Alexandre
If you've been reading us for years, you already know that theit has long been suspected that the Maserati MC20 should have been released with a Alfa Romeo. If doubts have always existed, they have always been dismissed by Stellantis... and yet this has just been confirmed by Alfa Romeo's new product manager!
The Alfa Romeo supercar from the 2018 product plan that will disappear in 2020
Before the death of its former leader, Sergio Marchionne, and well before the merger with Stellantis, Alfa Romeo had well planned, in 2018, to launch a new Alfa Romeo 8C supercar, by 2022.
The program features a carbon-fiber monocoque, a twin-turbo engine, coupled with an electric motor, enabling it to deliver over 700 hp and a 0 to 100 km/h time of less than 3 sec.
Then in 2020, A few months after the announcement of the planned merger of the PSA and FCA groups, a brand new Alfa Romeo roadmap is unveiled.
Restyling of the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio (with the Tonale's lights...), a compact SUV (the Tonale) and an even smaller SUV (Kidzimodo). Disappearance of the Alfa Romeo supercar, the GTV... which could have been a cousin of the new Maserati Granturismo, and other models.
And yes, the Biscione brand wasn't making any money, according to new CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato, and the new 2020 - 2024 roadmap is very much in line with reality.
At Maserati, no supercar planned for 2018, which makes its appearance in 2020!
At the same time, still in 2018, Maserati had indeed planned for 2020 the D-SUV Grecale, a new Levante, a restyling of the Ghibli (which never took place), a new Quattrorporte and two unfortunately abandoned models, the Alfieri and Alfieri Cabrio, which would have replaced the Granturismo and Grancabrio. And as you can see, no supercars are on the agenda for 2018.
Then, in parallel with the Alfa Romeo roadmap and also presented by In 2020, the new Maserati roadmap with two new features: a new supercar, which will initially be electric, and the Alfieri / Alfieri cabrio are replaced by the Granturimo and Grancabrio.
The supercar will be presented in September 2020In other words, it's impossible to create a model so quickly. The MC20 was therefore a project created in a short space of time, based on the Alfa Romeo 8C supercar. In fact, between the presentation of the MC20 in September 2020, when orders were opened, and the first deliveries, it will take at least 1 year. Proof that the car wasn't quite ready yet...
You'll note that the electric MC20 scheduled for 2020... isn't here yet, and that the entire Maserati product plan is at least 1 to 2 years behind schedule.
And confirmation comes at last from Alfa Romeo
In short, this was all supposition, until now. Indeed, with the 33 Stradaleitself based on the MC20, the subject was brought up again by a journalist from CarExpert speaking to Daniel Tiago Guzzafame, head of the Alfa Romeo range since March 2021.
He said: "It's no big secret that the MC20 started out as an Alfa Romeo before becoming a Maserati production model. "Originally, the project was intended to be a supercar for Alfa Romeo, then it was decided to change course during development."
Although the 33 Stradale bears no resemblance to the 8C project, it has now come full circle!
Below is a photo of the 33 Stradale family, MC20 and the leaked model of the 8C.
Seeing the roadmap of the time and the little MiTo in the listing, I think I miss it terribly :') It was my first car (apart from my parents') between 2015 and 2020, and even though I've changed to an Abarth 595C since then, I'm still nostalgic about it. I still think it's a great design, a mini 8C as I've always said!
Imperato had better turn his tongue in his mouth because:
When the Alfieri concept was presented to us (I was there), it was clearly announced that the concept represented the future model accompanying the range to compete with... V8 Vantage and in no way replaced the Granturismo, and this base was to be used for Alfa's future GT (the presentation photo).
The MC20 was already announced at the time as a return to competition based on the future 6C (which is the black photo), which is why the 4C was used as the basis for the development of its engine, but the 6C never saw the light of day!
So instead of trying to get his own way, he'd better make some decent cars, because right now... it's a huge zero score, and Alfa Suisse customers 🇨🇭 are in a black rage.
