Alfa Romeo thinks about the heir to the legendary Romeo Autotutto

The great-grandson of the Autotutto is already in the plans of the Italian designers. With our rendering we preview the luxury MPV.

By: Francesco Stazi

Dec 22, 2023 at 7:00am ET

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The year was 1954 and Alfa Romeo launched the Romeo series, better known as Autotutto. It was what we would today call a mid-size MPV or van. It remained on the market until 1966 (Romeo 3), while it was sold in various configurations, including the classic closed van and, obviously, the 'people carrier' dedicated to various uses. Today, the Autotutto could become electric and be offered as a super-equipped MPV.

Given the new trends coming mainly from the East that are relaunching the MPV segment, the idea of resurrecting the project probably crossed the mind of Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos (head of design at Alfa Romeo) who, a few months ago, speaking to Autocar magazine about the Autotutto, let slip: "It was beautiful, and it wouldn't be surprising if it came back one day, it's not such a crazy idea".

A mid-size MPV with character

So we couldn't pass up the opportunity to imagine what the Autotutto might look like today and, with our exclusive rendering, we explored a little of the lines that would characterise its personality. It is still a van, so the fantasy and rationality of the spaces must find their balance, especially in the bodywork of the vehicle, while at the front it can be a little more daring.

New Alfa Romeo Autotutto, Motor1.com rendering

In our rendering, the stylistic features of the Stellantis group have not completely disappeared, but are integrated with those of the Alfa Romeo brand, enriched by the new trends that reflect MPVs with a wide and high nose, characterised by an imposing, completely vertical grille which, in our case, is the iconic Alfa Romeo triangular grille, transformed into a rhombus.

Alfa Romeo 'Autotutto' Romeo 2 (1961)

Electric and sporty

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Being an electric vehicle, the grille loses much of its cooling function and lends itself more to 'decorative' and aerodynamic functions. A small legacy of the intermediate Stellantis vans can be found in the housing of the vertical fog lights and driving lights. The shape of the optics and their positioning, on the other hand, echo a possible Alfa Romeo front-end development already for the 'predicted' Giulia and Stelvio.

New Alfa Romeo Autotutto, Motor1.com recreation

The rounded, bevelled lines of the other Stellantis vans have been favoured over the angles, both at the front and on the rest of the bodywork, where the large dark side glazing contrasts with the choice of white paint. More sporty than luxurious, at least in its exterior appearance, the new Alfa Romeo Autotutto which we imagined breaks the mould a little with the Group's tendency to give more space to Alfa Romeo's 'racing' spirit.