Almost everything sounds better in Italian, and Alfa Romeo is suffused with a sense of rakish non-conformism. It helps that many of the best-looking cars ever made wore the famous scudetto – the Alfa shield – although the romance was sometimes undermined by shonky engineering. Alfa fans became expert at turning a blind eye.
Now meet the new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, a mid-engined, 620bhp ‘fuoriserie’ (limited edition) super sports car that leans very hard indeed into the company’s heritage, and makes no bones whatsoever about returning to the source for inspiration.
“The new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale has been designed to enhance our identity, elevate our aspirations, and embody our DNA and values,” Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato says. “It is the brand’s first custom-built car since 1969, and I promise it will not be our last. It brings Alfa Romeo back into the ‘Supercar Club’, of which we were one of the founding members. We wanted to create something that lived up to our past, to serve the brand and to make the Alfisti fandom proud.”
Historical context is important here. Alfa Romeo is one of the great motorsport names, but while former employee Enzo Ferrari was enjoying a meteoric rise in the mid '60s, the old firm was in a slump. Enter 1967’s 33 Stradale, created to lead a return to top-level motor racing at the behest of Alfa boss Giuseppe Eugenio Luraghi (a poet and writer, as well as an engineer – only in Italy). It was designed by Franco Scaglioni, one of the true maestros of automotive design, and only 18 were made. Along with the Lamborghini Miura, the 33 Stradale pretty much invented the idea of a ‘supercar’.
An electric Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, anyone?
The new one is an artfully conceived homage. It’s available with either a 3.0-litre, twin-turbo V6 making 620bhp, or in a version powered by three electric motors for more than 750 zero emission bhp (Alfa hasn’t confirmed this yet but we have good intel). It uses a carbon fibre monocoque with aluminium front and rear subframes. Just 33 are being made, and Alfa Romeo has hired celebrated Milanese carrozzeria Touring Superleggera to do it. There’s no mention of cost but they’ve all been sold so that’s academic.
But there’s more to the story than this admittedly luscious-looking car. Alfa Romeo set up a new bespoke department called Bottega to dream this thing up, inspired by Renaissance workshops and '60s coachbuilders. Potential customers attended a secret preview in Monza during last year’s Italian Grand Prix, during which Alfa took a temperature reading on the idea and realised it was onto something. A project like this burnishes the brand, but also acts as a manifesto for the company’s future creative direction.
“The 33 Stradale project has come about as a result of the passion and dedication of a small team of designers and engineers at the Alfa Romeo Centro Stile,” Head of Design, Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, says. “The design is inspired by Franco Scaglione’s masterpiece of 1967, with a bold look to the lines of future Alfa Romeo models. [It is] a true manifesto of essential beauty.”
Revisiting an oldie but a goodie
There’s no shame in raiding the back catalogue as long as the results are up to the job, and the 33 Stradale is undeniably cool. The front end combines the nose and wings into what Italians call a (I)cofango(I), and a strong V-shaped section adds muscle to the voluptuous surfaces. LEDs add a new graphic to headlights whose shape is faithful to the original. The Alfa shield can be ordered with a 3D effect. Other highlights include large top-hinged butterfly doors and wraparound glass, dramatic side intakes, and another V-section at the rear above a pronounced carbon fibre diffuser. Best of all are the rear lights, which sit at the end of a cylindrical barrel that cuts deep into the rear wings. Right here is perhaps the coolest looking feature of any car in 2023.
It’s fast, too. Top speed is a claimed 206mph, zero to 62mph taking less than three seconds. The electric version is similarly rapid, with a range of around 280 miles. A ‘Strada’ mode is for less frenetic everyday driving, with a more compliant ride from the multi-link suspension and active dampers, and exhaust valve actuation only above 5,000rpm. ‘Pista’ mode sharpens the gearshifts, suspension and throttle response. Braking is by Italian specialist Brembo, with carbon-ceramic discs. Alfa Romeo F1 driver Valtteri Bottas has been hired to help hone the chassis. All good.
The interior defies the trend for tech overload. The wheel is a gorgeous three-spoke item unsullied by annoying switchgear, and the dashboard sweeps handsomely cross the cabin. There’s a simple but clear ‘3D telescopic’ instrument panel, and a small retractable multi-media screen. Anodised aluminium switches on the centre console control the start procedure, drive mode and transmission. There’s another panel of buttons on the roof in the section between those amazing doors. Car designers tend to love classic aircraft, and the 33 Stradale’s interior has a definite cockpit feel. Two different basic interior treatments are available: Tributo uses leather and aluminium with two-tone biscuit leather and slate, which also features in the seats, dashboard, door panels and central tunnel. Alfa Corse is the more overtly sporting option, with lots of carbon fibre and Alcantara. Alfa Romeo promises more where this came from. The 33 Stradale is our kind of manifesto.
