Beautiful new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale breaks cover

Alfa Romeo revealed on Wednesday its dramatic new 33 Stradale. A halo car built to fill the void left behind by the 8C Competizione of the late noughties, this feisty Italian sportster is an unashamed throwback to the carmaker's original 33 Stradale manufactured in 1967.

Closely related to the Maserati MC20, the new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is powered by a 3.0l twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine making in excess of 420kW. Mounted amidships, this unit sends drive to the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and an electronic limited-slip differential. Performance is expectantly sprightly with Alfa Romeo claiming a 0-100 km/h time of less than three seconds and a top speed of 333 km/h.

Drivers can also switch between two factory-set drive modes: Strada or Pista. While the former optimises the 33 Stradale for easy use across everyday roads, the latter is designed to extract the maximum amount of performance around your favourite race track. In this drive mode the driver can also choose to fully deactivate the traction control system.

An battery electric version is also available. Alfa Romeo doesn't provide much technical specifications about this model other than it produces 600kW and has a range of 450km. Due to the weight of the battery, however, performance is the same as its ICE sibling. 

Needless to say the 33 Stradale features a sophisticated chassis; one that was fettled by Alfa Romeo F1 racing driver Valterri Bottas around the legendary Balocco test track. The lightweight carbon fibre monocoque sports front and rear double-arm suspension with active shock absorbers, which according to the Italian carmaker offers "exceptional handling and unparalleled comfort". There's also a handy front axle lift system fitted as standard to help you negotiate speed bumps and other such pesky road obstacles.

Stopping power is taken care of by a sophisticated carbon-ceramic braking package specially produced for Alfa Romeo by the gurus over at Brembo. Featuring brake-by-wire technology, six-piston monobloc calipers are utilised up front with four-piston units doing duty at the rear. Available in a range of range of colours including Rosso (red), Nero (black) and Giallo (yellow), they are shrouded by a set of 20-inch “Tributo” alloy wheels. 

As with the exterior, the interior of the 33 Stradale is a reinvention of the 1960s original. Available in two trim levels — Tributo or Alfa Corse — its retro design language aims to keep things as simple as possible with a minimal amount of switchgear cluttering the cockpit. Indeed, even the steering wheel is free of buttons with all of the vehicle's key controls banished to the centre console just like they were back in motoring's golden age.

It's not a totally analogue affair, however, as there's a retractable infotainment screen housed between the dashboard and the central tunnel as well as a 3D “telescope” digital instrument cluster. Other highlights include a pair of six-way adjustable seats upholstered in ribbed Poltrona Frau leather and air vents hidden in the volume of the dashboard.

Finished off with an outrageous set of top-hinged butterfly doors, elegant LED headlamps with an old-school design, wraparound cabin glass, a weight-saving polycarbonate rear window and Alfa Romeo’s characteristic “scudetto” shield hewn from gravity-cheating carbon fibre, the dramatic new 33 Stradale is everything a halo car should be and a worthy successor to the 8C Competizione. Heck, we even think its namesake would be proud. 

According to Alfa Romeo production was limited to 33 units and at the time of writing all have been accounted for. Those in the know speculate pricing was upwards of R20m.