You've got to love Alfa Romeo, right? It's just one of the immutable automotive laws. There are too many great cars in the brand's back catalogue to list here, up to and including the current Giulia Quadrifoglio.
Yet sales splutter and Alfa's grand ambitions are perpetually thwarted. This is a love that's constantly being tested. However, Alfa's latest creation is one that's sure to make you fall in love all over again.
What you see here is the 33 Stradale: a mid-engined 'Fuoriserie' (that's 'custom-built' in Italian) super sports car whose debt to its '60s forebear is so strong Alfa hasn't even bothered to change the name. After all, with a heritage as potent as this, why not lean into it?
-1920x1080.jpg)
"The new 33 Stradale has been designed to enhance our identity, elevate our aspirations, and embody our DNA and values," says Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato.
"It is the brand's first custom-built car since 1969, and I promise it will not be our last. It brings Alfa Romeo back into the 'Supercar Club', of which we were one of the founding members. We wanted to create something that lived up to our past, to serve the brand and to make the Alfisti fandom proud."
-1920x1080.jpg)
Directly and unashamedly inspired by the near-unicorn 33 Stradale, of which just 18 were built between 1967 and 1969, this modern interpretation comes from good stock. After all, the original, designed by the maestro Franco Scaglione, is nothing less than one of the best-looking cars ever.
The original was created as a road-going version of the Tipo 33 sports prototype racer, and those underpinnings showed when it came to its performance. At the time, it was the fastest production car in the world over the standing kilometre.
This all happened under the leadership of the great Carlo Chiti, reporting to Alfa Romeo CEO, the engineer and polymath Giuseppe Eugenio Luraghi. These are two of the greatest characters in automotive history.
-1920x1080.jpg)
A fitting 33 examples of this new model are set to be produced, but before you ask, they're all accounted for.
Each is expected to cost upwards of A$1.5 million, with buyers free to customise their car as much as they'd like.
This includes the choice between an uprated 620hp version of the Giulia Quadrifoglio's Ferrari-derived twin-turbo V6, or a 750hp all-electric powertrain.
Tempting as the extra power may be, a car that looks this good ought to sound the part. The right choice there is obvious.
Patrick Jackson
More inNews
Brisbane All-British Display Day Brings Out the Beauties
The tradition of displaying British vehicles in mid-September, before the onset of Brisbane’s oppressive summer heat, dates back more than 40 years.
Jaguar's reinvented logo has made the internet lose its mind
The internet is losing its collective mind over the new Jaguar logo and brand direction.
Aussie auction special: Collecting Cars has over a dozen icons up for grabs
It's not every day you see this many classic Aussie muscle cars up for grabs, but Collecting Cars has a smorgasbord of lots available right now.
More inEuropean
Retro Rides Presents VW Beetle: How Hitler played a role in the development of the original Volkswagen Beetle
From the mind of a maniac to the brilliance of its chief designer, few automobiles have had such tumultuous beginnings as the Volkswagen Beetle.
Retro Rides Presents VW Beetle: How To Spot An ‘Early’ From a ‘Late’ or a ‘Super’.
The Volkswagen Beetle remained the same for decades… or did it? Here’s your crash course in the Beetle family tree, including how to spot an ‘Early’ from a ‘Late’ or a ‘Super’.
Hot Lap: Ride On Board In A Lotus 26R
With a name like Horatio Fitz-Simon you'd expect him to be quick! Ride on board with this young up and coming historic racer in a Lotus 26R at the recent Velocity Festival in Sonoma.
Get The Latest
Sign up for the latest in retro rides, from stories of restoration to community happenings.