The brand new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale has made its international debut, with the well-known Italian marque’s long-rumoured and extremely anticipated road-going supercar venture lastly a manufacturing actuality.

A low-volume actuality, nonetheless: echoing the title, solely 33 automobiles might be constructed. All have already been bought, with the order e book crammed in 2022 at its early preview at that yr’s System 1 race at Monza – totally 12 months earlier than its reveal at Alfa Romeo’s museum in Milan. Whereas the worth hasn’t formally been disclosed, and in line with CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato it by no means might be, evo sources have recommend a pre-tax worth of €1.7m. Every might be constructed to a singular customised spec, with three official colors provided with clients capable of choose any color they need. The primary instance might be delivered on seventeenth December 2024 with manufacturing ending in 2026. There might be no Spyder or additional derivatives constructed. 

The brand new 33 Stradale takes inspiration immediately from the 1967 automotive of the identical title, a road-going evolution of the Tipo 33 endurance racing automotive of which 18 examples have been constructed – though nobody is aware of the place chassis quantity 18 really is, and a long-standing muse for automotive designers each inside and out of doors the Alfa Romeo firm. The brand new automotive has been provided to clients with a selection of powertrains: a totally electrical, battery-powered mannequin, or a model powered by an evolution of Alfa Romeo’s twin-turbocharged V6 engine.

Design

The brand new 33 Stradale’s styling has been overseen by Alfa Romeo’s head of design Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, who joined the corporate in 2021 having beforehand been design boss at Seat and briefly answerable for Dacia design at Renault.

A lot of the bodywork is carbonfibre, over a construction many accustomed to Maserati’s MC20 supercar will recognise (a automotive, satirically, that began life as a stillborn Alfa Romeo venture…). Utilizing a carbonfibre monocoque with aluminium subframes, the 33’s roof construction is a mixture of carbon and aluminium with a pair of carbon butterfly doorways which can be minimize into the roof. The rear window is constructed from weight-saving polycarbonate.

Measuring 4.6-metres in total size the wheelbase is 2.7-metres lengthy, with the 33 Stradale measuring 2.1-metres large wing mirror tip to wing mirror tip. At 1.2-metres excessive it is a squat, lithe automotive that provides some bulk to the unique’s svelte strains. To save lots of you wanting them up, it is measurements are an identical to an MC20 but the Alfa appears smaller bodied and extra delicate.  

The 33 automobiles might be assembled by the Touring Superleggera coachbuilding firm, a historic title which specialises in constructing one-off and low-volume commissions based mostly on rebodied current automobiles. 

Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato has implied extra low-volume, custom-built Alfas might be on the playing cards, stating: ‘The brand new 33 Stradale is the model’s first custom-built automotive since 1969, and I promise it won’t be the final.’ Though there might be no extra 33 derivatives. 

There are not any lively aero surfaces on the automotive, a want from clients who did not need spoilers on their treasured Alfa; nonetheless, Alfa Romeo claims low drag and detrimental raise at increased speeds – a drag coefficient of 0.375 is quoted. Aerodynamic options embody air intakes included into the headlights to each feed the radiator and channel airflow, and aerodynamic winglets which double because the door mirror helps.

The entrance and rear one-piece bodywork sections open symmetrically in a mirror picture as per the unique: a intentionally theatrical contact in addition to permitting quick access to the 33’s innards.

Powertrain

The petrol engined choice makes use of a twin-turbo 3-litre V6, anticipated to supply 607bhp. Alfa Romeo tried its finest to keep away from offering an excessive amount of element as to the engine’s specification, solely confirming that it’s a improvement of the Giulia Quadrifoglio’s 2.9-litre turbo-charged V6 and is positioned longitudinally in the course of the automotive. Maserati MC20’s Nettuno 3-litre twin-turbocharged V6 can also be an additional improvement of the Alfa engine, however with its personal cylinder heads, compression ratio and pre-chamber ignition system. 

Petrol-engined 33 Stradales might be rear-wheel-drive solely, with the identical eight-speed transmission dual-clutch Tremec gearbox fitted to the MC20 versus the Giulia’s eight-speed ZF automated, an e-diff may even be fitted.

