Alfa Romeo to revive 8C and GTV nameplates

Alfa Romeo's return to Formula One hasn't challenged the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes-Benz at the front of the field - yet.

But the Italian brand is set to give them a hurry-up on the street, with Alfa revealing plans to develop a pair of F1-inspired hybrid-powered sportscars, including with a lightweight, mid-engined machine as fast as any Ferrari or McLaren and a two-door coupe to take on AMG's finest.

Both will dip into the company's storied heritage in terms of their nameplates - the mid-engined sportscar to be called the 8C while the coupe will revive the iconic GTV badge - but will feature the latest in cutting-edge powertrain technology.

It has yet to confirm full details of both, but the 8C will utilise lightweight carbon-fibre construction and be powered by a mid-mounted twin-turbo V6 - likely to be the same Ferrari-derived 375kW/600Nm engine from the Giulia QV and Stelvio QV - with additional punch provided by an electric motor on the front axle. Alfa stated the car will produce at least 520kW and will be able to accelerate from 0-100km/h in under three seconds, which pits it against genuine supercars like the McLaren 720S and Ferrari's own 488 Pista.

The GTV won't be quite as powerful, generating around 447kW, but will follow the same philosophy with an e-AWD system that is likely to link the front-mounted 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 with an all-wheel drive transmission that provides torque vectoring across both axles.

Expected to be based on the Giulia sedan, the GTV coupe will go up against the likes of the BMW M4, Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe and Audi RS5 as a four-seater high-performance coupe.

Beyond the go-fast stuff, Alfa indicated it will spread the hybrid technology across the rest of its range with plug-in versions of the regular Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV expected to be introduced with mid-life updates in the next two years, as well as improved connectivity and semi-autonomous driving functions.

It also stated plans to introduce a pair of SUVs to sit either side of the Stelvio by 2022, a compact model to take on the likes of the BMW X1 and Audi Q2 as well as a full-size soft roader to challenge rivals such as the Mercedes-Benz GLS and upcoming BMW X7.