The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale was only the beginning for Stellantis’ historically inspired limited-production cars, and Alfa Romeo and Maserati CEO Santo Ficili says future BottegaFuoriserie creations will give customers significant freedom while still respecting the brands’ technical limits and heritage.
Alfa Romeo’s BottegaFuoriserie Program Has Limits
Speaking with Italian publication Quattroruote, Ficili discussed the future of the BottegaFuoriserie program, through which customers will be able to commission one-off creations.
The name reflects the program’s purpose. “Bottega” translates in Italian to a shop or workshop, while “Fuoriserie” roughly means “outside the series” and refers to coachbuilt cars produced outside standard production.
The program began with the limited Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, with each car being a one-of-one creation. Ficili said the project demonstrated how Alfa Romeo could take a car from its past and reproduce it in a modern form.
“With the 33 Stradale, we were able to take a car from the past and reproduce it in this modern key, with a sensational result. So, building on that experience, we want to continue,” Ficili said.
Why a Pink Alfa Romeo Isn’t an Option
Despite giving customers control over their custom cars, BottegaFuoriserie will impose limits based on technical feasibility and Alfa Romeo’s values and history.
That means even a customer willing to spend heavily on a unique car cannot request every possible specification. Ficili offered a particularly clear example: “A pink Alfa, for example, isn’t feasible because it’s never existed.”
Technical limitations also apply to mechanical components. Some customers asked for a 33 Stradale with a manual transmission, but Alfa Romeo had not developed one for the car.
“On the first point, some have asked us for a 33 Stradale with a manual transmission, which we haven’t developed for this car. Doing so would cost more than double what they paid for the car, so the request wasn’t granted,” Ficili said.
However, Ficili added that the company will try to accommodate “certain requests we’ve received so far…”
Could a Manual Transmission Return?
Ficili’s comments suggest that a manual transmission could become a viable option for the 33 Stradale series as well as other models.
Developing a manual transmission for several customers could make more sense than engineering one exclusively for a single buyer, where the cost would be prohibitive.
What Comes Next for BottegaFuoriserie?
Quattroruote suggests that another limited-production special could debut as early as 2027. The possibility of a manual-equipped BottegaFuoriserie model remains supposition, but the program has a rich history of Alfa Romeo and Maserati models to draw from.
Specialized low-production cars typically require years of development and construction, meaning the next project could already be in the engineering stage. For now, Ficili’s comments establish that future BottegaFuoriserie creations will balance individual customer requests with technical feasibility and Alfa Romeo’s history.