Electrical variations will use an 800v structure, might be fitted with an 102kWh battery (90 kWh useable) and all-wheel-drive, with a goal whole energy output of 750bhp with an estimated vary of 280 miles. Alfa’s engineering staff will determine if it should observe Maserati’s MC20 Folgore with a tri-motor set-up or solely use one motor for every axle. 

Efficiency and dealing with

Whatever the powertrain the 33 clients chosen (on the automotive’s reveal the break up was between 70 and 80 % choosing the V6 with the remaining going for the EV choice, though Alfa stated some clients are contemplating altering their ICE order for an EV to ‘make an announcement’) are claimed to have a 200+mph high pace, with the V6 topping out at 207mph the BEV at over 192mph, 0-62mph for each fashions might be beneath three seconds.

Alfa guarantees the automotive might be at dwelling on each observe and highway, with Strada and Pista drive modes offered that features a launch management operate. Double-wishbone suspension all spherical, lively dampers (and a 50mm entrance axle raise for speedbumps, which may be activated beneath 25mph) is customary. 20 inch wheels are fitted entrance and rear with the present automotive fitted with Bridgestone Potenza Sport tyres measuring 245/35 on the entrance and 305/30 on the rear. 

The 33 Stradale additionally includes a brake-by-wire system, working Brembo-supplied carbon-ceramic brakes, with six-piston calipers on the entrance and four-pot items on the rear (painted in no matter color the shoppers want), clamping 390mm and 360mm discs entrance/rear.

Improvement is going down at Alfa Romeo’s Balocco take a look at observe, and it’s claimed F1 driver Valtteri Bottas is concerned within the automotive’s improvement – though how completely concerned isn’t clear.

Whereas Alfa’s engineers are assured of the 33 Stradale with the V6 engine and DCT weighing within the area of 1500kg, over 200kgs lighter than a Maserati MC20, the BEV is anticipated to weigh over 2000kgs. 

Inside

There’s a selection of two trim schemes for the inside: Tributo (referencing the unique automotive, pictured right here) and Alfa Corse (a extra fashionable, race-inspired look, swapping the steering wheel’s aluminium spokes for carbonfibre, for instance), with supplies together with aluminium, leather-based, Alcantara and carbonfibre.

The wraparound seats take inspiration from the unique 33 Stradale and are six-way electrically adjustable, and a wraparound sunroof echoes the wrapover glass sections within the unique automotive’s doorways.

Refreshingly, there are not any buttons on the steering wheel: controls are as an alternative break up between the centre console and the roof, with a mix of mechanical switches and a retractable touchscreen. An extra request from purchasers was for there to be no visiable screens or unneccessary tech, which Alfa has adheared to. 

Behind the wheel, there’s a 3D ‘telescope’ instrument panel, with totally different shows for Highway or Observe driving modes.

Customisation

Alfa Romeo fashioned a ‘Bottega’ staff of designers, engineers and Tipo 33 historians, who spent a number of months working along with the automotive’s clients, to take their enter on board and finalise quite a few exterior design particulars in addition to particular person trim. Alfa Romeo says no two 33s might be an identical. For instance, some could have a 3D-design entrance defend like that within the idea automotive pictured, and a few a extra conventional association.

Prospects meet on the Bottega HQ on the Sala del Consiglio on the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese, the place the unique 33 was signed off.

Moreover, a ‘33 Committee’ has been fashioned by Alfa Romeo, chaired by the heads of assorted departments inside the firm, and clients’ particular person selections for coatings or physique colors have to be authorized by the committee. Exterior of particular requests, resembling seen carbonfibre, three physique colors are deliberate: the traditional Rosso Alfa, a clearcoat Rosso, or a variation of Royal Blue. A white/purple tribute livery to racing Alfa sportscars can also be an official choice. There’s no phrase but on whether or not Sizzling Pink or metallic purple are sanctioned choices by the committee, however we wouldn’t maintain our breath.

Prospects additionally select their very own VIN quantity for the automobiles, which might be engraved on the central tunnel.