A long-awaited replacement for the Alfa Romeo GTV coupé inspired by the iconic Alfa Romeo SZ could arrive as soon as 2026, with the brand’s chief designer confirming design work is continuing behind the scenes.
Although not officially part of Alfa Romeo’s product plan, the GTV could be considered for release in 2026 or 2027 if the firm’s corporate fortunes continue to improve as they have over the past 18 months, design boss Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos hinted to Autocar. By that point, the firm’s model catalogue will be all-electric.
It is not to be confused with the low-volume sports car that’s to be unveiled later in 2023 that takes inspiration from the 1967 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale - commonly thought of as the Italian firm’s most beautiful model.
Mesonero-Romanos wouldn’t say whether the car, which might most easily be thought of as a Giulia coupé, is more likely come to market badged as a GTV or perhaps as an Alfetta; but he did hint that he’d been spending a lot of time surveying the unconventional form of the SZ, and has been inspired by it.
“This wasn’t a beautiful car, we all know,” he told Autocar, “but there is a lot we can take from its distinctiveness and independence of spirit when we think about designing a coupé 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.”
That task won’t be easy using Alfa’s next-generation skateboard EV platform, which lends itself towards higher-profile bodies, long wheelbases and slightly inelegant proportions. “It’s often said that EV technology is freeing for designers because there are no rules, no restrictions. The truth is, we have even more restrictions and challenges with skateboard platforms than we did with ICE ones,” said Mesonero-Romanos.
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If you look at their product plan, you have a B-SUV in '24, new Giulia in '25, new Stelvio SUV in '26, and a new E-segment crossover/SUV in '27/'28. No room for fun, be it GTVs, SZs or Spiders.
They do have a coupe coming, but it's going to be one of those "collectors only, so expensive you could never afford one, and even if you could we wouldn't sell it to you 'cos it's already sold out" type of cars.
Is iconic the most misused word in the English dictionary? Never thought that this word could be applied to the Alfa SZ,all it was a trawl through the company's parts bin and assembled around an ungainly plastic body designed by Zagato who assembled it in their own factory. Just over a thousand SZ's were produced Later the convertible RZ was built which sold even less,why Stellantis is considering building an EV using this as a design insperation is beyond me thirty years later the SZ still looks hideous and should be best forgotten
(1) it was not designed by Zagato, although Zagato were involved in the manufacturing
(2) Having driven it on track, it looks much better in the metal (or rather plastic) than in pictures. It would look even better with modern, big, low profile wheels (same can be said of the 75 Turbo Evoluzione)
(3) It is certainly a very iconic car, since despite the modest headline figures and lack of electronics (not even ABS), it has (a) the final evolution of its chassis, directly from the IMSA 75 turbo; (b) the final evolution of the 12 valve Busso.
And I think it looks way, way better today than it did when it was released. It was, design-wise, ahead of its time.
It's iconic becaue it looks like nothing else, to the point that it even was featured in a few Japanese Manga. When the company's parts bin is as good as it was back then, there's nothing wrong with mixing the best and fine tuning it. Alfa Romeo is hardly the first and oly company to do this. It was also universally praised for the driving experience it delivered.
Nowadays? Yes.
You're dead wrong about the rest though.