Alfa's design boss wants to emulate the wedge profile of the oddball SZ.
Alfa Romeo could have a replacement ready for the GTV coupe as early as 2026, and design boss Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos suggested that the unusual, wedge-like SZ could serve as design inspiration for the new coupe, and not the already-revealed Giulia SWB Zagato. Speaking to Autocar, Mesonero-Romanos confirmed that development of the new Alfa coupe's design is progressing steadily behind the scenes.
For a company with an exceptional catalog of stunning design icons through the decades, not to mention beautiful current models like the Giulia, it's a shame that Alfa doesn't currently have a coupe on sale. The fact that this could change roughly three years from now will be warmly welcomed by the Alfisti.
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An entirely separate model from Alfa’s promised low-volume supercar, the GTV replacement will likely be a fully electric model based on the Italian marque’s timeline for switching to an all-electric lineup. But why choose the SZ (pictured below) as a source of design inspiration?
“[The SZ] wasn’t a beautiful car, we all know,” said Mesonero-Romanos when talking to Autocar, “but there is a lot we can take from its distinctiveness and independence of spirit when we think about designing a coupe for the electric age. I loved its wedge profile, its square tail, and the way the dark glasshouse just bubbles out of this great mass of body. It’s a brutal design, but such a special, impactful one – and we need to emulate it if we can.”
These comments, as well as the reference to the SZ, suggest that the new coupe will have two doors and not four as previously thought.
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But the design of this GTV replacement will come with unique challenges in light of its fully electric powertrain, since the company's forthcoming skateboard EV platform makes it more difficult to steer away from long wheelbases and taller bodies.
“It's often said that EV technology is freeing for designers because there are no rules, no restrictions,” said Mesonero-Romanos. “The truth is, we have even more restrictions and challenges with skateboard platforms than we did with ICE ones. There are ways we can offset the extra height that an underfloor battery adds to a car, as Porsche did with the Taycan's 'foot-garage' [battery cutouts], but we have to fight for every few millimeters when it comes to roofline height and hip point. Some fights we win; others, the engineers win.”
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If the GTV replacement does arrive in 2026, the big question mark will be whether Alfa chooses to sell it in America since we infamously missed out on the previous GTV. That was because of the Italian automaker's lengthy absence from the US market between 1995 and 2006.
As for how quick the electric GTV replacement will be, well, the potential is there for it to be a proper tire shredder. The next Giulia sedan is reported to boast almost 1,000 horsepower in Quadrifoglio guise, so the sportiest GTV could be quite a rocket if it gets the same powertrain.
We look forward to sharing further juicy details about the next GTV as they become available.
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Keyword: Alfa Romeo's Next GTV Coupe Will Draw Inspiration From An Unlikely Source