20 Alfas that didn’t make it to production
Alfa Romeo is best known for its sporting cars, but the Italian marque has been nothing if not diverse in the range of models it’s produced over the years.
That is also reflected in the cars that didn’t quite make it to production. Here we’ve gathered 20 of the most intriguing, arranged in chronological order.
From supercars and svelte coupés, and affordable saloons to nimble roadsters, and even a taxi, Alfa Romeo has never been found lacking in ambition when it comes to looking at new ideas.
1. 1952 Alfa Romeo 1900 C52 Disco Volante Spider
The Alfa Romeo Disco Volante was aptly titled, because the name is Italian for ‘Flying Saucer’, and this otherworldly car grabbed attention at its unveiling in 1952.
With bodywork by Touring, the Disco Volante’s smooth shape was honed using a wind tunnel, which helped get the best from the 1997cc engine to achieve a top speed of almost 140mph.
Alfa built the four-cylinder 1900 Disco Volante Spider first, followed by a Coupé, then a fianchi stretti (narrow-side) version, and finally two more Spiders using the 6C’s six-cylinder engine.
2. 1954 Alfa Romeo 2000 Sportiva
Styled by Franco Scaglione at Bertone, the Alfa Romeo 2000 Sportiva Spider, and its Coupé sibling, further explored the idea of a streamlined sports car with limited production in mind.
Alfa Romeo intended to build 100 2000 Sportiva models, but in the end only four were ever made – two Spiders and a brace of Coupés.
However, the design proved influential in the design of the Giulietta Sprint production model.
All four Sportiva cars used a 2-litre, 134bhp version of the 1900’s twin-cam engine, while the lightweight aluminium body meant even the Coupé tipped the scales at just 915kg (2017lb).
The aerodynamic shape was also functional with cooling intakes for the front brakes integrated into the lower nose section.
3. 1956 Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM Coupé Superflow
Following a successful racing career, with a second place in the 1953 Mille Miglia driven by Juan Manuel Fangio and Giulio Sala, Alfa Romeo decided to use the chassis of this 6C 3000M CM as the basis for an experimental car.
The chassis was delivered to Pinin Farina and the resulting car was displayed at the 1956 Turin motor show as the Superflow with a Plexiglas roof and even transparent Plexiglas front wings to show off the suspension.
Three subsequent Superflow cars, named II, III and IV, were built by Pinin Farina on the same chassis and revealed in 1956, 1959 and 1960, respectively, but with slightly less dramatic detailing than the original version.
4. 1960 Alfa Romeo 2000 Praho Coupé 102
Using its 2000 chassis as a base, Alfa Romeo came up with a luxury coupé that could have taken on the best from Europe thanks to its elegant lines courtesy of Touring.
Called the Praho, which came from the name of fishing boats used in Thailand, this four-seat coupé made its debut at the Turin motor show in 1960 to considerable acclaim for its style.
Alloy body panels were placed over a steel frame in the Superleggera form, while power came from a 1975cc, four-cylinder engine.
What should have been an obvious candidate for production ended up tucked away in Touring’s warehouse until it was bought by Milan-based Alfa dealer Minetti in 1967.
It then spent some time in Singapore before returning to Europe and the car still exists today.
5. 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Goccia 101
This car began life in 1957 as a standard Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce, yet ended up as something very special: the Giulietta Goccia.
A new aluminium body was designed for this car by Giovanni Michelotti that retained the classic Alfa grille, but with unusual faired-in headlights.
Under the low bonnet sat a Conrero-tuned version of the 1290cc, twin-cam, four-cylinder engine, which meant this diminutive coupé that weighed just 750kg (1653lb) was capable of 140mph thanks to its slippery aerodynamics.
While it was a one-off, the Goccia earned its motorsport spurs in races at Monza and with a class win at the 1961 Aosta-Pila Hillclimb.
6. 1961 Alfa Romeo Tipo 103
Famous for its sporting cars, Alfa Romeo could have revolutionised the affordable small car scene with a front-wheel-drive, transverse-engine model ahead of the Mini.
The original idea for such a model was dropped in 1954, but plans for the Tipo 103 were drawn up and its launch was planned for 1961.
A 900cc, four-cylinder, twin-cam engine with 51bhp was devised to drive the front wheels of this boxy, four-door saloon.
While BMC had beaten Alfa Romeo to market with the 1959 Mini, the 103 continued in development until money for the project ran out in 1962 and Alfa concentrated on the larger Giulia saloon instead.
