2023 Alfa Romeo 8C Rendered + More Alfa Future Cars
The Tonale SUV is another model on Alfa’s calendar.
Alfa Romeo’s been worryingly quiet as of late. We haven’t had a new production debut from the Italian brand since the Stelvio SUV in 2016, but we’ve heard plenty of rumors regarding the future. For one, the Tonale concept, which previews a sub-Stelvio crossover, is all but inevitable for production. But we’re more focused on rumors of a forthcoming GTV coupe and the return of the range-topping 8C super-GT. The former is said to be an all-wheel-drive coupe based on the existing Giulia platform, packing 600 horsepower from a hybridized twin-turbo V-6, at least according to a slide from Alfa’s presentation on its five-year plan.
We’re big fans of the current Giulia Quadrifoglio, and a hard-charging two-door would suit the platform well, especially if the reports of torque vectoring and 50/50 weight distribution are true. Slated for a 2022 release, the GTV would duke it out with the future BMW M4 and Mercedes-AMG C63 S.
In the same five-year plan, Alfa revealed that an 8C (below) was in the works. The 8C from early this century was a pretty, limited-production mishmash of Maserati, Ferrari, and Alfa Romeo parts that was even better to look at and listen to than to actually drive (even if it did drive fairly well). The 2022 8C will be mid-engine, likely built around a carbon-fiber monocoque like the smaller 4C’s. About 700 horsepower is said to come from a hybridized twin-turbo V-8, presumably plucked from Maserati or Ferrari’s fleet, and sent to all four wheels as in the aforementioned GTV. Originally scheduled to be launched in 2022, the word is it’s been pushed back by a year or so.
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For those who can’t afford to drop six figures or need a bit more space, the as-yet-unrevealed 2021 Tonale crossover should scratch the Alfa itch. Expect it to be a scaled-down Stelvio in terms of styling, packing the same 2.0-liter turbo-four and eight-speed automatic transmission. Prices will undercut the Stelvio, as well, likely starting somewhere in the mid-$30,000 range. Front-wheel drive and electrification are possibilities, considering the Tonale’s market and price point. Look for a debut sometime later this year or early 2020.
On Sale:Mid-2020 (est)
Base Price:$35,000 (est)
We’re big fans of the current Giulia Quadrifoglio, and a hard-charging two-door would suit the platform well, especially if the reports of torque vectoring and 50/50 weight distribution are true. Slated for a 2022 release, the GTV would duke it out with the future BMW M4 and Mercedes-AMG C63 S.
In the same five-year plan, Alfa revealed that an 8C (below) was in the works. The 8C from early this century was a pretty, limited-production mishmash of Maserati, Ferrari, and Alfa Romeo parts that was even better to look at and listen to than to actually drive (even if it did drive fairly well). The 2022 8C will be mid-engine, likely built around a carbon-fiber monocoque like the smaller 4C’s. About 700 horsepower is said to come from a hybridized twin-turbo V-8, presumably plucked from Maserati or Ferrari’s fleet, and sent to all four wheels as in the aforementioned GTV. Originally scheduled to be launched in 2022, the word is it’s been pushed back by a year or so.
The Most Beautiful Alfa Romeo Coupes Ever Made
By coincidence, they also happen to be some of the most beautiful cars ever made.Frank MarkusWriter
Jun 19, 2020
Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but you’ll struggle to find a beholder who cannot find beauty in these extravagantly proportioned, sparingly detailed, and mostly delicate coupes hailing from one of the epicenters of global fashion: Milan, Italy. So, as we approach Alfa Romeo’s 110th birthday , let’s feast our eyes on this subjective and certainly controversial roster of the 10 most beautiful Alfa Romeo coupes.
1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 Le Mans Speciale
Nothing forces that long, satisfying dash-to-axle dimension like a straight-eight engine, and Alfa’s 8C gets one heck of a long hood. First entered in the 1931 Mile Miglia road race, the 8C engine featured a common crankcase fitted with two four-cylinder blocks with integral heads, plus overhead camshafts and a supercharger. The prettiest road cars got the larger 2.9-liter version, and stunning bodywork by various coachbuilders. Two black 8C 2900B Touring Berlinettas have won Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours—a 1938 model in 2008 and a 1937 version in 2018 . But to these eyes, the 1938 Le Mans Speciale, also by Carrozzeria Touring, is slightly more beautiful. The more streamlined bodywork recorded a drag coefficient of 0.37 in Pininfarina’s wind tunnel in 1987 (with its air intakes closed). The LeMans Speciale was running 100 miles ahead of its next closest competitor in the 1938 Le Mans race when tire trouble and a dropped valve caused it to retire.
1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Villa d’Este
Alfa’s first postwar car was the 6C 2500, powered by a 2443cc inline-six (getting the car’s name required some Ford 5.0-level rounding) good for 110 horsepower. You may remember the mainstream Freccia d’Oro (“golden arrow”) bodywork featured on the car that blew up in The Godfather movie, killing Apollonia Corleone, but for this roundup we are focusing on the prettier 1949 version by Touring Superleggera of Milan. After winning the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este on Lake Como, Alfa gave this 6C 2500 variant that name.
