Maserati Team Up With Alfa Romeo, Will This Be a Glorious Reunion or Just a Slow Goodbye?

Back in the depths of time, a bygone era when men were inclined to wear cravats to races and stop their cars for a refreshing Gin and Tonic mid-race, when cars had more cylinders than safety features, the names Maserati and Alfa Romeo weren’t just brands. 

They were legends to be feared. You could hear an Alfa’s twin-cam bark down a mountain pass or see a Maserati slicing through Monza and know, without a doubt, that Italy bled motorsport from its veins.

Fast forward to 2025, the two storied marques are being encouraged to work together under the watchful gaze of Stellantis. The idea, apparently, is “synergy” and “platform sharing.” This is the corporate spin, which means, “We don’t have enough money to save both, so let’s try saving one with the other.”

They are talking of shared electric platforms, common drivetrains, and “refined brand positioning.” This probably all looks very clever on an accountant’s spreadsheet, but this is not what these brands and their legions of loyal followers are about. It completely misses the point! These brands were born from racing glory, not cost-cutting memos. Maserati built Grand Prix cars before Ferrari existed. 

Heck, Alfa Romeo is where Enzo Ferrari used to belong. Now they are going to be kissing cousins, sharing parts like second-hand Fords and third-hand Aston Martins.

Is this a recipe for success? Maybe. But only if it results in properly engineered machines that honour their heritage, their DNA no less, then maybe, just maybe, there is hope. A raucous electric Maserati GT with Alfa’s nimble soul? That could be a second look, surely.

But if it’s just badge engineering in an age of declining passion for cars, then this is less a renaissance and more a polite, extended farewell. The start of a painful slide down the ramp of oblivion.

In the meantime, I’ll be at the local Alfa or Maserati club marvelling at the lines, the sound of pools of oil leaking from the sump, and the whiffs of smoke coming from the wrong places. 

I may even go and get an old one myself and have a go at fixing it up, rebuilding a twin-cam Alfa engine that leaks oil, smokes a bit, but makes every drive feel like a lap of the Targa Florio. Because that’s what these names used to mean. And maybe still could.