Remember the Mazda RX-8? As the successor to the iconic RX-7 and the Wankel engine’s legacy, gearheads like me fondly remember it for its styling, from the quad-coupe body to the endearing triangular obsession throughout its design. With Fuchū working to make the RX-Vision a reality, we’re already seeing a spiritual successor to the RX-8’s design philosophy, though not where you’d expect.
Enter the Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso. Italian for “Redheart,” the latest concept car from the Italian marque shares similarities with the RX-8, including the quad-coupe body style and return of the triangular obsession in design, but with an Italian twist. Set to debut at the 2026 Paris Motor Show, the Cuorerosso showcases Alfa Romeo’s future design philosophy and its commitment to preserving the internal combustion engine in an increasingly electrified automotive future.
Instead of the traditional route, the design team led by Alejandro Mesonero started by sculpting the body before considering the windows, grille, and wheels. The car’s proportions took priority before further details. The result is a design with proper proportions and a clean look. The best part is that, thanks to this design process, the Alfa doesn’t come with an astronomical size tax. The scarlet concept car measures 185 inches long, 77 inches wide, and 51 inches tall, about the same length as a Lexus IS or Tesla Model 3.
The front shares that signature Turin design language, looking similar to the Quadrifoglio, but with a lower, wider, and sleeker stance. The grille is the iconic Alfa Romeo scudetto, but with a modern twist: instead of the traditional grille, an LED matrix displays the Milan flag and Biscione.
The side profile is where that RX-8 inspiration seeps in. The body lines trick our eyes into thinking we’re looking at a coupe, until the doors open. The windows flow seamlessly, further selling the illusion.
Photo: Stellantis
The rear is where things get interesting. The body’s musculature at the rear, surrounding the haunches, ties the two together seamlessly. The rear end, however, is where the car starts to turn heads, if it wasn’t already. The rear sports a Kammback roofline, a pair of segmented ring taillights, and interestingly enough, vertically stacked, central dual exhaust pipes.
You heard me right: exhaust pipes. Under that bodywork lies Alfa Romeo’s 2.9-liter V6, the same twin-turbo V6 in the Stelvio Quadrifoglio and the current Giulia. As part of Alfa Romeo’s new “multi-energy” campaign, the Cuerorosso could also be fitted with different powertrain options, including HEV, MHEV, PHEV, BEV, and ICE powertrains.
The interior blends tactile buttons and modern infotainment. You won’t find a giant tablet tacked onto the dashboard since it’s integrated into the center console. The center console houses controls like the volume knobs, adjustment switches, and the gold gear selector.
However, the biggest highlight of the interior is what’s in front of the driver. Beyond the yoke steering wheel, which is emblazoned with the Alfa Romeo logo in deep crimson, sits the unique gauge cluster. Instead of your standard screen cluster, you have two round gauges that merge into one depending on the mode: the cruise mode named “Immersivo” keeps the two gauges separate, one as a tachometer and the other as the speedometer; the sport mode named “Concentrato” merges them, leaving only the information that’s necessary for the driver.
Autocar’s Take
Ultimately, the Cuorerosso represents times when car makers see a vehicle less as an industrial product and more as a mechanical work of art. The Mazda RX-8 blended abstract aesthetics like the triangular motif into a road-going production car. Alfa Romeo’s latest concept car is doing exactly that, but with its own Italian twist. Although the concept in its current state is unlikely to reach production, one can only hope the design elements make their way into future production models and that we can see those models on Philippine roads. For now, however, all we can do is wait and see at the Paris Auto Show.
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