turbo 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 engine or the twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 from the Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio models. Some claim it’ll be a hybrid by combining the Nettuno with an electric motor for a total output of around 800 horsepower.
This might not end up being Alfa Romeo’s last ICE hurrah. Next year, a sub-Tonale crossover will join the range as a sister model of the Jeep Avenger. The latter has a pure electric powertrain but there’s also a mild-hybrid variant with a 1.2-liter, three-cylinder gasoline engine. If Alfa chooses to offer both types of powertrains, the smaller crossover will go down in history as the company’s final model to have a gasoline engine.
Beyond these two models, all future models will be EVs. That includes the Giulia and Stelvio replacements, along with a larger SUV targeting the US market.
Keyword: Alfa Romeo "33" Supercar Returns In Cryptic Teaser Ahead Of August 30 Debut