33 Stradale: Renaissance of an Icon

A wave of nostalgia is sweeping through the Alfa Romeo brand. Indeed, 2024 marks the return of one of its iconic models, the 33 Stradale. A glance at a legend that is rising from the ashes.

This is a title that seems to be agreed upon by a large number of car enthusiasts. The fuoriserie 33 Stradale, originally designed in 1967, quickly reached legendary status. An emblematic model of Alfa Romeo that is getting a makeover in 2024, fifty-seven years after its initial release. Manufactured in only 33 units, referencing the model of the two-seater coupe, it serves as a manifesto of Alfa Romeo craftsmanship, reminding everyone of the quality of its design and the unmistakable style carried by the Italian brand for many years. Originally, the 33 Stradale was intended as a derivative of the Tipo 33, a true emblem of motorsport with numerous victories, symbolizing the brand's return to the circuits. Its unprecedented success prompted the brand's representatives to offer this model to private individuals, transitioning the 33 from the racetrack to the city. Designer Franco Scaglione was chosen to draw the original 33 Stradale, distinguished by a boldness found in stylistic innovation for the time, combined with a quest for aerodynamics. Produced in only eighteen units, it achieved legendary status from its creation. In 2024, beyond the renaissance of an emblematic model, the 33 Stradale also brings Alfa Romeo back to the forefront, seemingly driven by a new breath of life. By inscribing itself in a solid and well-known heritage, the revised and corrected new model achieves its ambition of combining references from the past and technologies, as well as present-day aesthetics. An ambition loudly proclaimed by the brand's teams, "For a dream to become reality, the essential ingredient is a good dose of courage and a pinch of healthy madness. It's the same recipe for the car considered by many as one of the most beautiful of all time. Today, with the same audacity and vision, the Alfa Romeo team has designed and developed an authentic work of art in motion, resulting from the perfect alliance between beauty and technology. The brand's goal is to offer the most exciting driving experience and the timeless charm of an icon to a very limited circle of enthusiasts, who have believed in this project from the start." This select circle in question is central to the conception of the new 33 Stradale. Indeed, to resurrect the mythical model from its ashes, Alfa Romeo's teams of designers, engineers, and historians exchanged in their brand-new boutique the vision of potential future buyers, their desires, and their suggestions. A working method that is reminiscent of the way artisans and coachbuilders operated in the 1960s. The CEO of the brand, Jean-Philippe Imparato, insists on the historical nature of this project that is being realized today, "With the new 33 Stradale, we wanted to create something that lives up to our history, that serves the brand, and that makes Alfa enthusiasts proud. Such a result could only have been achieved through the expertise, hard work, and passion of our team, with the support of management that has the ambition to write some of the future chapters of Alfa Romeo, respecting its unique history. This is the brand's first fuoriserie car since 1969, and I promise it will not be the last." A statement that seems to pave the way for a future that embraces the codes and values of the Italian brand's past.

In the 1960s, the 33 Stradale was seen as a UFO. Its indescribable and incomparable style quickly made it a prized collectible for all, with one model now preserved at the Arese Museum, the brand's historical museum. To imagine its new version, the Alfa Romeo design teams decided to start with the original model. This already sculptural base invited them to work even more on the car's lines while incorporating the brand's new codes, allowing it to fit into the contemporary era. The imposing front retains its volume and its elliptical-shaped lights, contrasting with a rear with sharper and harder lines. Working with volumes is at the heart of this project, aiming to achieve what the brand calls "necessary beauty." To find it, a balance between proportions, volumes, and surface treatment is sought. A so-called maximalist stance that makes it impossible for the model to go unnoticed. This meticulously crafted exterior contrasts with an interior that is all subtlety and minimalist. A significant part of its design relies on the imposing glazing of the front windows and the wraparound sunroof, giving the sensation of being not in a two-seater car, but in a fighter jet cockpit. This reference is found in different aspects of the design, starting with the controls placed at different levels of the low central console and the high console. To further emphasize this parallel with aviation, aluminum, carbon fiber, Alcantara, and leather are materials of choice. As for the seats, the homage to the car's past is once again made evident. The enveloping seats regain their original shape, but this is enhanced in a search for greater ergonomics and comfort, managing to find the perfect balance between homage and the expectations of contemporary drivers.

Although the 33 Stradale of 1967 was envisioned for the road, the designers at Alfa Romeo kept in mind that it was originally inspired by the Tipo 33, a racing car. Thus, the new 33 Stradale aims to replicate the driving sensations of a race car while adapting them for daily and urban driving. As the culmination of all the brand's evolutions, it conceals under its hood the latest Alfa Romeo engineering technologies. Equipped with a 2.9 V6 engine and double-wishbone suspension with active dampers, it can also be equipped with a 620 horsepower bi-turbo V6 engine upon request. For even more power, a BEV configuration is also possible, this time with a spectacular power output of 750 horsepower and a top speed of 333 km/h, achieving 0 to 100 km/h in less than three seconds. This speed is made possible in part by an H-frame made of aluminum and a carbon fiber monocoque, combining lightness and stiffness. These materials are also used in the roof. As for the braking system, the 33 Stradale benefits from Alfa Romeo's Brake-By-Wire and Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, ensuring high-level performance worthy of the best circuit racing models. Finally, to ensure an unparalleled driving experience, Alfa Romeo has enlisted F1 driver Valtteri Bottas, who will go to the Balocco circuit to make adjustments on each of the 33 models, guaranteeing the F1 experience to the future drivers of this legend.