Back in 2013, when Sergio Marchionne was still at the helm of FCA, the company announced that, through an agreement with Mazda, Alfa Romeo would develop a new roadster based on the Mazda MX-5—a modern revival of the legendary Duetto.
Those plans, however, never fully materialized. Alfa Romeo shifted its focus to the Giulia and Stelvio, while Fiat brought the MX-5–based roadster to market as the 124 Spider, which failed to make much of a splash.
Yet the dream of a new Alfa Romeo Duetto never quite disappeared. According to Juan Manuel Diaz, the designer credited as the “father” of the Alfa Romeo MiTo, the idea has been simmering for years. Diaz recently shared sketches (and some AI-generated renders) on his Instagram page, revealing five Alfa Romeos that never made it to production, including the roadster that might have become the new Duetto.
The Alfa-Miata That Never Was
Photo by: Juan Manuel Diaz / Instagram
Diaz explains that shortly after joining Alfa Romeo in the early 2000s, the team had already come up with proposals for the Miata-based Alfa Romeo roadster:
‘The design team had already completed a series of proposals based on the Mazda MX-5 platform, exploring the possibility of relaunching the Duetto.’
For anyone who loves cars—not just Alfa fans—the Duetto has always been a classic. Diaz began developing personal projects on the side, separate from any official company program.
‘After work, I kept drawing every night, trying to find the balance between heritage and modernity. Between 2003 and 2009, I created dozens of concepts, including a full-size 1:1 model based on the 8C Competizione, which was later shelved in favor of the 8C Spider.’
So the Duetto revival wasn’t limited to the MX-5 platform—it could have also been based on the much more prestigious 8C architecture (though it’s unclear if it would have retained the naturally aspirated V8).
The Forgotten Flagship
Photo by: Juan Manuel Diaz / Instagram
Diaz also shared sketches of the Alfa Romeo Alfona, drawn in 2006 following a request from Wolfgang Egger, who was head of Alfa Romeo styling at the time. An unofficial project, it was essentially a styling exercise for a modern Alfetta, using the Maserati Quattroporte platform.
‘The idea was ambitious: to create a high-performance sport sedan capable of taking on Germany’s premium flagships.’
Junior Before The Junior
Photo by: Juan Manuel Diaz / Instagram
Today’s Alfa Romeo Junior—a small SUV originally launched as the Milano—was offered with hybrid or electric powertrains. But the name had been used internally for a 2006 project (code-named Project 955), which envisioned a slightly lifted, coupe-like sporty model based on the MiTo, producing around 250 CV (247 hp).
The 8C By Zagato
Photo by: Juan Manuel Diaz / Instagram
Another sketch shows a redesign of the Alfa Romeo 8C, reimagined with a fully restyled body and the truncated “Kamm” tail typical of Zagato-bodied cars. It would have retained the Maserati V8 under the hood, paired with a bold, dramatic design.
A Small Convertible
The fifth never-built project is the Alfa Romeo MiTo Convertible, which Diaz had mentioned a few years ago. This three-door version of the MiTo featured a fabric soft top and came close to production in 2010, but Marchionne ultimately killed the project, seeing little commercial potential for a small Alfa convertible.
Motor1’s Take: Diaz’s sketches are an interesting look at what could have been a very different Alfa Romeo lineup. From a Miata clone to a new flagship and two small, sporty cars, this direction may very well have yielded different results for the struggling luxury brand.