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Sep 02, 2023

Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale: daring to dream

Alfa Romeo is delighted to announce the rebirth of the custom-built 33 Stradale, a veritable “manifesto” of the Italian brand’s current and future capabilities regarding style and driving experience.

Alfa Romeo is delighted to announce the rebirth of the custom-built 33 Stradale, a veritable “manifesto” of the Italian brand’s current and future capabilities regarding style and driving experience. Made in only 33 exclusive units, according to a unique artisan process, the new “two-seater” coupé combines the brand’s heritage and future as the symbol of noble Italian sportsmanship.

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The essential ingredient to make a dream come true is a good dose of courage and a pinch of healthy madness. This was the same recipe for the car many consider among the most beautiful ever: the 33 Stradale, launched in 1967. Today, with the same boldness and vision, the Alfa Romeo team has designed and developed the new 33 Stradale, an authentic work of art in motion, the upshot of the perfect combination of beauty and technology. Its goal is to provide the most exciting driving experience and the immortal charm of an icon to a tiny circle of enthusiasts who have believed in the project ever since the outset. The new 33 Stradale was created at the newly founded Alfa Romeo “Bottega”, where the brand’s designers, engineers and historians first listened to potential buyers, then produced the car together, precisely the same way as in Renaissance artisan boutiques and the 1960s workshops of renowned Italian coachbuilders.

In the words of Jean-Philippe Imparato, CEO of the Alfa Romeo brand:

“With the new 33 Stradale, we wanted to create something that lived up to our past, serve the brand, and make the Alfisti fandom proud. Such a result could only have been achieved thanks to our team’s expertise, hard work and passion, with the support of management who have the clear ambition to contribute to writing chapters in the brand’s future, in full respect of its unique history. This is the brand’s first custom-built car since 1969, and I promise it won’t be the last.”

The epitome of “necessary beauty.”

Produced by the Alfa Romeo Centro Stile, the new 33 Stradale is inspired by the historic 1967 model, with enrichments to its sculptural beauty with certain design elements from Alfa Romeo’s unique language of style. The exterior features a perfect balance between proportions, volumes and processing of the surfaces and becomes the epitome of Alfa Romeo’s “necessary beauty”. The front has a powerful and muscular volume, where the standout features are the iconic shield and the complex forms of the lights with their elliptical base. The profile is dynamic and slender, with doors with an “elytra” opening and two large air inlets on the side. The body is projected forward, with surfaces modelled according to the criteria typical of Alfa Romeo’s formal expression. In addition, courtesy of the corner opening of the doors and the large wraparound sunroof, the driver can enjoy a unique view, very similar to the cockpit of an aeroplane. The overall image offered by the opening of the bonnet and doors enhances the car’s theatrical outlook. The curved front balances the “brutal” rear, and the maximum height is not at the windshield level, as on any other sports car, but in the middle of the roof. In particular, the rear area expresses the strength of the car courtesy of the truncated tail, a V-shaped graphic and the round rear light clusters. The aerodynamic efficiency is confirmed by a Cx of 0.375 at zero Cz (downlift) – for precise choice without the aid of active systems.

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The minimalism of design and materials also distinguishes the interiors, all designed to aim at the most outstanding possible engagement in the driving experience. In particular, the cockpit was created to minimise components that could distract the driver, as seen in the limited number of controls with a practical usage when driving that can be found on the centre console. Directly ahead of the driver is a display, the 3D “telescope” design of which engages the driver in a first-of-its-kind interaction. The steering wheel, devoid of all its usual buttons, offers an experience of pure driving pleasure. As in an aeroplane cockpit, the controls are located at different levels, in the low centre console and on a higher plane, installed in the central lining on the inside of the roof. The interiors are available in two trim levels: “Tributo” and “Alfa Corse.” The aviation-inspired dashboard and central tunnel employ materials such as aluminium, carbon fibre, leather and Alcantara. The wraparound seats – upholstered in Poltrona Frau leather – reinterpret those of its forerunner, ensuring comfort and ergonomics. Every detail is designed to create an exclusive and engaging environment, maintaining the aesthetic and technical heritage of the 1967 33 Stradale.

A unique driving experience

The Alfa Romeo team has set itself the ambitious goal of offering a driving experience as a track car, yet in a model suitable for everyday use on the road, without compromising on comfort and safety, including regularly. The new 33 Stradale, therefore, boasts the best of Alfa Romeo engineering, as seen in the double-arm suspension with active shock absorbers and in the evolution of the 2.9 V6 engine.

