WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?
33
From the car of the millionaires to the car of the millions, the 33 name graced two very different cars from Alfa’s past. 1983 saw the introduction of a car that has a major significance for Alfisti. As was the case of the Alfetta, named after the all-conquering Formula 1 cars of the 1950s, the name of the tipo 905 paid homage to the racing legend that was the 33, with a nod to its motorsports pedigree. And this is when the similarities between the two stop rather abruptly.
The 1980s car was the successor of the Alfasud series, the junior of the Alfa range, so to speak. It retained much of the mechanics of the Pomigliano produced cars and it was put together under the same roof. Not that you could tell just by looking at it. Gone were the softly chamfered Giugiaro-designed lines, replaced by la linea, the esthetic language of the then in-house head of design Ermanno Cressoni. Arch, as he was affectionately known as, was the first architecture graduate to head a major design studio. Without spilling not a drop of concrete, he laid the foundation of the sharp look that was to dress Alfas until the mid nineties.
In 1986, the tipo 905A introduced the mildest of the exterior facelifts, keeping la linea intact. Sadly, the interior fared a little worse, as the dashboard was completely changed with a less stylised version. It was the opposite story for the 1990 restyling, designated as the tipo 907, that brought the exterior looks in line with the looks of the 164 flagship. Although it was not as original as the launch spec, this restyling is yet another masterpiece and it really succeeded in creating a pocket-size 164. It adopted the light bar at the rear and reshaped the headlights and the grille. It also introduced that clever looking front bumper that visually continues the inner line of the headlights creating a halo effect for the small grille.
Looks reflected the refined mechanics and for starting at some 5995 GBP, as an advert of the period claims, you could get a jewel of a car. It was built in Italy, in a historic plant, with the help of 32 new robots - just why they didn’t use one more I will never understand. That new found automation didn’t save the 33 from some of the usual legacy Pomigliano d’Arco problems, but if the electrics were still somewhat more creative than initially intended, at least rust was much more reigned in with the second series, courtesy of a galvanised chassis. Fit and finish fell a little short of impeccable and the quality of the plastics wasn’t stellar. It was far from perfect, but it was and still is characterful.
The 33 was pure Alfa and it succeeded by being completely unapologetic about it. It was a highly ambitious car that lived up to the sales expectations. A car for millions. Who wants to be a millionaire?