1952 Alfa Romeo 1900 C52 Disco Volante
After withdrawing from Formula 1 to focus more on its production range of 1900 models, Alfa developed some aerodynamic tube-frame roadsters to race in the sport classes. They were tested in the wind tunnel and able to reach 150 mph when powered by an aluminum-block version of the 1900 inline-four. A year later, one of these roadsters was converted into this gorgeous coupe, just as Nuccio Bertone was working on his three “Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica” (B.A.T.mobile) concepts . Those are undoubtedly wilder looking and possibly even slipperier through the air, but this one is prettier. It even inspired a 2013 tribute car by Touring Superleggera .
1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ Coda Tronca
The SZ in that nomenclature stands for Sport Zagato, identifying these slinky lines as the work of the independent Milanese firm founded for “the construction and repair of bodies for automobiles and airplanes.” An early pioneer of aerodynamics, Zagato built just over 200 Giulietta SZs, of which only 30 wore the “Coda Tronca” (truncated tail) design shown here.
1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Sprint Speciale
The similar looking 1.3-liter Giulietta Sprint Speciale first broke cover in 1957, bearing front-end styling clearly influenced by the mighty Mercedes-Benz 190 and 300 SL and aero-sleek bodywork that claimed to have a 0.28 drag coefficient. The name change for 1963 to Giulia was meant to suggest that these cars were grown-up versions of the earlier Giulietta. Indeed, a larger 1.6-liter engine elevated its top speed to 120 mph, thanks in no small part to that sleek bodywork.
1963–64 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ
Alfa’s racing replacement for the Giulietta SZ was the Giulia TZ, for Tubolare Zagato, featuring a tube-frame chassis and lightweight aluminum bodywork. It was designed to run in Gran Turismo racing categories under Alfa’s new racing department Autodelta and made its debut at the FISA Cup race at Monza. It shared the 1.6-liter from the Giulia, which was mounted at an angle to clear the low bodywork. Its 160 horsepower could propel this sleek coupe to 134 mph. Street versions were also built.
1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2
This even slinkier looking replacement for the original TZ features even more streamlined fiberglass bodywork molded tight to the tubular chassis. This one was only built in racing trim. An extra 10 horsepower and that new bodywork helped it hit 152 mph. Only 12 Giulia TZ2s were built.
1967 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale
This mid-engine Alfa ranks as the brand’s first supercar. Designed by Franco Scaglione and built by Carrozzeria Marazzi, it is based on the Tipo 33 sports-racing prototype that raced for 10 years, winning World Championships in 1975 and 1977. The Tipo 33 Stradale first appeared at the Paris motor show in 1967. Power came from a 1995cc DOHC 16-valve V-8 that could rev to 10,000 rpm and was rated at 227 horsepower at 8,800 rpm. Hailed for its pioneering use of the “dihedral”—so, butterfly—doors that allow the side windows to wrap up into the roof, only eight Stradales are believed to have been built with Scaglione’s beautiful bodywork.
1970 Alfa Romeo Montreal
This striking GT concept car was originally presented without a name at the 1967 World Expo in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the Montreal moniker simply stuck. Penned by maestro Marcello Gandini while working at Bertone, the car is known for its partially hidden headlamps and those wild vents behind the doors (which do serve to exhaust flow-through air from the cabin). The production Alfa Romeo Montreal debuted at the 1970 Geneva show, powered by a 2593cc dry-sump V-8 good for 197 horsepower. The control-arm front and live-axle rear suspension was largely borrowed from the Giulia GTV coupe.
2005 Alfa Romeo Brera
Marking Alfa’s return to the 2+2 coupe segment was the stunning Brera coupe penned by Designer of the Century Giorgetto Giugiaro and introduced in concept form at the 2002 Geneva show. While the concept was powered by a 395-hp Maserati V-8 engine and rear-wheel drive, economic realities relegated the 2005-2010 production Brera to mainstream Alfa 159 running gear. That meant front-drive and a selection of corporate gas and diesel engines ranging from a 1.8-liter I-4 to a 3.2-liter V-6. It’s still gorgeous, and prettier than its Spider open-top sibling.
Frank Markus
I started critiquing cars at age 5 by bumming rides home from church in other parishioners’ new cars. At 16 I started running parts for an Oldsmobile dealership and got hooked on the car biz. Engineering seemed the best way to make a living in it, so with two mechanical engineering degrees I joined Chrysler to work on the Neon, LH cars, and 2nd-gen minivans. Then a friend mentioned an opening for a technical editor at another car magazine, and I did the car-biz equivalent of running off to join the circus. I loved that job too until the phone rang again with what turned out to be an even better opportunity with Motor Trend. It’s nearly impossible to imagine an even better job, but I still answer the phone…
