Alfa Romeo’s 33 Stradale supercar sold out before it was announced – here’s what to buy instead

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• Price and release date
• Specs and performance
• Design
• Interior and tech
• What to buy instead
• Alfa Romeo depreciation

On a livestream previously thought to be an announcement for a new 6C, Alfa Romeo unveiled, well, something not that far off. Based on the old 33 Stradale from the ’60s, which itself was based on the Tipo 33 Alfa racing prototype, the 2024 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is a mid-engine, two-seat Italian supercar that’s also available as an EV, making it the first true Alfa Romeo electric car, for the purists who don’t count plug-in hybrids.

I know what you’re thinking, “Hell yeah, brother! Sign me up!” However, I regret to inform you the new Stradale sold out before it was even announced. Oh, and only 33 of them will be made. Ever. Then again, if you think about it glass half full, that’s a 3200% increase over the production volume of the single Giulia SWB Zagato Alfa sold to a German car collector in late 2022. But unlike the Giulia Zagato, all 33 customers who purchased the 2024 Stradale were pre-selected by Alfa Romeo to create their own personalized renditions of the car in collaboration with an internal team of designers. For that reason, no two Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale will be exactly alike. Because consistency is the enemy of Italian engineering.

While the novelty of reviving a classic sports car from half a century ago with today’s tech is an attractive premise, the 33 Stradale is little more than a concept car for billionaires to hold hostage in a garage and never drive. Or maybe I’m just jealous. Who can say? Whatever the case may be, Alfa says more like this is on the way. I can only hope that means more high-performance sports coupes with timeless interiors, mid-mounted engine layouts, and a low center of gravity – not just more limited-run special editions for the uber-rich and SUVs for everyone else. At least with the proliferation of EVs, those last two bits are all but guaranteed.

2024 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale price and release date

Prior to the reveal of the 33 Stradale, Alfa confirmed in an email to Acceleramota that all 33 units had already been sold. To be more precise, they were sold at the end of 2022. The affluent 33 Stradale customers paid more than €1.5 million (roughly $1.6 million USD) apiece, according to Automotive News Europe. Alfa says 2-3 units will be produced every month, with the first delivery slated for December 17, 2024. That just so happens to be the 57th anniversary of the 1967 car of the same name.

2024 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale specs and performance

If we’re being honest, though, the purpose of the Stradale isn’t to profit from its sales directly but to raise Alfa Romeo’s profile and sell more cars at the dealership. It’s a glorified concept car for a select few members of the wealthy elite, so that you, too, will covet an Alfa Romeo. The Giulia, Stelvio, and Tonale – the only three Alfa Romeo sells in the United States – share similar styling to the 33 Stradale, and the Quadrifoglio (QV) models even have a more potent version of the same engine.

While, in many other ways, the 33 Stradale has a lot more in common with the 2024 Maserati GranTurismo, the Stradale powertrain is based on the Giulia QV’s Ferrari-derived 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6, according to Motor1.com, as opposed to Maserati’s Nettuno engine. Still, the displacement is about the same and both twin-turbo V6 engines are found in supercars from Italian brands owned by the same company. The comparable spec sheets are no strange coincidence.

The same goes for the battery-electric version of the 33 Stradale, which houses the same tri-motor configuration as the GranTurismo Folgore while making about the same power. At any rate, if you’ve got deep pockets but not, like, $1.9 million deep, the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore is right around the corner – for a lot less money if the $205,000 – $215,000 estimates turn out to be true.

2024 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale design

As I noted earlier, the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale takes us back to a simpler time, 1967, when the world treated our global fuel supply as if it were endless. Gas prices were of no concern, and we didn’t yet fully understand the environmental impact of slapping a naturally aspirated V8 on just about anything with a chassis.

Nevertheless, on the outside, the 33 Stradale stays true to its roots, with sharp yet functional styling, minimal body lines, and an Italian design ethos that is distinctly Alfa Romeo. And it wouldn’t be an Alfa without the scudetto grille prominently on display, as every model has done since the 6C 2500 in the late 1930s. Because of its low center of gravity and wide stance, it should be able to cut through wind, generating enough downforce to corner at speeds that would lift most cars off the ground. Thanks to its active shock absorbers, the 2024 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale’s double-arm suspension automatically adjusts to the terrain, making it as comfortable to drive on the road as it is on the track. In fact, that’s where its name comes from: ‘stradale’ translates from Italian to ‘road-going’ or ‘street-legal’.

Although the original Stradale weighed merely 1,543 pounds, modern safety and CAFE standards, as well as the inclusion of electronic luxuries in every vehicle have seen to it that even the lightest sports cars exceed 3,000 pounds. It’s probably for the best, though. Imagine pushing 612 horses in a 0.75-ton car with no modern safety features. No thanks!

Known for its unique, vibrant paint colors, it comes as no surprise that Alfa gave 2024 Stradale customers a decent-sized palette to choose from, most of which won’t be found on Alfa’s other current cars. The three standard options are Villa d’Este (tinted clearcoat red), a refashioned Royal Blue, and the classic Rosso Alfa (Alfa Red). Alternatively, nostalgic 33 Stradale buyers had the choice to outfit their ride in a white and red livery, a retro throwback to the Tipo 33 design.

2024 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale interior and tech

Here’s where the Stradale will be polarizing among people who weren’t the target demographic anyway: the interior isn’t quite as high-tech as many consumers have grown accustomed to. You won’t find a giant tablet in the center stack as you would in a Tesla Model X, nor does it claim any sort of ‘auto-pilot’ mode. Inside, it’s more Bugatti Chiron than Mercedes EQS.

