diff --git a/linux-user/alpha/target_elf.h b/linux-user/alpha/target_elf.h
index 344e9f4d39..b77d638f6d 100644
--- a/linux-user/alpha/target_elf.h
+++ b/linux-user/alpha/target_elf.h
@@ -9,6 +9,6 @@
 #define ALPHA_TARGET_ELF_H
 static inline const char *cpu_get_model(uint32_t eflags)
 {
-    return "any";
+    return "ev67";
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/target/alpha/cpu.c b/target/alpha/cpu.c
index 39cf841b3e..91fe8ae095 100644
--- a/target/alpha/cpu.c
+++ b/target/alpha/cpu.c
@@ -141,11 +141,8 @@ static ObjectClass *alpha_cpu_class_by_name(const char *cpu_model)
     typename = g_strdup_printf(ALPHA_CPU_TYPE_NAME("%s"), cpu_model);
     oc = object_class_by_name(typename);
     g_free(typename);
-
-    /* TODO: remove match everything nonsense */
-    if (!oc || object_class_is_abstract(oc)) {
-        /* Default to ev67; no reason not to emulate insns by default. */
-        oc = object_class_by_name(ALPHA_CPU_TYPE_NAME("ev67"));
+    if (!oc || !object_class_dynamic_cast(oc, TYPE_ALPHA_CPU)) {
+        return NULL;
     }
 
     return oc;