The limited-run Alfa Romeo sports car could be a celebration of the brand's iconic combustion-engine history and our exclusive image previews how it could look when it arrives next year
Alfa Romeo will offer a fully electric line-up by 2027, but before the brand turns to EVs it could launch some special celebratory products commemorating Alfa’s history with combustion engines – and the first car will be an ICE-powered sporty two-seater inspired by the brand’s past performance icons.
Speaking to Auto Express, Alfa Romeo chief executive officer Jean-Philippe Imparato hinted at a special pure-combustion-engined sports car project that we’ll see next year, with styling that could be inspired by historic Alfas such as the iconic 33 Stradale: “Alfa is sportiness. You will see something sporty in the first half of 2023.
“I am on two scenarios: full EV or full ICE. I can tell you [this car] will be a very exciting one, very expensive, very selective. We will probably have some surprising, interesting proposals that will not always be full EV for the coming two years.”
Our exclusive image previews how the new car – likely to be mid-engined and using a carbon fibre chassis – could look, with a low, curvy front end inspired by the brand’s sports cars of the sixties, plus a low roof and chunky rear wheel arches; expect Alfa’s traditional telephone dial alloy wheels to feature.
The brand’s boss was also quick to point out that Alfa has just resigned its agreement with Formula 1 for next season, so drawing upon links with the Sauber-run F1 operation, the new car could be powered by an evolution of the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 as used in the brand’s Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio performance models.
“At the end of November I will be in a situation to present to you a 2023 product event,” Imparato said. “After ‘sportiness’ you add ‘Italian’ and ‘red’ and you have the positioning of Alfa Romeo. It’s simple. Easy to execute.”
On the subject of what will inspire the new car’s styling, Imparato added, “I am not the only one to love Alfa’s past. We have so many fantastic ideas based on our iconic history, so I can say yes, but I can say it’s like nothing else.
“In each of our proposals you will always, always find a kind of signal of our DNA and our heritage, and you will find it clearly and quickly, so I am sure when you see something [the car] you will say this reminds me of whatever. You will hear more in November.”
Alfa won’t stop at sports cars though, as the brand has plans for more special, limited-run models. When asked about the potential for these, Imparato said “The answer is yes. We have to be transparent and consistent, let me say I will not make any new GTA special editions. We sold 500 cars and we will respect this commitment on this kind. We won’t bulls**t the customer with a new special edition on the GTA every year, so I will no do that.
“Having said that, if the question is are you working on some very specific, high-level offers, the answer is yes.”
Keyword: New Alfa Romeo sports car to break cover in 2023