Half a century has passed since Alfa Romeo
introduced the world to the iconic 33 Stradale. Designed by Franco Scaglione,
the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale made its debut on August 31 1967, on the eve of the
Italian F1 Grand Prix in Monza.
Alfa Romeo’s 33 Stradale is considered one of the
first supercars, sitting alongside the Lamborghini Miura. It combines one of
the sexiest designs in the history of the automobile with pure racing
technology derived from the Tipo 33 line of race cars.
The Italian company made just 18 examples, with five
of them converted to concept cars. We don’t really know how many of them
survive to this day, with various sources indicating that there around five or
six of them out there.
Power came from a 2.0-liter dry-sump V8 that
featured twin overhead camshafts and fuel injection. It was capable of revving
up to 10,000 rpm, making around 230 hp. With a weight of just 700 kg,
the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale was capable of a 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds and a top
speed of 160 mph.
For the 50th anniversary, Alfa Romeo is launching a
special exhibition at the Museo Storico in Arese, Milan. The exhibition will
bring a prototype 33 Stradale with five of the six concepts that derived from
the 33 Stradale’s chassis: Carabo, Iguana, 33/2 Speciale, Cuneo and Navajo.
Also on display will are the 33/2 Daytona, 33/3, 33 TT12 and 33 SC12 turbo
racing cars.
