The V6 Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso is a glimpse at the future of the Giulia Quadrifoglio
Alfa Romeo offers a first glimpse at the future of Quadrifoglio with the V6-powered Cuorerosso coupe concept
It’s no secret that the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio doesn’t have long left, and given it’s one of our favourite super saloons of all time, that’s a real shame. Before the time comes though, its maker has already given us a glimpse at what might fall in its place with the stunning Cuorerosso concept, shown for the first time at the Paris motor show.
This is what Alfa Romeo is calling a 2+2 coupe, slightly longer and wider than a Giulia Quadrifoglio but much lower at 1331mm, similar to an Aston Martin DB12. Despite the coupe name though, it has four doors, so combined with the use of the iconic Quadrifoglio badge it’s a prime candidate for a Giulia QV successor.
> Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale review – a rare Italian jewel beyond compare
It’s not just the badge and door count that make it a contender, as it retains a derivative of the Giulia’s 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6, dodging a transition to electric-only power. It does get hybrid assistance though and sends its power to all four wheels through a torque converter and carbonfibre driveshaft – exactly how much power that is hasn’t been disclosed, but given the V6 produces 533bhp alone in the Giulia GTAm, power in excess of 600bhp should be well within reach.
Despite the addition of a battery pack, Alfa Romeo says the Cuorerosso weighs a reasonable 1750kg, an increase of just 90kg over the pure-combustion Giulia Quadrifoglio. Exactly how faithfully these numbers would translate to a production variant is up for speculation.
Brembo carbon ceramic brakes and, intriguingly, air suspension, are there to keep its mass in check, with steer-by-wire completely eliminating the driver’s physical connection to the front wheels. Alfa Romeo is keen to stress that it retains a ‘strong analogue component’ regardless though, with haptic and acoustic feedback from the controls.
A glance is all you need to know that this is an Alfa Romeo, with its deep metallic ‘Liquid Ink Red’ paint enveloping its sculpted aluminium bodywork. Its design - penned entirely in-house - retains a sporty Quadrifoglio edge thanks to a dynamic wedge, but this is combined with the elegant Alfa Romeo flare we’ve come to know it for. The abrupt, truncated tail is there for aero performance and despite performance-related aero elements such as an integrated rear diffuser, it’s said to achieve an impressively low 0.28Cd drag coefficient.
Overall interior design is a development of the 33 Stradale’s. There’s a simplicity inside that we rarely see in modern cars, with physical controls and dials also making a welcome appearance. Heavily bolstered bucket seats confirm its performance credentials, and behind a yoke-style steering wheel (enabled by the adjustable ratio of steer-by-wire) you get a twin-dial setup that physically transforms into a single unit when ‘Concentrato’ mode is enabled.
How likely the Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso is to make it to production is not yet known, but we do know that this car previews its ‘multi-energy’ strategy and a lineup with models ranging up to 4.7 metres long. Regardless of what happens with the Cuorerosso, Alfa Romeo confirms it will ‘…continue to create cars for those who love to drive’. Good to hear.
