Petrol-sipping swansong: Iconic Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale reborn as modern supercar, and you can't have one

An Italian icon of the 1960s is making a comeback - sort of - and we don’t mean Sophia Loren. No, this is the spiritual successor to the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, and it’s called the… Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.

Built in a very limited run of cars, 33 for those curious, the new supercar from Alfa Romeo takes not only its name but also much of its design inspiration from the original from 1967 - that car having been developed from the Tipo 33 race car.

All 33 33s are, of course, already spoken for but owners of these cars won’t be able to claim the same level of rarity as the original, of which only 18 were built. What they can claim, is ownership of one of the last petrol-powered sports cars from the Italian brand.

The new version of the 33 Stradale was conceived, the brand says, in the same way as the original: with “a good dose of courage and a pinch of healthy madness”.

The new car is the first custom built Alfa since 1969, and so underneath is somewhat bespoke. It doesn’t share much with other Alfa Romeo models, aside from its twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 engine which is derived from those used in other cars like the Giulia Quadrifoglio and GTA.

In the 33 Stradale, it makes “over 620hp” according to Alfa, which should mean a little more than 462kW.

With the V6, its top speed is a claimed - and very convenient for branding - 333km/h, while it’s a sub-3.0-second sprint to 100km/h.

Stepping into the modern era for the badge, however, is the option for the car to be built as an electric car, with a “configuration delivering over 750hp”, or more than 560kW, and with a 450km range.

Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Phililppe Imparato said the brand aimed to build a car that “lived up to [its] past, to serve the brand and to make the Alfisti fandom proud.”

“This is the brand's first custom-built car since 1969, and I promise it won't be the last.”

To that, Alfa Romeo says it’s bringing back the philosophy behind 1960s coach-builders in a team it calls the “Bottega”, a team of Alfa Romeo professionals who worked in close contact with customers to create a car that would suit its buyers.

Additionally, even F1 driver Valtteri Bottas was part of the development process, having tested the 33 Stradale at the brand’s Balocco Proving Ground.