Back in 2013, Alfa Romeo teased a revival of its iconic Duetto roadster using Mazda’s beloved MX-5 platform. The plan, part of a collaboration between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Mazda, promised a stylish new Alfa roadster but never made it past the design phase. Instead, FCA launched the Fiat 124 Spider based on the MX-5, while Alfa shifted focus to the Giulia and Stelvio models. Recently, designer Juan Manuel Diaz, known as the ”father” of the Alfa MiTo, shared sketches and AI-enhanced renders of several unreleased Alfa Romeo models, revealing a Miata-based roadster that could have been the next Duetto, among other ambitious projects.
Diaz, who joined Alfa Romeo in the early 2000s, detailed how design teams experimented with multiple proposals for a Miata-based Alfa roadster, merging heritage with modern styling. Between 2003 and 2009, he personally developed numerous concepts, including one full-size model inspired by the high-performance 8C Competizione, which could have evolved into a premium 8C Spider rather than the more accessible MX-5-based car. Although these plans were shelved, Diaz’s work reveals a persistent dream to bring back the Duetto spirit with authentic Alfa flair.
Alfa Romeo Alfona and sporty sedan concepts
One of the more striking unreleased designs is the Alfa Romeo Alfona, created in 2006 as a style exercise on the Maserati Quattroporte platform. Commissioned by then-Alfa styling chief Wolfgang Egger, this sporty sedan concept aimed squarely at German luxury stalwarts like BMW and Audi. The Alfona reflected Alfa’s ambition to craft a high-performance flagship, but it remained an unofficial project, sidelined as the company’s priorities shifted.
Another glimpse into Alfa Romeo’s unrealized plans is Project 955, an early 2000s internal codename for a small coupe-like model derived from the MiTo platform. Nicknamed the Junior before the name was reused for the modern hybrid SUV, this 247-horsepower hatchback with a lifted stance aimed to blend sportiness and versatility in a compact package. Yet, it never advanced beyond sketches, reflecting Alfa’s complex balancing act between niche appeal and commercial viability.
8C Zagato and MiTo convertible design concepts
Diaz also revealed a bold reimagining of the Alfa Romeo 8C in Zagato style, featuring a dramatically restyled body with the brand’s signature Kamm tail and powered by the Maserati V8. This look would have intensified the 8C’s exotic appeal but was ultimately left on the drawing board. Meanwhile, a MiTo Convertible concept with a fabric roof reached near-production in 2010, only to be axed by Sergio Marchionne due to perceived weak commercial prospects.
These glimpses into Alfa Romeo’s hidden archives highlight a brand wrestling with its identity and ambitions throughout the 2000s and 2010s. With ideas ranging from an MX-5-based Duetto to flagship sedans and sporty hatchbacks, Alfa Romeo’s direction could have been very different had these projects been greenlit. As the brand pushes further into electrification and new technologies, future unreleased models might inspire upcoming designs.
