a Ifa Romeo's fresh range of cars, to be launched at one-year intervals from 2023, are intended to trigger "a visceral wow effect", says design director Alejandro MesoneroRomanos. They will be "bold, assertive and sculptural" and some "will be pretty shocking".
The new line-up will comprise five mainstream models, ranging from an unusual replacement for the Giulia saloon to a flagship SUV and a small SUV to sit beneath the new Tonale. And amid this mainstream, volume and revenue-generating plan are ambitions for several specialty models intended to restore Alfa's reputation for glamorous cars.
The first of these specialties will appear as soon as 2023, when a highend sports car concept that Alfa boss Jean-Philippe Imparato describes as "exciting, selective and expensive" appears. This is strongly rumoured to draw inspiration from the Tipo 33 cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
At the recent Le Mans Classic, Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares drove a 33/2 Daytona race car the basis for the road-going 33 Stradale, considered by many the most beautiful Alfa ever, a mere 18 examples of which were produced.
The concept is believed to be a warm-up to the real thing, which should appear by 2025 at the very latest, because it's expected to be purely petrol-powered, and this date is when all Alfas will come with only electrified powertrains.
Sibling brand Maserati's new MC20, a mid-engine sports car, is a potentially excellent basis for the new 33. It is the right size, and has a carbonfibre core, scissor doors and a chassis developed to very high standards. Alfa's job would be to reskin it, and perhaps replace Maserati's Nettuno V6 with its own V6, used by the Quadrifoglio variants of the Giulia and Stelvio.
Esta historia es de la edición September 14, 2022 de Autocar UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September 14, 2022 de Autocar UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
THE ONE WHEN PEUGEOT GOT ITS SUPERMINI MOJO BACK
The 208 marked a return to form for a maker renowned for its small cars
READY TO TOFF
Gordon Murray's grand new HQ is now nearing completion, with T50 production already in full swing. MATT PRIOR and STEVE CROPLEY drop by and go for a ride
This humble chip will change cars forever
Nvidia, the £2.7 trillion US tech giant behind it, has the power to shape motoring's intelligent future. JAMES ATTWOOD learns how
MERCEDES-BENZ V-CLASS
Interior upgrades make the MPV worthy of shuttling Merc's CEO himself
Sharing is caring
One successful motor trader has opened up his car collection for the benefit of his home town.JOHN EVANS meets him
When trains would take your car across the UK
The Channel Tunnel's Le Shuttle service is a marvel, saving drivers hassle and several hours on a ferry, and even after 30 years it's still something of a novelty to drive your car onto a train carriage.
MG ZS
Dacia Duster-chasing crossover joins MG's hybrid powertrain push
LAND ROVER DEFENDER OCTA
It's a 4x4 that thinks it's a supercar. But does this 627bhp V8 flagship offer the best of both worlds or just compromise each for the other?
Matt Prior
To nobody's great surprise, the other day the Renault 5 and Alpine A290 jointly won the 2025 Car of the Year award (the original and still the best of the big international car awards thingies).
DS WANTS TO BECOME 'LOUIS VUITTON OF CAR INDUSTRY'
It's aiming to follow Bentley into the luxury space, says design director