As I’ve quoted countless times, and I’ll continue to quote countless times more, Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato has gone on record saying, “I don’t sell an iPad with a car around it, I sell an Alfa Romeo.” Still one of the most badass things the head of a car company has said since Enzo Ferrari argued, “The client is not always right.” (Although, Fiat discontinuing the color gray because it’s boring is a strong contender.)

The Stradale is intended as a true driver’s car, unencumbered by a dizzying array of touch screens and scroll wheels. There’s a digital instrument cluster behind the wheel, a small UConnect-based infotainment display, and an aluminum control panel in the center console. Above the rotary gear shift are a mishmash of knobs and dials for changing drive modes, adjusting the suspension, and even controlling the sound of the exhaust – you know, so you can tone it down a bit while your neighbors are sleeping. From the photos, you’ll notice a set of extra physical controls positioned along the center of the car’s interior roof. Unfortunately, the only one I can see is the hazard light switch. I’ve reached out to Alfa Romeo for clarification on the other overhead inputs.

The best Alfa Romeo cars you can actually buy, used and new

Don’t have $2 million and a time machine?

Because it’s impossible to buy a Stradale, not to mention prohibitively expensive for most people to begin with, those interested in driving a modern Alfa Romeo might want to take a peek at used listings on CarGurus. While the 2024 Giulia‘s 505-horsepower Quadrifoglio (QV) trim sells for north of $80K, you can pick up a lightly driven one for less than $50,000 if you’re willing to travel for it. I should know – back in May, I drove six hours each way to trade in my BMW 4 Series for a 2018 Alfa Red Giulia QV and haven’t looked back.

After putting another 5,000 miles on the odometer, so far the only major problem I’ve had was when one of my blinkers went out and I had to replace the headlight. Granted, that was an expensive and time-consuming fix that resulted in me taking it to the dealer, but so long as you opt for a bumper-to-bumper extended warranty, you’re golden (I recommend Mopar Maximum Care, which covers my Gabagiulia for up to 96,000 miles).

Though it’s not quite the same as pushing a relatively lightweight-for-2023, four-door super sedan with a low center of gravity, you can squeeze the about same power out of a Stelvio Quadrifoglio SUV, the only way to get a QV with all-wheel-drive. In some cases, the Stelvio is even cheaper. Even if it still handles more like an SUV than a sports car, it’s just as fast off the line as the Giulia QV – both can accelerate from 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds.

Not all Alfas are equal, though. Some models are less about performance and more about making that timeless Alfista style and handling to the everyday driver. Maybe you don’t need 505 horsepower and you’d rather have better fuel mileage and save some money on your lease. In that case, you can find a secondhand Alfa Romeo Giulia without the Ferrari V6 for less than a new Nissan Altima, and it’s probably just as reliable, if not more so because CVT. Plus, unlike the Quadrifoglio trim, which is built for the track, the

You can also get an Alfa Romeo Stelvio with a 2-liter turbocharged four-banger. It’s basically the same thing as the four-cylinder Giulia except it’s an SUV. Not to sound like a broken record, but if you are considering a new Stelvio, I strongly encourage you to at least test drive an Alfa Romeo Tonale. I know it’s a lame mom car or whatever and the Dodge Hornet is the same thing but cheaper if you don’t buy the PHEV and make false equivalencies between trim levels – but trust me on this! The torque hits different in a hybrid.

Why do Alfa Romeos depreciate so much?

Truth be told, the answer is complicated. No, they’re not as unreliable as the haters make them out to be. Or at least no less reliable than their German counterparts. Before 2014, when the mid-engine 4C was released, Alfa Romeo had been absent in the United States since 1995. Sure, there was the Alfa 8C in 2008, but between the Competizione grand tourer and the Spider convertible, only 125 units made it stateside. So even though Alfa led the pack in JD Power’s initial quality survey in June 2023, repairs and maintenance are mostly relegated to a limited network of dealers.

Although its sales and service presence has grown 40% since its reintroduction to the States almost a decade ago, there are still only 130 dealerships open across the entire country, according to ScrapeHero, an online data collection and aggregation service. That includes the 107 Fiat and three Maserati dealerships that also sell Alfas. All 130 are spread across just nine states, the vast majority of which are concentrated in major metropolitan areas in states like Florida, California, and Texas. 18 of these locations are within 100 miles of where I live in New York City.

Regardless of badge or nameplate, cars today are more difficult than ever to service yourself. This is due in part to the sheer number of components required to increase performance while simultaneously reducing emissions. As a result, carmakers are forced to get creative with the engine bay layout, adding things like turbochargers to keep improving performance despite housing fewer (or no) cylinders. Moreover, the technology we now take for granted – built-in navigation, backup cameras, parking sensors, and heated seats – are all nice to have, but it also means more parts to break… parts that can obstruct other parts, making it harder to replace them yourself.

Take your Alfa to an independent repair shop, and most mechanics will look at you puzzled for a minute before sending you back to the dealership. And when you only have 130 to choose from, chances are you’ll have to travel. Even here in Manhattan, the Maserati dealership where I would’ve gotten my Alfas serviced closed the same month I bought the Giulia. Fortunately, there are about eight others I can reach in an hour or less by car. But I’m in the minority. The next time you see a suspiciously good deal on a Giulia in Nebraska, bear in mind that in a state with 1.9 million people scattered across nearly 80,000 square miles, there is only one Alfa Romeo dealer.

Back to the question, for those asking whether an Alfa Romeo is worth it after seeing the 33 Stradale in all its glory, remember, you can’t be a “true petrolhead” without having owned one. Just kidding.