It’s not hard to imagine why a major brand like Alfa Romeo had to dust off one of its most iconic names. The nostalgic, reckless roar of the past attracts enthusiasts more than many new modern models without ties to the past. What happened with the 33 Stradale comes along with an attempt to break away from the Alfa Romeo legacy with the Junior, still with limited success.
Will the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale be one of the last with a “real” combustion engine?
In this context, the new 33 Stradale would represent an exception, although it’s more of an operation to reproduce something established in the past and already seen. The roar of its engine and its nostalgic beauty demonstrate how difficult it is to create something alternative but comparable to the old glories today.
Enzo Ferrari built road cars to finance his racing cars. Ferruccio Lamborghini started producing supercars, essentially to challenge Enzo. Colin Chapman wanted to offer ordinary motorists the experience of a race car. All experiences from the world of motorsport and performance that will hardly be repeatable, and the 33 Stradale doesn’t bring us back to this world. We’re talking about another time, nothing can be the same, and we shouldn’t fall into the golden age syndrome: the spirit with which a car is conceived and realized, however, that can be passed down, inherited, learned, and resumed.
When Alfa Romeo presented the new 33 Stradale, it seemed clear it was based on the Maserati MC20, a car already on the market. Looking at the video of the 33 Stradale’s roar released by Stellantis, you’ll notice that the images are computer-generated. It’s not a real video of the car: a real shame, given that if the sound comes from the engine, it would have been enough to present it with a camera in the engine bay instead of through software.
People will use the 33 Stradale to affirm a clear passion for cars of the past and, perhaps, a little less for the new Alfa Romeo itself. What, then, could be the purpose of a two-seater car that’s 1.23 meters tall and costs millions for the Biscione? A vigorous roar that attracts attention or recalls the strength of a brand capable of producing such an expensive car. The 33 Stradale seems like a melancholic farewell to the creative automotive industry, now forced to use an existing platform, a classic design, and a name from the past to pretend to still have innovation.