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Alfa Romeo range-topping sports car confirmed for 2023 debut

Alfa Romeo's on-again, off-again range-topping sports car is back in the pipeline. Company boss Jean-Philippe Imparato confirmed that a two-door flagship is on track to make its debut in 2023 as a concept whose exterior design will draw inspiration from historic models. "You will see something in that field in terms of sportiness in the first half of 2023. We use one word to define the brand, and it's 'sportiness,'" the executive told British magazine Autocar. He's previously voiced his support for bringing back the dormant GTV and Duetto nameplates. Imparato added that the yet-unnamed model will borrow styling cues from the Tipo 33, though he didn't specify which version of the car he has in mind. Alfa raced several evolutions of the Tipo 33 from 1966 to 1977, and it sold 18 units of a Franco Scaglione-designed supercar with a mid-mounted engine called 33 Stradale (pictured) between 1967 and 1969. We're guessing it's the latter that will provide inspiration. Numerous points remain up in the air, like what will power the car. "For the moment, I have two scenarios: full ICE or full EV," he revealed to Autocar. Regardless, the model "will be very exciting, very selective, and very expensive." It sounds like production will be limited. We're about four months away from 2023, so we won't have to wait long to discover the concept that Alfa Romeo is working on. Executives have toyed with the idea of adding a sportier model to the range for several years, but they have never pulled the trigger. Imparato explained in 2021 that the brand wouldn't release another two-door car until it increased its sales in more mainstream segments of the market. What's changed since then is unclear; the Tonale unveiled in February 2022 is the only new Alfa Romeo released since. (A Dodge Hornet badge-engineered version of the Tonale was revealed this week.) Traveling further back, in 2018 former Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) boss Sergio Marchionne announced that the 8C and GTV names would make a comeback on a pair of coupes. The former was presented as having a carbon fiber chassis and 700 horsepower thanks to a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain built around a mid-mounted turbocharged V6. The latter was also planned as a hybrid, but it would have offered drivers 600 horsepower, and a sketch made it look like a two-door version of the Giulia sedan. Both cars were canned by 2019. Related video:

2023 Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio tweaked outside and in

Another Stellantis brand has hopped on the streamlining craze, this time Alfa Romeo. The Italians from Turin dropped info on what's coming to the 2023 Giulia sedan and Stelvio crossover for international markets, the best bits likely destined for our market as well. After introducing new brand hallmarks on the Tonale, the Giulia and Stelvio adopt the revised Trilobo grille and three-section full-LED headlights. You'll need look closely to see the grille differences, but there's a touch more depth and sculpting around the edges. The headlight changes are easier to spot, the "3+3" inspiration coming from the SZ and Brera, which predate the Tonale. The headlights also come with automatic high beams. Other shores that can have fancy lights get the Adaptive Matrix high beams that automatically adjust beam contours so as not to blind oncoming traffic. Yes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cleared the mechanics of such lights for use in the U.S. in February of this year, but U.S. laws stipulate a lower maximum brightness than allowed in other markets. We'll see if the matrix system makes it here. The taillights don't appear to have changed, their covers have. The Giulia gets transparent glass taillight covers, the Stelvio gets smoked glass. There could be some illumination tricks front and back, too. We're used to seeing sequential turn signals in back, spy shots have shown a sequential turn signal pattern in the headlights, and Alfa says there's a "'Welcome and Goodbye' device that turns on every time the driver closes or opens the car."  Every trim features a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel that comes with three themes. The Heritage theme recalls the analogue gauges on vintage Alfas, with some upside down numbers on the analogue-looking speedo, a minimalist tachometer and a digital facsimile of the old school odometer with rolling numbers. Evolved "represents the future of Alfa Romeo design," placing most information in the center, the circular areas at the edges containing sweeping needles for the speedo and tach, but no numbers in the 'dials.' Relaxed puts nearly everything in the center, putting vitals like fuel level and oil temperature at the sides. Trim levels will be reorganized into two primary levels and two options levels. The basic tiers are Super, the entry-level, and Ti.

Alfa Romeo C43 is ready for the 2023 Formula One season

Following rival Red Bull's lead, Alfa Romeo has become the second team to unveil the car it will race in the 2023 season of Formula One. (Haas has revealed its livery, but so far not the new season's car.) Called C43, the single-seater Alfa stands out from its predecessor with a new aerodynamic profile and a redesigned livery, among other changes. The C43's red and black livery is the work of the Alfa Romeo Centro Stile, which is the same design center that draws the storied Italian company's road cars. Alfa Romeo describes the C43 as an evolution of the C42, its predecessor, and it notes that a technical team led by Jan Monchaux developed it around a new, Ferrari-sourced power unit. It features several updates and numerous new parts, though full details haven't been released, and Alfa Romeo hopes the changes made to the C43 will allow its team to improve during the 2023 season. "This car is an evolution of last year's, reflecting the new regulations and introducing major changes in the areas where we found improvements to be needed. I hope it's going to be quicker than the successful car we had last year, that's what matters most, and more reliable as well: We have put a lot of effort in this direction," said Monchaux, the technical director of Alfa Romeo's Formula One team. Alfa Romeo will begin testing the C43 in Barcelona, Spain, in February, and it will then send the car to Bahrain for more testing ahead of the 2023 F1 season's first race. Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will drive for Alfa Romeo during the upcoming season. And while the odds of non-professional drivers taking the C43 for a spin are low, anyone with or without a license will be able to drive it in the F1 2022 video game.