Alfa Romeo GTV and Duetto revival on cards

Newly-installed Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato has expressed a strong desire to rekindle the passion synonymous with the Italian brand, and among his wish list is a reborn Alfa Romeo GTV and modern-era Alfa Romeo Duetto (Spider).

“I’m very interested in the GTV,” he told carsales at the international launch of the new Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA and GTAm in Italy.

“There is no statement or announcement at this stage, but I’m just giving you a personal feeling that I’m very interested in the GTV.”

Imparato added: “I also love the Duetto. Allow me to bring Alfa Romeo to a certain level of economic performance, and then we speak.

“Again, I emphasise that there is no announcement at this stage, but the GTV … Gran Turismo Veloce … I’m very interested in this concept.”

The Alfa Romeo GTV nameplate had an almost unbroken run from 1966 to 2003 (apart from a hiatus from 1986-93) in the Alfa line-up.

It was initially applied to a curvaceous coupe based on the 1960s Giulia sedan, before being reinvented in 1976 into an angular 2+2 derived from the Alfetta sedan.

In its last avatar (the slope-nosed Type 916), the GTV was based on front-wheel drive (155-derived) underpinnings and featured a transverse-mounted four-cylinder or V6 powerplant.

Much as Imparato would like to green-light a modern-day Alfa Romeo GTV and Duetto, he said there are more pressing issues to tackle.

“In this time of big changes for the industry, the first priority is to protect Alfa Romeo and drive it through the challenges relating to electrification, connectivity and safety,” he said.

“I have to absorb the costs and constraints associated with these, but at the same time to bring you some fun.”

Imparato said the key to ensure Alfa Romeo’s economic viability lies in cherry-picking the right technology from the vast pool of resources available within the 14-brand Stellantis Group.

“Staying alone we could not develop all that we need to in terms of electrification, connectivity and autonomy,” he said, adding that Alfa stands to gain added R&D clout as there are 20,000 engineers within the Stellantis conglomerate.

Much has been written about the alleged impending demise of the Giorgio platform that provides the foundation for the agile Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio, but Imparato suggests such reports are inaccurate.

“Do not make confusion between rumour and information. We did not at Alfa Romeo state anything [regarding the canning of Giorgio] for the moment,” he said.

“It is clear that we need to prepare for a future that leverages the fantastic assets of the Stellantis Group, but always protecting the spirit of Alfa Romeo.

“As a consequence, we are working on the next steps our core techno strategy. We are doing this while specifying Alfa Romeo as a sporty brand that’s uniquely Italian, as has been the case since 1910.

“I will not answer questions about Giorgio, but we only said we would have a large platform [the EV-focused STLA architecture] at Stellantis.

“I can tell you, though, that whatever solution we come up with will enable us to put this kind of car [points at Giulia GTAm] on the road.”

The Giorgio platform currently underpins the Giulia and Stelvio, as well as providing much of the core architecture of the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L.

It will reportedly also be used for the upcoming Maserati Grecale that’s conceived to sit below the Levante in the trident marque’s SUV line-up.

It’s clear the Giorgio platform will be around at least for the lifespan of these vehicles, and in updated form could potentially be used as the basis for future models.

Imparato said he sees a place for both EVs and combustion-based cars to cater for different regions around the world.

“Obviously, Alfa Romeo will have to electrify … because, if not, you’re dead. Alfa Romeo must remain sustainable in terms of economic performance, and it must electrify itself,” he said.

“We must work towards this progressively, while remaining true to the history of Alfa Romeo.”