Built as a tribute to the model of the same name from the company's historic racing era – and to form a link between combustion engines and new electric powertrains. But none of the customers chose electric powertrain.
The original model from 1967 was a street version of the Tipo 33 racing car. The cars were built as a low-volume series for homologation – not mass production. All were hand-built and extremely expensive. Only 18 cars were built.
Could be delivered with electric drivetrain
There were several things that attracted attention when it brand new The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale was launched in August 2023. The fact that Alfa Romeo showed off a full-fledged sports car with track-going capabilities is, of course, news. An even bigger news was that you could choose between two different powertrains – a 3.0-liter mid-mounted twin-turbo V6 with 620 hp or a 100% electric drivetrain with 750 hp. A strong message that the time had come for electric cars, even in a super class like this.
And what a super class!
All the cars were to be hand-built Touring Superleggera body in a quantity of only 33 cars. The first car was delivered in December 2024, and as of now all the cars have been produced and delivered to their respective customers. Each customer could choose comprehensive individual solutions. They could even get personal VIN numbers!
A signal model
It is safe to say that the new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is a signal model. Stellantis has a legacy to preserve in the form of Alfa Romeo's past as a car manufacturer and participation in the top echelons of racing. One could also add that the model also signals that Alfa will continue to deliver beautiful, sporty cars in the premium class even after 2035. In 2023, the EU's threat that all new cars after 2035 should be emission-free was still relevant.
No electric powertrain selected
The news that the cars could be had with an electric drivetrain sparked interest in the Norwegian media. Unfortunately, none of the cars ended up in Norway, and none were built with an electric drivetrain. Two buyers had ordered electric cars, but they changed their minds along the way.
It would have been interesting if Alfa Romeo had had the opportunity to build at least one example with the electric powertrain. According to the specifications, it would have an 800-volt architecture, a battery pack of 102 kWh gross and 90 kWh net. 3 electric motors would provide power to all 4 wheels with a total output of 750 hp and acceleration in under 3 seconds from 0-100.
Do the cars end up with collectors?
An Italian supercar built in only 33 copies could be a good investment. There are no official list prices for any of the 33 cars that were built. But already now 3 of the cars are for sale for between 3 and 3.9 million euros. It is likely that several first-time buyers have secured a place on the customer list to speculate on an imminent price increase.
As investment vehicles, cars like this can be bought by collectors and put into long-term storage. Too bad for those of us who had hoped to study the cars on the road or in a showroom. The latter is now possible as one car has recently been placed on Alfa Romeo Museum in AreseThe museum is located in a former factory area that, among other things, produced Alfa Romeo's first V6 engines signed Giuseppe BussoThe "museum car" has previously been displayed at car shows in Europe and the United States, and a few lucky car journalists have been able to test drive it.
Test drive the car also has Valtteri Bottas done. The Finnish Formula 1 driver was tasked with testing the car's limits at Alfa Romeo's toy test track. Bottas is one of several celebrities who were on the customer list. There is no doubt that the car drives well, but it is doubtful whether anyone would dare to test the limits of such a valuable car.
Maserati genes
When I first saw the pictures of the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, I immediately thought of another car model in the Stellantis group, the Maserati MC20. It looks similar to the Alfa – and it's true that the two cars share the same (or almost the same) carbon fiber chassis. Work on the development of the chassis is said to have begun at Alfa Romeo.
Both Alfa Romeo and Maserati are equipped with 3.0 V6 engines, but they are not identical. The engines in the Alfa Romeo are a further development of the 2.9 liter Quadrifolio engines found in the Giulia and Stelvio. Maserati has its own variant, called Nettuno with special pre-chambers in addition to the usual combustion chambers.
Winning the Lotto jackpot helps a little, but it's hardly enough to buy a Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale. Then you can buy one Maserati MC20Not a bad car either.
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