MILAN -- Alfa Romeo has revealed the 33 Stradale, a limited-edition “halo” sports car with a price tag of more than 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) and inspired by the race car-derived 1967 33 Stradale.
The 33 Stradale was unveiled Wednesday at an event at the Stellantis brand’s museum in the Milan suburb of Arese. Alfa Romeo will build 33 examples of coupe, and all of them were sold at the end of 2022, the automaker said. The price was not disclosed, but a source familiar with the matter said buyers will pay 1.5 to 2 million euros, depending on special requests.
The cars will be assembled by the coachbuilder Touring Superleggera, whose shop is close to the Alfa Romeo museum. The first car will be delivered on Dec. 17, 2024, the 57th anniversary of the original 33 Stradale.
About two or three units will be built each month.
The 33 Stradale has similar specifications to the Maserati MC20. It will be powered by at 3.0-liter, V-6 twin-turbo engine that produces more than 620 hp, an evolution of the 2.9-liter, V-6 engine used in high-performance Alfa Romeo models such as the Giulia Quadrifoglio midsize sedan and Stelvio Quadrifoglio midsize SUV.
A battery-electric version also will be built, starting with deliveries in 2025, with an output of more than 750 hp and a range of more than 450 km (280 miles). The split between gasoline and electric models has not yet been determined, Alfa Romeo said. Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato said that most buyers had initially opted for the V6 but that some had changed their minds and chose the electric version.
The configuration of the electric version has not been finalized, Alfa Romeo executives said. It could have two or three motors, with rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.
Both versions have a top speed of 333 kph (206 mph) and can accelerate from 0 to 100 kph (0 to 62 mph) in less than three seconds. There are two drive modes, a softer road setting and a race-oriented track one.
Like the Maserati MC20, the 33 Stradale is built on an aluminum H-frame and carbon fiber monocoque structure, which Alfa Romeo says combines rigidity and lightness; with the same aim, the roof structure has been engineered in carbon fiber and aluminum, with front-hinged doors that open upward. The window frames are also made of carbon fiber, while the rear window is polycarbonate.
The double-arm suspension has active shock absorbers, and the front axle can be lifted to clear road obstacles. Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes are activated by wire.
'Necessay beauty' philosophy
The 33 Stradale is the first all-new Alfa Romeo model revealed under design chief Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, a former head of design at Seat and Dacia who joined the automaker in June 2021.
Alfa Romeo says the 33 Stradale’s styling is the epitome of the brand’s “necessary beauty” philosophy, which combines technology and aesthetics.
The front end’s sinuous shapes are typical of Alfa Romeo, as is the scudetto (shield) grill. Gullwing-style doors enhance accessibility and ergonomics, Alfa Romeo says. At the rear, the car’s “brutal” essence is defined by a truncated tail.
Alfa Romeo says a drag coefficient of 0.375 Cd is achieved without the assistance of active devices such as movable wings.
The interior is available in the Tributo configuration, a homage to the historic car with leather and aluminum accents, and in the sportier Alfa Corse, which uses carbon fiber and Alcantara.
The driver experience has been “totally purified of all the interactions required in a conventional car,” Alfa Romeo says. The steering wheel has no buttons on it, just aluminum shift paddles.
A limited number of controls can be found on the center console; as in an airplane cockpit, more controls are located on a higher plane, in the central lining on the inside of the roof.
Custom options
Alfa Romeo says each example of the 33 Stradale has been built to the owner’s specifications, with custom requests subject to the approval of the “33 Committee,” a group of executives from various departments, including engineering, design and motorsport.
“This is the brand's first custom-built car since 1969, and I promise it won't be the last,” Imparato said in a news release ahead of the presentation. He said on Wednesday that despite a waiting list of 50 additional customers, no more 33 Stradales would be built.
The 33 designation was first used by Alfa Romeo in the mid-1960s for a sports-racing model; later Alfa Romeo 33s won the world sports-car championship in 1975 and 1977.
A street-legal model, the T33 Stradale, was a rear-engine, rear-drive, two-seat coupe powered by a 230-hp, 2.0-liter V-8 derived from Alfa's 33 racecar. Alfa built just 18 units of the 33 Stradale after its 1967 launch.