7. 1964 Alfa Romeo Canguro
Canguro – Italian for kangaroo – is not the most obvious or flattering name for a sports car, but it was apt for the giant leap it might have provided to Alfa Romeo.
Based on Alfa’s TZ racing car, the Canguro was intended as a roadgoing version and the big step forward it demonstrated was a glassfibre body in place of the usual aluminium construction.
Giorgetto Giugiaro, working at Bertone, came up with the Canguro’s shape and its smoothly aerodynamic lines were further helped by bonded-in front and rear windscreens, which was very unusual for the time.
A crash in 1963 at Monza with another Bertone car, the Chevrolet Testudo, ended the Canguro’s development, though it was eventually rescued and restored.
8. 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Sport
Similar to the Canguro created by Bertone, the prosaically titled Alfa Romeo Giulia 166 Sport from Pininfarina was another design based on the TZ racing car.
The name might have been formulaic, but there was nothing ordinary about the shape penned for this car by Aldo Brovarone with its low-sling style and sweeping curves, first displayed at the 1965 Turin motor show.
The 1600 Sport’s construction was more traditional than the Canguro’s as it used aluminium for the body rather than glassfibre. However, like the Canguro, the 1600 Sport remained a tempting one-off.
9. 1966 Alfa Romeo Scarabeo
The Scarabeo was a departure from Alfa Romeo’s usual sports-car layout of a front-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive, because it adopted a mid-mounted motor.
Not only was the engine in the middle, it was placed transversely and gave the Scarabeo a short wheelbase.
The 113bhp engine only had to power 700kg (1543lb) thanks to its lithe body and styling by OSI, which included a tilting canopy in place of more usual doors to access the cabin.
Alfa gave the Scarabeo its debut at the 1966 Paris motor show and two cars were built, the second with a more conventional windscreen and doors. A third barchetta version was never completed.
10. 1968 Alfa Romeo P33 Roadster GS
The 1968 Turin motor show witnessed the unveiling of Alfa Romeo’s dramatic P33 Roadster GS that embraced the new wedge era of design wholeheartedly.
Designed by Paolo Martin, the P33 had a low-set nose with a row of headlights behind a fairing.
The front end was also unusual for its slim canards to aid aerodynamics positioned on the leading edge of either front wing.
The cabin was headed by a cut-down windscreen, while a roll bar with integrated wing sat to the rear and above the mid-mounted engine.
The P33 Roadster GS never made production, but it did inspire subsequent concept cars from Alfa Romeo such as the Cuneo and Alfetta Spider.
11. 1969 Alfa Romeo Iguana
By 1969, Giorgetto Giugiaro had set up his own carrozzeria, Italdesign, and the Alfa Romeo Iguana was one of the first projects the fledgling company undertook.
Using an Alfa 33 Stradale as the starting point, Giugiaro came up with a sharp appearance that gave clues as to how the Maserati Bora and Merak would look.
There were also clear links to the Alfa Romeo Alfasud Sprint and later GTV in the shape of the Iguana’s rear flanks.
The mid-engined Iguana used a 2-litre, fuel-injected, V8 engine and was unusual for its six-speed manual gearbox.
12. 1971 Alfa Romeo Alfasud Caimano
Where Alfa Romeo had used more exotic bases for its proposals in the 1960s, the Caimano of 1971 took the modest Alfasud as its starting point.
Such humble origins did not stop Giorgetto Giugiaro from creating a showstopping machine thanks to a shortened Alfasud floorpan.
Along with a lengthened steering column, it allowed a laid-back driving position underneath the front-hinged canopy that doubled as the roof and doors when closed.
Power from the Alfasud engine might have been only 85bhp, but the Caimano was advanced for its time with a four-position adjustable spoiler that was built into the rear of the roof.
13. 1972 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Spider
Alfa Romeo was considering how to replace its delicate Spider sports car in the early 1970s and the Alfetta Spider was in contention to meet dynamic and safety demands.
Based on the Alfetta saloon that had been launched in 1972, the Spider retained its front-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout, but opted for a lift-out roof panel similar to a Fiat X1/9’s in place of the production Spider’s fold-down item.
The Alfetta Spider also came with impact-absorbing plastic bumpers carefully incorporated into the front and rear by Pininfarina to meet US regulations.
Despite being primed to go into production, the Alfetta Spider didn’t see the light of day other than at the 1972 Turin motor show, because customer demand for the existing Spider remained strong.
