Alfa Romeo is committed to expanding its SUV offer with two other models: the Tonale (the size of a Peugeot 3008…) and a small crossover with a name to be confirmed (is it Brennero?) based on the CMP platform (the same as the, for example, Peugeot 2008, Opel Mokka or Citroën C4), scheduled for launch in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
But where is the Alfa Romeo of coupés and spiders? After the end of 4C, there don't seem to be any plans in that direction — we don't know anything… — and we even understand that it makes more commercial sense to launch an SUV or two.
However, there are those who continue to imagine what a new sports coupé from the Arese brand would be like, as this Alfa Romeo TZ4 created by designer Samir Sadikhov suggests.
Despite the Alfa Romeo TZ4 referring to more recent creations like the 8C Competizione, the truth is that the great inspiration or influence of the designer is the Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ (1963). TZ is an acronym for Tubolare Zagato and, as the name implies, it was the work of Carrozzeria Zagato, with lines designed by Ercole Spada, the “father” of other legendary models such as the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato.
The Alfa Romeo TZ and, later, the TZ2 stood out for their innovative rear coda trunk (truncated rear), also known as Kamm tail (in reference to Wunibald Kamm's aerodynamic research), which basically allows for a substantial reduction in aerodynamic drag.
This digital model precisely respects the lines of that decade (there's something from the Ferrari 250 GTO here, don't you think?), but the 3D-shaped LED headlamps, the slender side mirrors, the very pronounced rear diffuser and the two generous exhaust outlets geometric shape leave no doubt that this is a prototype with an eye to the future.
Although this Alfa Romeo lives only in the digital world, the technical execution of this work is impeccable. But something else would not be expected; after all, its creator, Samir Sadikhov, has already worked with brands such as Lamborghini and Genesis.
It goes without saying that this Alfa Romeo TZ4 will hardly ever see the light of day, but dreaming doesn't cost. After all, few brands have as much competition tradition as Alfa Romeo. And for that very reason, a sports car with the “air” of a Grand Tourer can never be out of the equation.
Why TZ4 and not TZ3, which would be the most logical number after TZ2? Effectively, in 2010 — coinciding with the centenary of Alfa Romeo — Carrozzeria Zagato launched a TZ3, or rather two TZ3, which also reinterpreted the original TZs: a one-off, the TZ3 Corsa and nine units of the TZ3 Stradale.
This last one was based on the… Dodge Viper. With V10 and everything.
Images by Samir Sadikhov