The only thing that's true is the abandonment of the Ghibli, Quattroporte and Levante without any evolution, and above all the discontinuation of the Alfieri (which no one understood why, especially 4200GT owners who were thinking of renewing their models because they weren't at all interested in the Granturismo).
To tell you the truth ... I had totally forgotten about the Alfieri ... I couldn't remember it at all!!! I think that the Tonale is already no longer an Alfa and especially very ugly! Can't wait for my Giulia Quadrifoglio CV 520. Expected delivery January/February 2024!
The Tonale has nothing to do with an Alfa (I agree), but owes nothing to Stellantis (thank goodness).
The Alfieri has been awaited like the Messiah at Maserati, as this model recaptures lost customers who have left for Aston, Jaguar or Porsche and who had a 4200GT but didn't want to switch to a coupe as imposing in size as the Granturismo.
Take care of your upcoming diamond, even if the only regret I have about the Giulia is that I stopped using the manual gearbox.
In a way, Max the Mito is like the Tonale... it has nothing to do with an Alfa, just as the 159/Brera range was a considerable failure that sold more than 3 times less than the 156/GT.
One last point, last time I checked, the Birdcage concept news, released in 2018, did indeed represent an intention to return to the rear mid-engine.
https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Maserati_Birdcage_75th,_GIMS_2018,_Le_Grand-Saconnex_(1X7A1399).jpg
Alfa Romeo spokesmen make fools of themselves by claiming that the Alfa 33 is descended from the Maserati MC20 and that the Maserati MC20 is descended from the Alfa 33.
It's Imperato through and through. Let them keep making limited series....that's all he knows how to do.
If he could do the same with Lancia, it would avoid having future made-in-PSA garbage cans disguised as Lancia, which many former customers don't want to hear about.
Let them make a new Stratos, MonteCarlo, O37 and other coupes from the brand... at least they'll be able to sell them easily, because we can see how quickly Mat's Stratos and its 25 examples sold (and even then, you had to be able to supply the donor car, and not just any car, because you need a Scuderia), or Kimera's Evo37 version, which is going to come out in 2 even more expensive series and is already sold out, and wants to make a restomod of the MonteCarlo, which is going to be another big hit.
Good evening Alexandre
I recently read a survey of customers in the USA who were asked if they'd be interested in a Giulia, and well, it's not the fact that there's no station wagon that's prevented it from being a hit there, but the fact that for many Americans, a European sports sedan like the Giulia has to be able to offer 2 gearboxes, and many have stayed with BMW because of this. So Marchionne screwed up once again, and sales would surely have been quite different.
The Italian firms alfa romeo and lancia have nothing to learn from the other brands in the group. I sincerely believe that they will surprise us again, as they have in the past, and create a surprise effect.
If you give them room to maneuver. As it stands, the Giulia III will take 100% from the powertrain of the new 3008. With any luck, it will be offered with rear-wheel drive, but what can we be sure of after the Tonale and the Polish SUV? For my part, I think that the Italian brands will only be judged on their profitability within the group, and to sell more, they need to offer better-looking, better-thought-out models that exude more emotion than DS, Peugeot Citroën or Opel, which is the only current variable. The Topolino, 500e and 600 have succeeded. At Maserati, despite the current delay, I think the models are successful. Alfa Romeo and Lancia are unknowns, even if I really like the PuRa concept.
Yes, they've proved with the Giulia, Stelvio and 4C that they don't have to wait for anyone else, and they're very good at setting the standard in their product ranges, but when you see who they've teamed up with.... I'm afraid it's back to troubled waters, especially when we see that the 500e is floundering, the Granturismo and the MC20 will hardly sell electrically.
In short, everyone does what they want, but I'll stop with the Italians, they've already released all the models I've been dreaming of, and I don't want to see their new decline, which will be definitive.