Alfa Romeo Fans Are Putting Down Deposits for a Nonexistent Sports Car

2019 Alfa Romeo 4C SpiderImage: Stellantis

Whether it’s a common model or some kind of special edition, some people literally can’t wait to get their hands on the latest model. As the last couple of years have shown, though, often that impatience manifests itself in people buying cars sight unseen. Case in point, U.K. auto outlet Autocar reports that Alfa Romeo’s upcoming sports can is nearly sold out, despite no official word from the automaker on it or even a glimpse of what it looks like.

Speaking to Autocar, Alfa CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato confirmed that the brand had already been taking deposits on the car. What makes this more interesting is that the car hasn’t even received final approval from Stellantis executives, something that’s supposed to happen in April. “It will be sold out before I unveil the car,” he told Autocar.

Given the details he gave, it doesn’t seem as if anything regarding the car is finalized, let alone finished. Everything from the design to the engine is still up in the air. Imparto has an idea of what he wants the car to be, but the details are still being sorted out. “We are working on something that I could put aside the 8C in the museum of Arese, being proud of our contribution to the history of Alfa Romeo. That is what we want,” he said. He also hinted that the car could be powered by gas rather than being an EV and that it’ll be a car that’s track-ready but can be driven daily.

I reached out to Alfa to see if they could confirm any of this…and got bupkis. It wasn’t even one of those “we can’t confirm or deny” answers, they literally had no information to give me, which could mean this is all news to them as well.

Aside from a sports car that’s selling despite not existing, Imparato gave an update on what to expect from Alfa in the near future. The brand has a few models coming between now and 2027. The first of which is their version of the recently launched Jeep Avenger EV which is coming in 2024. Imparato said a Giulia replacement is coming in 2025. It’s to be the first model built on an all-new EV architecture. A Stelvio replacement – also an EV – is due in ‘26. But with the EV transition, Imparato said the sky is the limit for body styles for the brand. “With the EV switch, it opens so many opportunities for me for top hats from a design point of view,” he said.

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Whatever is coming for the brand needs to come quickly. Stellantis can’t keep letting anything that’s not Jeep or Ram or Dodge be starved of product.