Alfa coupés through the ages
Alfa Romeo’s history is littered with many of the most striking coupé shapes of their periods.
Whether it’s the delicate lines of the company’s cars from the 1950s or its more muscular looks from later on, the car maker has a knack of making dramatic coupés.
Here we have some of the most significant Alfa Romeo coupés built, presented in chronological order
1. 1935 Alfa Romeo 8C-2900
When it was launched, the Alfa Romeo 8C-2900 was the fastest road car in the world, so it demanded equally dramatic bodywork.
Most roadgoing 8Cs were clothed by Touring in sweeping fastback bodies with a classic long bonnet, though some also used bodywork from Pinin Farina.
The upright radiator of earlier Alfas was replaced by a slimmer, more raked-back design that lent itself to better aerodynamics.
Power for the 8C-2900 came from a 2905cc straight-eight engine with twin superchargers offering between 180 and 220bhp, meaning 120mph was possible in cars with lighter bodies.
2. 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C-2500
The 6C-2500 was as close as Alfa Romeo got to an off-the-shelf high-end coupé, with bodywork from Touring the default choice.
Other coachbuilders offered their own take on a coupé body for this poised two-seater, but Touring’s design was so stylish it was hard to better.
Launched in 1939, the 6C-2500’s run was interrupted by the Second World War after only 75 cars had been made.
Production recommenced after hostilities ended and a total of 474 of this model with all types of bodywork were made.
As the marque moved to offer more mainstream models to boost its coffers, the 6C-2500 became the last truly coachbuilt Alfa Romeo coupé.
3. 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900 Super Sprint
From the slightly dowdy Alfa Romeo 1900 saloon emerged the very pretty 1900 Super Sprint coupé.
Designed with motorsport use in mind, the Super Sprint used a lightweight body of Superleggera construction by Touring, while the cabriolet version was dealt with by Pinin Farina.
Flat out, it could manage 110mph, but the gearshift was a column change so not as good to use as later Alfa coupés with floor-mounted gearlevers.
4. 1954 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint
Bertone was charged with styling the Giulietta Sprint and it did a superb job of this compact coupé.
The lines were very similar to the 1900 Super Sprint’s, but the Giulietta was a marginally more practical car with more space for its two occupants and their luggage.
The 1290cc four-cylinder engine of the Giulietta Sprint came with 79bhp as standard, while the Veloce version upped that to 89bhp. Either way, performance was peppy for the period and a Veloce could hit 110mph.
Unusually, the Sprint was the first car in the Giulietta range to be launched, with saloon and Spider models following a year later.
5. 1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS
Alfa Romeo offered two coupés based on the same underpinnings, with the SS (Sprint Speciale) version featuring a body by Bertone.
It was notable for the elongated tail section aimed at giving better aerodynamics. How effective this was is not clear, but the 1290cc engine meant it was good for 120mph.
While the Sprint Speciale was indeed very special, it didn’t stop Alfa from selling 1366 of this sensationally styled coupé compared to 1796 of all types of the earlier 1900 Super Sprint.
6. 1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ
The other side of the Giulietta bespoke coupé coin was the SZ model.
It used the same mechanical base as the SS version but, as the name suggests, this car had bodywork from Zagato. This brought a chopped-off Kamm-tail rear rather than the SS’s more sloping shape.
Which body was more efficient at carving through the air was never established, but the SZ is the much rarer of the two with only 200 built compared to the SS’s 1366 total.
The SZ also enjoyed success in motorsport – it won the International GT Championship for Manufacturers’ 1.3-litre category in 1962 and ’63.
7. 1962 Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint
Alfa Romeo built a 2000 Sprint model but only managed a production run of 700 compared to 10 times that for the 2600.
The 2600 added quad headlights to the handsome Bertone style, which was penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro while working there.
Even though this was a four-seat coupé aimed more at grand touring than outright performance, the 2600 Sprint came with a 145bhp twin-cam straight-six engine.
The 2584cc unit made the Sprint capable of 117mph, which also made it the choice of Italy’s gang-busting undercover police squad in the 1960s.
8. 1962 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint
Using the pugnacious Giulia Ti saloon as its starting point, Alfa Romeo came up with the delicate Giulia Sprint coupé.
This update of the Giulietta coupé now came with a 1570cc engine – and a top speed of 110mph.
A GT Veloce version of the Giulia Sprint was also offered by Alfa in 1966 that came with disc brakes all round to give the car the stopping power to match its performance.
Regardless of this, the Giulia Sprint was highly regarded for its handling and engaging drive.
9. 1963 Alfa Romeo TZ
One of the most exotic coupés produced by Alfa Romeo, the TZ was a follow-up to the delightful SS and SZ models.
Styled by Zagato, in the TZ and its TZ-2 continuation model, the ‘T’ stood for tubolare in reference to the car’s tubular chassis.
The aluminium body of the TZ was replaced with glassfibre for some of the TZ-2s, which was the first Alfa Romeo to use this material.
