Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale driven: gorgeous… but vanishingly rare and silly money

Hot damn! What’s this?

This is the new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale supercar – a modern take on arguably Alfa Romeo’s (and therefore the world’s) most beautiful car. The original 33 Stradale from the Sixties was designed by Franco Scaglione and a road version of the Tipo 33 racer. Scaglione was a designer with such treats as the Alfa BAT cars and Lamborghini 350 GTV on his CV – but the 33 was his Mona Lisa and only 18 were ever made.

In recent times we’ve had the rather lovely and very noisy 8C, and the rather less lovely 4C, but the 33 Stradale is the only proper, full-fat mid-engined supercar in Alfa’s back catalogue. You can see why a modern resurrection has us more than a little bit excited.

Please say they’re making more this time around?

Yes, but it’ll still be vanishingly rare. Alfa will make 33 of this new version, that’s it. At launch it was offered with either a twin-turbo V6 (the one we’re driving) or a pure EV tri-motor powertrain. Like Maserati, who recently canned the electric MC20 Folgore through lack of demand, Alfa will be doing the same here – only a handful of customers were even interested in EV and in the end all 33 buyers went for combustion. In the business of EV sports cars? Might be time to pull the ripcord.

Each can be customised to your heart’s desire of course; Alfa is classing all 33 as one-offs, and all will be manufactured by Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera, which immediately makes it 46 per cent cooler.

How did you get your hands on one then?

Fair question, no offence taken. The car here is Alfa’s own development prototype - chassis zero if you like – one that’s within a whisker of production finish but not quite as polished as the 33 customer cars. It’s the one they’ll continue to update and keep forever. We had the entire day, Alfa’s Balocco test track, glorious Italian sunshine and the keys to ourselves. Tough day in the office etc.

Isn’t this just a Maserati MC20 in a fancy dress?

Yes and no. The two are deeply related – they share the same carbon tub (the lower half at least, the 33’s upper bits are all new) and aluminium subframes at either end. The engines are closely related 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6s although the Alfa does away with Maserati’s clever, efficiency enhancing ‘pre-chamber’ ignition.

The Alfa’s suspension is unique though – the multi-link with adaptive dampers set up from the hardcore Giulia GTAm. Beyond that the exterior and interior design is quite obviously… all Alfa. The relative mechanical simplicity and the use of proven parts available to them was always Alfa’s intention – it didn’t want to bite off some huge technical challenge like the Valkyrie or AMG One, it wanted to focus on what Alfa does well: style, emotion and playing hard on the history and romance of the brand.

Got any numbers for us?

The twin-turbo V6 produces an identical 621bhp to the MC20 (and weighs roughly the same, around 1,500kg) and sends its power to the road via an eight-speed twin-clutch gearbox. Top speed is a little higher than the MC20 at a claimed 207mph (or 333kmh, geddit?), and 0–62mph takes 3.0 seconds. But all these pale into insignificance next to the biggest number of them all, the price: £1.7m each (yes, it’s sold out) roughly equivalent to eight Maserati MC20s.

Is it proper supercar quick?

It’s not slow, although I’m convinced my internal gyrometer has been permanently ruined by gazillion horsepower hypercars and face-contorting EVs, because my brain categorises it as ‘pleasingly rapid’ rather than violent or shocking. And you know what? It’s all the better for it – this is throttle travel you can actually use, often, on road and on track.

It has that same fizzy, infectious character as the MC20’s engine – minimal lag, elastic power band and an orchestra of noises ranging from guttural huff on throttle to the turbo whistling away in the background. Bury it and it can shift, it makes interesting noises, it feels like an event, but like the Ferrari F80 the question must be asked; is a twin-turbo V6 special enough for a car worth such an insane amount of money?

In the £200k MC20 it’s a perfect match, but here I’m looking for a little more, especially when the much-cheaper Alfa 8C’s V8 produced one of motoring’s great noises. The gearbox is smooth in ‘Strada’ mode and gives you a kick in the back in ‘Pista’, while the carbon ceramic brakes need a firm push but offer decent feel even from cold, so no complaints.

In summary, the powertrain is fun, effective and by no means a hindrance to the red-blooded Alfa experience, but we’re talking almost GMA T.50 money here, and look at the engine you get in that.

Does it handle?

It should do. Between driving F1 cars and producing LOL social media content Valtteri Bottas was part of the development team, and then bagged one for himself. The steering is weightier than I expected but offers actual feedback and meshes nicely with the engine’s slightly grittier character. I’m pleased to report there’s nothing gritty about the ride or general flow of guiding the 33 down the road. It’s something we loved about the Maserati MC20, its relaxed gait, its light tread on the road surface and just enough body roll to make it feel alive underneath you. That’s all here in spades, which means, yes, it’s a car you could drive on track.

But why risk it? The 33 Stradale will give its best on an undulating B-road – elegant little slides out of tight corners and fast, flowing progress riding the torque from the engine fizzing away over your shoulder. It’s a joyous way to travel and deserves to be used regularly. But the main event is the way it looks.

Reckon it’s one of the truly beautiful Alfas?

It’s not a traditionally beautiful car, it’s more unusual than that, but it feels brave and confident and looks unlike anything else built in the last 50 years. The nods to the original are everywhere of course – the bulbous headlights (complete with 33 LED ‘lashes’), the windscreen surround, the way the doors cut so dramatically into the roof, creating an X-shaped carbon roll cage when viewed from above.

The double hinged doors are pure theatre of course, as are the forged and then milled aluminium wheels – I don’t even mind the gold. The side intakes ape the OG as do the cutouts on the rear flanks leading to the single round taillights. It references the past, but doesn’t cling to it.

Can the interior compete?

Compete? It’s the best bit – a million miles from the MC20’s slightly plasticky, sparse cabin. The 33 feels expensive because the focus is on tactility before technology, which is a philosophy we all need right now. Note the intricate aluminium and leather three-spoke wheel with zero buttons, the vents hidden within the sweeping dash, the ribbed leather and hunks of machined aluminium everywhere.

The commitment to analogue is commendable on the knurled switches, levers and buttons above your head (instant Top Gun vibes) and on the centre console, one of which is dedicated entirely to answering your phone. Toggle another and a screen emerges from behind the dash and once your nav/climate/music is sorted you send it back from whence it came. A Quadrifoglio button shortcuts to exhaust flaps open for Maximum Antisocial in Strada, and activates launch control in Pista.

The doors aren’t just for showing off either. You’re surrounded almost totally by glass, giving a sense of more space than there actually is, and a largely unimpeded view out. The rear window is polycarbonate in a nod to the 33’s racing roots, and offers a window to a sexy Alfa badge under there, but regrettably not the entire engine.

There are two basic interior configurations – Tributo or Corse. The former, as we sampled, is biscuit leather and slate and the correct one to go for, the latter is slathered in carbon and Alcantara and veers dangerously into Ferrari territory. But if your pockets are deep enough, anything’s possible.

Hit or a miss, then?

Let’s be real, it’s an utterly gorgeous bright red Alfa Romeo mid-engined supercar and I want to lick it. That being said, limiting it to 33 cars at £1.7m a pop alienates the Alfa faithful and will make it harder to drive regularly in the manner for which it’s intended.

The truth is, these days it’s easier for a company like Alfa (who doesn't have a little black book of A-list clients like Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini) to sell a handful of these to the mega rich than a whole load more, at a lower price point, to the merely very wealthy. You won’t be seeing one on every street corner then, but the world’s always a better place with a new Alfa supercar in it.