Alfa Romeo to get a Ferrari V6

Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne has confirmed that Alfa Romeo will get a "Ferrari-derived" six-cylinder engine for use in a future model.

Alfa will also benefit from a "high-output" four-pot engine too, Machionne revealed, and both will be built at the Fiat Group's plant in Termoli.

A Ferrari V6 for an Alfa Romeo is Good News, no? It's part of Alfa's Big Rescue Plan, announced by CEO Harald Wester last summer, which includes plans to build a proper BMW 3-Series rival, a 5-Series rival, a successor for the Giulietta, a pair of crossovers and - fingers crossed - a large, front-engined Spider.

This is Alfa's big rescue plan

And Marchionne is confident his new engines will sell, because he's tooling the plant up to deliver more than 200,000 units - "half of the total volumes projected in Alfa Romeo's plan for 2018".

"This high-tech project is an integral part of our bet on Alfa Romeo," Marchionne said.

There's no word on how much power the Ferrari-based V6 might make, or even its size. A displacement of around three litres would be a safe bet, though whether it'll be turbocharged or naturally aspirated remains unclear.

We'll find out more in the near future. But could this Ferrari-derived V6 appear in, um, a smaller Ferrari? Place your bets below...

Pictured: Alfa Romeo 8C Spider