The new Alfa Romeo special edition can be fitted with a V6 twin-turbo engine delivering over 620 hp or a BEV configuration with over 750 hp. Performance is outstanding in both versions. The top speed is 333 km/h, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in under three seconds. The double-arm suspension with active shock absorbers and the front axle lift ensure handling and comfort. The Alfa Romeo Brake-By-Wire braking system and Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes offer high-level performance.

The aluminium H-frame and carbon fibre monocoque guarantee rigidity and lightness. Again, a roof structure with hinged butterfly doors has been engineered in carbon fibre and aluminium to ensure high rigidity and safety. The window frames are also carbon fibre, with the rear window in polycarbonate.

The car’s tuning will be supported by F1 driver Valtteri Bottas on the legendary Balocco track, thus bringing the F1 experience into everyday driving and ensuring Alfa Romeo’s unmistakable handling.

The “Bottega”

The 33 project has brought about the Alfa Romeo “Bottega”, a team of professionals who have worked closely with customers to design 33 unique and exclusive specimens. The “Bottega” is inspired by Renaissance workshops and 1960s coachbuilders, all of whom created works of art of pure beauty according to their client’s requirements. Likewise, customers have been involved in the creative process since the beginning of the project. The first meetings with some of them took place at the 2022 Monza Grand Prix, and they had the opportunity to express their desires for the cart. Within a few weeks, all 33 units had already been sold. The Bottega is headquartered in the Sala del Consiglio of the Museum in Arese, where the design of the 33 Stradale was approved in 1967. Last, it rests on the 33 Committee to support customer requests, ensuring the car’s history and iconicity are respected. A specific committee chaired by the CEO of Alfa Romeo, its members are the heads of the brand’s various departments.

Craftsmanship and innovation for an unprecedented level of customisation

The new “fuoriserie” (‘custom-built) will be produced in just 33 units via a dedicated program enabling customers to develop functional stylistic elements with the Alfa Romeo development team: air intakes, wheels, and even the distinctive front shield. Therefore, no two cars in the world will ever be identical, making them masterpieces “on four wheels,” with the ambition of becoming part of Alfa Romeo’s history. The same uniqueness also appears in an exclusive registration procedure that enables customers to personally “sign” the chassis number. The specific VIN includes eight digits chosen by the customer and is also marked on the central tunnel. With consolidated experience in the most exclusive tailor-made automobiles, Alfa Romeo will employ the craftsmanship of the Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera to construct the cars. Tailor-made quality standards are therefore ensured, which guarantee obsessive attention to detail.

The roots of the legend

The 1967 33 Stradale was derived directly from the Tipo 33, the monarch of world motorsport in that era. Project 33 marked Alfa Romeo’s return to racing, led by the brand’s then President Giuseppe Eugenio Luraghi and by Carlo Chiti of Autodelta, the newly formed racing department. The time trial at Fléron, near Liège, was chosen for its debut. The driver was the chief tester at Autodelta, Teodoro Zeccoli. On March 12th, 1967, the 33 entered the world of competitions. And it scored an immediate victory, the first in a long line of successes on the most prestigious circuits that would take it to the world’s roof, with wins in the Championship for Makes in 1975 and ’77. On the wave of sporting enthusiasm, Alfa Romeo decided to produce the 33 in a very limited edition for private individuals as a custom-built car that combined the performance of the Tipo 33 racing car with comfort and drivability suitable for everyday use. The design was entrusted to Franco Scaglione, who put all his technical expertise and creative daring into the design of the 33 Stradale, resulting in a masterpiece where innovation in style blends with the quest for aerodynamics and functionality. The design of the 1967 33 Stradale, the quintessence of beauty in a car, is almost impossible to describe: its expressions were the balance of its forms, the purity of its lines, and the elegance of its every detail. Between 1967 and 1969, only 18 specimens were produced, one of which is kept today at the Museum in Arese, making it a scarce piece coveted by collectors. Six of these chassis were used to make prototypes, which anticipated two decades of automotive design: the Carabo (1968), the P33 Roadster GS (1968), the 33/2 Coupé Speciale (1969), the Cuneo (1971), the Iguana (1969), and the Navajo (1976). In short, the 33 Stradale is a legendary model that has marked not only the history of Alfa Romeo but also that of Italian design.

A petrol-brained knight and an explorer from birth, Vincent keeps things fresh by plunging into new depths of the social media side of high-end motorsports.

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