ALFA ROMEO

33 Stradale

The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is a mid-engined sports car derived directly from the Tipo 33 sports-prototype racer, making it one of the purest road-going translations of a competition car ever attempted. "Stradale" simply means "road-going," and the project was led by Alfa Romeo's racing arm Autodelta under Carlo Chiti, with the flowing aluminium bodywork shaped by Franco Scaglione and built by Carrozzeria Marazzi. Revealed in 1967, the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale was built around a magnesium-alloy tubular chassis and powered by an all-aluminium 1,995 cc V8 with dry-sump lubrication, SPICA fuel injection and twin spark plugs per cylinder, spinning to 10,000 rpm and producing at least 230 hp. That gave the lightweight 33 Stradale a top speed near 260 km/h and a 0-100 km/h time of around 5.5 seconds, supercar figures for the late 1960s. Its dihedral "butterfly" doors, deep wraparound windscreen and impossibly delicate proportions made it an instant design landmark, and it is frequently cited as one of the most beautiful cars of all time. Only 18 examples of the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale were completed between 1967 and 1969, several of which donated their chassis to a series of Bertone and Pininfarina show cars including the Carabo and the Navajo. Costing roughly 20% more than a Lamborghini Miura when new, the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale was the most expensive road car money could buy in 1968, and today it sits in the highest echelon of collector values.