Alfa Romeo ’33’ will be revealed in Milan next Wednesday as a limited-run follow-up to legendary 8C Competizione.
Alfa Romeo’s limited-edition supercar, to be revealed next week, will be named 33, Autocar understands.
Previously expected to be called the 6C, a source for Automotive Daily Network partner Autocar says it will actually be named both in reference to the legendary 33 Stradale of 1967, and as a nod to its exclusive billing: just 33 will be produced, each priced north of €1m (AUD$1.7 million).
Coincidentally, its projected top speed of 206mph translates to 333km/h.
Alfa Romeo declined to comment on these new details, however.
The Italian firm previously released a preview image (below) with the strapline “dare to dream”, alluding to the model’s aspirational positioning compared with the Italian brand’s wider line-up. It will be revealed to coincide with this year’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza is no coincidence.
“This project is a dream come true, inspired by a daring team that wanted to achieve something unique,” said Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato.
Imparato confirmed in February that deposits were being taken before the supercar had been officially signed off by Alfa Romeo parent firm Stellantis. “It will be sold out before I unveil the car”, he told Automotive Daily Network partner Autocar.
It’s not yet known exactly what form the 33 will take, but it will “contribute to the DNA” of the brand, Imparato said, hinting at a heritage-inspired design.
“We’re working on something that I could put aside the 8C in the museum of Arese, being proud of our contribution to the history of Alfa Romeo. That is what we want.”
“To take this type of decision in 2022 in a group like Stellantis, everyone considers that you’re completely mad,” added Imparato, hinting that the car will likely be fitted with a combustion engine, rather than an electric powertrain.
It is expected to use a derivative of the Giulia Quadrifoglio’s twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6, no doubt boosted to give more than the usual 380kW.
Imparato also said the 33 wouldn’t just be a track car, but one that could still be driven every day, despite its likely price and positioning. “It could be iconic, super-sexy and recognisable as an Alfa Romeo at first sight.”
He added that it is parallel to Alfa Romeo’s core range. This has been signed off until 2027 after the return of Alfa Romeo to the black in 2021 and the first half of 2022. One model will be launched per year.
Beyond that, Alfa Romeo has presented a product plan to Stellantis until 2030, and each year of success between now and then will allow a subsequent model to be signed off.
“Each year, we will lock the next five years of the product plan with Stellantis,” Imparato said.
When asked if Alfa Romeo was planning SUVs bigger and smaller than the Tonale (pictured above), Imparato said “yes and yes”. It’s understood the smaller SUV will come next year, as an electric sister car to the new Jeep Avenger, albeit greatly overhauled with a very different set of capabilities.
The larger SUV is understood to be a replacement for the Stelvio (although it could keep that name), also electric and due around 2026.
These two will be sandwiched by a replacement for the Giulia in 2025, which will be the first model in Stellantis to be based on the group’s next-generation EV architecture.
“It has 5G and new-era technology that will bring to market something special,” said Imparato on this new platform, which will also bring a highly advanced new software suite and capability to Stellantis. The Giulia will also arrive with a 750kW Quadrifoglio variant, he confirmed.
“With the EV switch, it opens so many opportunities for me for top hats from a design point of view,” said Imparato, in reference to how wildly different bodystyles can be built on top of common skateboard-style EV architectures.
“The best way for EV is for a Duetto, the sound of silence,” he said in a further hint at plans for a reborn Spider, something he had previously told Autocar he desired.
“It opens sedans [saloons], it opens a C-segment hatchback [a Giulietta-size car]… So many interesting things we know.”
Design boss Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos recently told Autocar that a replacement for the GTV coupé – inspired by ‘Il Mostro’, the SZ – could also be considered for release in 2026 or 2027, should Alfa Romeo’s fortunes continue to improve.
“It’s a brutal design, but such a special, impactful one – and we need to emulate it if we can,” he said.
After 2025, all core Alfa Romeo models will be electric and all models it sells by 2027 will be electric. This indicated that the Tonale will be the last Alfa Romeo launched with conventional internal combustion engines.
“Alfa will switch from zero [electrified cars] to zero [emissions] the fastest,” said Imparato.
He welcomed the switch in general to electric cars and said that there was “no plan B” for Alfa other than what he has developed.
“On questions of legislation, on global warming and the global ecosystem, there is no alternative,” said Imparato. “That’s why we want to be part of the game.”
Additional reporting by Will Rimell and Charlie Martin