Out of 50 TZ-2s produced (plus 120 TZs) for racing, 10 used the lightweight glassfibre bodywork.
Allied to a 1570cc twin-cam engine, it made for a very rapid machine on the track.
10. 1966 Alfa Romeo GT Junior
Alfa Romeo updated its Giulietta coupé in 1966 to come up with one of its most popular and defining cars with the GT 1300 Junior.
Sharing its looks with the exotic Sprint GTA, the Junior came with four seats for more practicality, while the 1290cc four-cylinder engine was pokey enough to see this compact coupé reach 105mph.
While Alfa only built 447 GTAs, the GT Junior sold a very respectable 92,053 cars.
If you were lucky enough to own the GTA version, it came with a twin-plug cylinder head and could hit 115mph.
From 1974, the 1300 was replaced by the 1600 version.
11. 1967 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV
Another variation on the 105 Series range of Alfa Romeo coupés, the 1750 GTV distinguished itself from its smaller-engined siblings with its quad headlights.
There were also changes to the exterior styling, notably a smoothing of the front that did away with the step at the bonnet’s leading edge.
Inside, the 1750 GTV came with revised trim, while the 1779cc four-cylinder engine with 121bhp offered much stronger performance than the Junior models.
The 1750 managed 0-60mph in 11.2 secs and its top speed was 118mph.
12. 1967 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale
The Tipo 33 Stradale was the roadgoing version of the 33 sports-racing car. Like the racer, the Stradale came with a mid-mounted 2-litre V8 and a six-speed manual gearbox, a combination that was capable of taking it to 162mph.
Only 18 Tipo 33 Stradales were handmade, with bodies by Franco Scaglione, before the car was finished by Autodelta.
There are detail differences between each of the 18 cars built, with early ones featuring quad headlights, but all had butterfly doors and side windows that curved up into the roof to make the small cabin more airy.
13. 1970 Alfa Romeo Junior Z
The 105 Series Giulia provided the starting block for this sharply styled compact coupé with bodywork by Zagato.
It started out in 1970 as the 1300 Junior Z and then changed to the 1600 engine in 1972, when the rear end’s shape was lengthened, too.
Alloy doors and bonnet made the Zagato car 10kg (22lb) lighter than the standard 1300 Junior coupé.
However, the Zagato car was only 3mph quicker than the standard model, though this didn’t stop the Junior Z from finding a small and dedicated group of buyers.
By the time production ended after five years, this wedge-shaped coupé had found 1108 customers for the 1300 model and a further 402 for the 1600 version.
14. 1970 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV
The ultimate version of the mainstay Alfa Romeo coupé, thanks to its 1962ccc engine that offered 130bhp and a top speed of more than 120mph.
However, it took a keen eye to spot the 2000 GTV, because the only external clue to this model was a new front grille compared to the 1750 GTV it overlapped with.
The 2000 continued in production up to 1977, when 37,458 examples had been built of this attractive four-seat coupé.
However, Alfa’s coupé future lay in a more angular direction and this GTV felt like a hangover from the 1960s by the time it went off sale. Now, it’s regarded as a high watermark of the 105 Series cars.
15. 1970 Alfa Romeo Montreal
Alfa Romeo christened this coupé the Montreal in honour of its unveiling in the Canadian city of the same name at Expo ’67.
Production didn’t get under way until 1970, because Alfa was caught on the hop by the popularity of its concept car.
When it did arrive, the Montreal used the suspension from the 105 Series coupés and a version of the 2-litre V8 as seen in the Tipo 33 Stradale, for a 137mph top speed and 0-60mph in 7.6 secs.
Bertone was responsible for the styling and certainly gave the Montreal plenty of drama. As well as the side strakes, it featured partially covered headlights that were fully exposed when the slatted upper section swung down and under the lights.
16. 1973 Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT
From the less-than-promising Alfetta saloon, Giorgetto Giugiaro conjured up the stylish coupé model for Alfa Romeo.
With hints of the 1300 Junior Zagato to its overall profile and a cut-off Kamm-tail rear end, it was an arresting shape compared to the rounded 105 Series coupés that had gone before.
Introduced in 1973 with a 1779cc engine as the GT 1.8, it was supplemented with a 1.6 GT version in 1976.
The original 1.8 model racked up sales of 21,947, while the 1.6 GT managed to add a further 16,923 to Alfa’s total.
17. 1976 Alfa Romeo Alfetta 2.0 GTV
Introduced alongside the 1.6 GT coupé to the Alfetta range, the 2000 GTV deserves its own mention, because it was a much more engaging car to drive.
It shared the same Giugiaro-penned lines of the smaller-capacity models, but it could see off 0-60mph in 9.8 secs and hit 120mph.
The 2.0 GTV lasted until 1987 when the smaller-engined variants faded away in the 1970s.
A Strada model arrived in 1978 with a sliding sunroof, which was then replaced by the SE in 1980.
