Is this the first sign of a new Alfa Romeo supercar?

Alfa is widely expected to introduce a new supercar this year – and sooner, rather than later, if rumours are to be believed. It’s even gone so far as to tease the new model, in a not too dissimilar way to the teasers issued just before the Giulia SWB Zagato was revealed to the world. 

The internet is awash with speculation that the new car will revive the 6C nameplate, used across some of Alfa’s most serious road and race machinery in the first half of the 20^th century. And that’s a bet we’re willing to match, given that it’s a name pointing to the source of power – six-cylinder power, to be precise. 

All versions of the 6C from the past, from 1927 until the nameplate’s retirement in 1954, made use of inline-six engines. And we expect that will be the case here, though it’s possible the new version could come with not one, but two powertrain options. 

The 6C is likely to share its technical basis with another new mid-engined, six-cylinder supercar from within the Stellantis fold – the Maserati MC20, which features a new 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine called ‘Nettuno’. In this application, 630PS (463kW) goes to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox, enabling 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 201mph.

While it’s far too early to tell if the 6C is going to target a similar performance envelope to the Maserati, it is easy to imagine the newly-developed Nettuno V6 featuring one way or another, in a mid-engined configuration. Not only would this give the 6C the cylinder count for the badge’s revival to make sense, it might also pave the way for a fully-electric version of the newcomer later down the line – something that Alfa may want to use as a halo model for its transition to becoming a fully-electric marque in Europe by 2027. Maserati plans to create an electric MC20 for the same reason. 

Nothing much is known about the design of the alleged new 6C supercar, but if it is mid-engined, it won’t take any design inspiration from its namesake predecessors, all of which made use of a front-engined layout. Some corners of the internet have reported that Alfa Romeo boss Jean-Philippe Imparato has hinted at a design inspired by the iconic 33 Stradale for the halo car. 

Alfa’s own teaser reveals very little – it’s merely a glimpse of what looks like one of the taillight clusters, the rounded motif not all that groundbreaking when compared with the lights used on the 4C and the 8C Competizione. 

What will we see when the covers come off? We hope that the wait won’t be too long…