Alfa Romeo 33 is the best of Alfasud in a new package

After the turbulent life of the Alfasud, to say the least, which lasted 10 years and sold well, Alfa Romeo is ready for a new impetus for its smallest model series. Alfa Romeo 33!

Since the financial situation at the (then) state-owned company was quite precarious and the Sud was certainly not a bad-handling car, the underdraft and box engines were largely reused for the newcomer, which was named the Alfa 33 (after the Tipo 33 racers). from yesterday).

Alfa Romeo 33

The design, on the other hand, is completely new. Fresh, whimsical and full of fun little innovations. Features a high ‘butt’, which is accentuated by a high curve at the waist. There are also nice tricks in the brand new interior design.

For example, the clock plate is mounted on the steering column, so it moves when the steering wheel is adjusted. The 33 starts with the 1.2 (not with us), 1.3 and 1.5-liter boxer engines and, if possible, handles better than the Sud. It’s also a bit more comfortable, and the brakes are much better despite the more traditional system.

Not long after, a station wagon designed and built by Pininfarina appeared, called Giardinetta in good Italian. Initially only available with all-wheel drive, later it was also available with front-wheel drive. Unfortunately, not all diseases of the South have been eliminated, because the Alfa Romeo 33 can also rust significantly, although not as extensively as the South. The second generation, which appeared in 1986, is better protected against the devil of rust.

In addition to some modest exterior modifications, it is equipped with an all-new, quieter dashboard. A welcome addition is the enlarged boxer to 1.7 liters in the sporty QV and a three-cylinder (!) 1.8 turbo diesel will be available in some markets. In 1990, a major facelift followed which adopted many of the design features of the big Alfa 164. From then on, the top model became the QV Rapid 1.7 16V.

The new look was a huge success and gave the Alfa Romeo 33 a huge boost in sales. Partly due to reasonable prices, the No. 33 was high on the Dutch sales lists in the early 1990s. Ultimately, Alfa managed to sell nearly 33 million cars, roughly the equivalent of a Sud. In 1994 the exercise ended for the more than 20-year-old platform. The successors to the 145/146, on the Fiat Tipo platform, but initially also with boxers under the hood, are waiting in the wings.

Offer and prices

Countless variants were delivered during the twelve years of production of the Alfa Romeo 33. From the luxurious Quadrifoglio Oro to pampered QVs, with or without 16 valves and beautifully decorated special editions. All-wheel drive was available for the Giardinetta (later Sport Wagon) and the permanent Sport Wagon 4.

Every enthusiast has his favourites, and every generation has his points of interest. Apply the rule: the later the production date, the better the rust prevention.

Case model: Vauxhall Viva HC, completely different from Opel Kadett

There are currently not many ’33s for sale in the Netherlands, and good original examples, especially early ones, are quickly becoming more expensive. But you can still succeed with less than 10k. In Italy, the range is of course larger.