18. 1976 Alfa Romeo Alfasud Sprint
Alfa Romeo applied the same thinking from the Alfetta range to the Alfasud to come up with this Sprint coupé.
Arguably even more attractive than its bigger GTV sibling, the Alfasud Sprint was another of Giugiaro’s designs and it looked quick even when parked.
Power was initially from the 1286cc flat-four engine, but the bigger 1490cc motor gave the Alfasud Sprint the legs it needed.
Even better was the Veloce model with its twin-carb engine – it gave contemporary hot hatches plenty to think about.
19. 1980 Alfa Romeo GTV6
Transplanting its 2.5-litre V6 engine into the GTV coupé body transformed a good car into a great one.
When it did this, Alfa Romeo found itself with a hit on its hands, because the GTV6 got a 158bhp shot of power to see it from 0-60mph in 8.6 secs and on to a 130mph top speed. This kept the Alfa in the hunt with the Ford Capri 2.8i and Porsche 924S.
A humped bonnet with plastic insert to clear the V6’s fuel-injection system was necessary and gave the GTV6 a bit of added menace to its looks.
It also helped to subtly differentiate this model from its four-cylinder sibling.
By the time the GTV6 went off sale in 1987, Alfa had sold 83,097 units of this wonderful coupé.
20. 1989 Alfa Romeo SZ
The SZ was one of those rare cars that slipped through the net from concept to reality.
Alfa Romeo showed off its Sprint Zagato idea in 1987 and such was demand that it put the car into production in 1989.
The mostly composite material body was made by Zagato at its factory near Milan, while the base for the SZ was the Alfa 75 saloon.
This brought with it a 3-litre V6 engine and transaxle, which helped give the SZ strong performance.
It also handled superbly and was lauded for its ability to generate as much as 1.1G of cornering force, making it a force to be reckoned with on cross-country dashes.
21. 1995 Alfa Romeo GTV
Alfa Romeo enlisted the services of Pininfarina to come up with a new design for its mid-1990s GTV coupé, as well as the open-top Spider version.
It was a dramatic new look for Alfa, with headlights peering through holes in the clamshell bonnet.
The wedge profile of the new Type 916 GTV coupé still managed to appear alluringly swoopy, even with its sliced-off rear-end design.
Inside, it was equally attractive and even offered just about enough space for four people to travel, along with their luggage in the boot.
At its best with the lusty V6 engines, Alfa also offered the GTV with a revvy 2-litre four-cylinder motor, and all were front-wheel drive.
22. 2004 Alfa Romeo GT
Often overlooked or just plain forgotten about, the GT was in effect a coupé version of the Alfa Romeo 156 saloon.
It used the 156’s platform as a base and shared its 1.8- and 2-litre four-cylinder engines and the potent 3.2-litre V6, as well as the 1.9-litre turbodiesel to draw in customers paying with company cash.
The looks were taken care of by Bertone with a brief to come up with a coupé still capable of carrying five people in comfort.
Bertone succeeded in making enough space, though the looks were not universally praised because the GT shared some body panels, notably the bonnet and front wings, with the Alfa 147.
However, it didn’t stop the GT selling to 80,832 keen buyers.
23. 2005 Alfa Romeo Brera
The Brera originally appeared as a Maserati V8-powered concept styled by Giugiaro in 2002.
The production Alfa Romeo Brera went on sale in 2005 with its looks largely intact, but the V8 gave way to engines shared with the Italian firm’s 159 saloon, which also donated its platform as a base.
As a replacement for the wedge-profile GTV, the Brera managed to strike out with its own style to offer a four-seat coupé as a serious rival to the BMW 3 Series Coupé.
However, the Brera remained a rare sight and Alfa Romeo only built 21,661 in a five-year lifespan for the model.
24. 2007 Alfa Romeo 8C
Alfa Romeo called its sleek limited-edition coupé the 8C, with ‘8’ denoting the number of cylinders the engine had and ‘C’ for Competizione.
However, the 8C was not a racing car but a road car first shown as a concept in 2003. There was more than enough interest to warrant a small production run, but Alfa only made 500 coupés, plus 329 open-top Spider versions, despite there being a longer waiting list.
It’s easy to see why so many wanted to get their hands on this carbonfibre-bodied, Ferrari V8-powered coupé in 2007 – its svelte looks from in-house designer Wolfgang Egger perfectly balanced modern needs with 1960s style.
It also provided the performance goods with 0-62mph in 4.2 secs and a 181mph top speed.
25. 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C
Alfa Romeo teased the world with concept versions of the 4C in 2011 and promised this carbonfibre-tubbed sports car would go into production.
It came good on that promise in 2013 when the 4C coupé went on sale largely unchanged from the show car.
Like the small-run 8C of 2007, the mid-engined 4C was styled by Alfa’s own in-house team with some nods to the 1960s TZ coupé and Tipo 33 Stradale.
However, the looks avoided any retro stigma and the 1742cc turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivered plenty of performance with 0-60mph in 4.2 secs and a 160mph top speed.
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