Alfa Romeo is the brand that gave Enzo Ferrari his shot in motorsport, but the famed Italian brand is reportedly set to take on its stablemate with a supercar of its own.
After years of rumours one of the company’s most senior executives has confirmed that Alfa Romeo will launch a modern take on its famous 33 Stradale supercar from the 1960s, using it as a farewell for its cars powered by the internal combustion engine.
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Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato has made no secret of his plans to take the brand into an all-electric future, but before that happens a re-born 33 Stradale will give Alfisti one last hurrah for petrol power.
Speaking to Australia media, including Torquecafe, at the recent Le Mans Classic, Alfa Romeo design chief, Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, confirmed the long-rumoured plans for a mid-engine sports car carrying the ‘33’ badge.
“Yes, we’re doing it,” Mesonero-Romanos said.
This follows reports over multiple years that the company has been plotting a mid-engine supercar, to either carry the 33 or 6C nameplate. The reports have become so common that Imparato has been quoted as saying the car will be a sell-out before it is even revealed.
The car is expected to be powered by the same 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 already used in the Giulia Quadrifoglio. It will be mounted to a carbon fibre chassis – similar to the short-lived, four-cylinder 4C – to make for a genuine supercar layout. Alfa Romeo has already extracted 402kW of power and 600Nm of torque from the engine in the Giulia GTAm, so it should be a seriously quick machine and capable of holding its own against the likes of Ferrari, Porsche and Maserati.
Full details are expected to be revealed before the end of 2023, with the new 33 Stradale expected to hit the road in 2024. That will leave the brand free to begin its electric era in 2025, when the first full battery electric vehicle is expected in the form of a replacement for the Giulia.