Alfa Romeo has once again turned to Italian coachbuilder Zagato to create a low-volume sports car based on the fine-driving Giulia saloon.
As the very teaser image above shows, it will be known as the Giulia SWB Zagato and it features a striking full-width light bar that appears to hint at a Kamm-tail rear end.
It’s likely that the design of the new car will evoke Alfas of the past, and as the name suggests it will be shorter than the standard Giulia and drop two doors to transform it into a coupé. For power we expect to see the 2.9-liter V-6 from the Quadrifoglio, probably in the highest state of tune as seen in the GTA.
There’s also the distinct possibility that an all-electric version will also be offered, with technology borrowed from sister company Maserati. No exact date has been set for the reveal, but given that the tease has already begun it’s likely to be early 2023.
Zagato has turned its attention to numerous Alfas in the past, many taking the form of compact coupés, based on more familiar production saloons. The brand’s Sprint Zagato models of the 1950s and 1960s sat on Giulietta underpinnings, while the wedgy Junior Zagato launched in 1969 was based on the 105 and 115-series Spider.
1989 saw the debut of the SZ, nicknamed ‘il Mostro’ or ‘the monster’, owing to its brutal styling and six-eyed face, while Alfa reprised the ‘Tubolare Zagato’ or TZ moniker of the 1960s in 2011, with the TZ3 – a dramatic front-engined supercar based on, of all things, the Dodge Viper.
Alfa boss Jean Philippe Imperato has previously described the new Zagato to Auto Express as “very exciting, very expensive, very selective.” Like Alfisti everywhere we’re hoping for something spectacular to fill the void left by the SZ and the 8C Competizione.
This article was originally published on Hagerty US.
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