14. 1975 Alfa Romeo Eagle
Three years on from an attempt to replace the elegant Alfa Romeo Spider roadster with the Alfetta Spider, Pininfarina had another crack at it with the Eagle.
Using an Alfetta GT as the starting point, the Eagle had crisper edges to its styling, but retained the targa-roof idea of its predecessor.
Where the Eagle made a bold departure was inside its cabin, where Alfa Romeo and Pininfarina chose digital instruments.
The Eagle was also notable for its excellent aerodynamics for the period, which made it quicker and more fuel-efficient than the Alfetta GT it was based on, despite having identical power from its twin-cam, 1.8-litre engine.
15. 1976 Alfa Romeo New York Taxi
Perhaps one of Alfa Romeo’s most avant-garde designs was the New York Taxi, which was conceived at the invitation of the New York Museum of Modern Art.
The shape and packaging of the Taxi predicted the rise of the MPV, led by the Renault Espace in 1984, with its monobox style and a footprint no bigger than a conventional family saloon.
Based on Alfa’s F12 van, the Taxi featured a flat floor to aid wheelchair users and offered seating for five in the back, all with seatbelts and headrests for safety.
The New York Taxi was devised by Italdesign for Alfa Romeo and remained a one-off, despite its forward-thinking design.
16. 1983 Alfa Romeo Zeta 6
Almost a decade before it launched the limited-production Lancia Hyena, Zagato came up with the Alfa Romeo Zeta 6 in 1983 that shares clear styling links to the later car.
An Alfa Romeo GTV6 donated its running gear to the Zeta 6, so it had a 2.5-litre, V6 motor for strong performance.
Zagato’s Giuseppe Mittino penned a clean look for the Zeta 6 that still used the company’s trademark ‘double-bubble’ roof and short front and rear overhangs.
The Zeta 6 also managed to offer 2+2 seating in its sumptuously appointed cabin that clearly looked like this was a car that could have easily made the next step into production, rather than remaining an intriguing one-off.
17. 1984 Alfa Romeo Z33 Tempo Libero
The Z33 Tempo Libero was not Alfa Romeo’s finest moment when it came to styling, but the tall-sided car’s design meant it offered loads of cabin room.
Intended as a three-door estate-cum-MPV for those on a tight budget, the Z33 Tempo Libero used the same platform and wheelbase as the standard 33, yet it could carry up to seven people despite an overall length of less than 4m (c13ft).
Zagato was charged with turning the idea of the Z33 Tempo Libero into a running car, but the project was not advanced because Alfa Romeo’s precarious financial position at the time prevented further development.
18. 1986 Alfa Romeo Vivace
Alfa Romeo was determined to introduce a new coupé and convertible line to its range and the Vivace was a step in this direction.
Both the Vivace Coupé and open-top Spider models were revealed at the same time when the covers were lifted at the 1986 Turin motor show.
Styling by Pininfarina gave them an elegant appeal, while the two versions were designed to have as much interchangeability of body parts as possible to keep costs down.
Despite a warm reception from the press and public, the Vivace did not progress further, but the ideas from this car went on to have a major impact on the design of the Type 915 GTV coupé and Spider that went into production in the early 1990s.
19. 1996 Alfa Romeo Nuvola
A sleek coupé with four-wheel drive, a twin-turbo, 2.5-litre, V6 engine and 296bhp sounds just the sort of thing Alfa Romeo should have been selling in the mid-1990s.
It could have done, too, if the Nuvola idea had moved further with its development, and it could have heralded a return to coachbuilt bodies for Alfa Romeo cars.
The Nuvola’s spaceframe chassis was conceived to make it easy to base different models on a single platform, plus there was a plan to offer the bare chassis to Italian coachbuilders.
None of this panned out and the sole Nuvola made was styled by Walter Da Silva, then head of Alfa Romeo’s Centro Stile design department.
20. 1997 Alfa Romeo Scighera
When Alfa Romeo unveiled its 33 Stradale in 2023, it was the firm’s first production mid-engined supercar, albeit with a very limited run of cars.
It could have been a different story if the Scighera had fulfilled its promise as a road and racing car.
Styled by Italdesign, the Scighera used a 395bhp, twin-turbo, 3-litre, V6 engine. It powered all four wheels and delivered 0-60mph in 3.7 secs, along with a 186mph top speed. That made it quicker than a Ferrari 360 Modena.
Formula One-inspired aerodynamics gave the Scighera considerable downforce, but details such as the gullwing upper door sections and carbonfibre bodywork were too expensive to build for a production model.
As a result, the Scighera remained unique.
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