Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale: from MAT a faithful replica

THE CAR AS A WORK OF ART – There are not many cars that really deserve the status of a work of art. Among these shines, probably more than any other, the star ofAlfa Romeo 33 Stradale. The supercar of the Biscione – designed by Franco Scaglione and built starting from 1967 in just 18 specimensall different from each other, from Carrozzeria Marazzi by Caronno Pertusella – remains one of the most important examples of the Italian creative genius applied to the car, as well as an inexhaustible and inestimable source of inspiration for anyone, in whatever capacity, aspires to instill beauty and elegance in an object that inevitably ends up going beyond the simple concept of a motor vehicle.

INSPIRED BY THE MYTH – And right atAlfa Romeo 33 Stradale the Turin Automobile Manufactory (MAT). The company from Rivalta (TO), founded in 2014 by Paolo Garella at the end of thirty years of experience in the implementation of special automotive projects (in the early 2000s it helped relaunch the one-offs of Pininfarina), is not new to this. kind of operations. From the gates of what is to all intents and purposes a real car boutique, just to give an example, comes the modern Lancia Stratos that a couple of years ago left the whole world of engines speechless (here to find out more), renewing the myth of one of the most famous and “venerated” rally cars ever.

A FAITHFUL REPLICA IN EVERY DETAIL – The Stratos set up by MAT rests on an existing base, that of the Ferrari F430. Different speech applies to the project of the replica (very faithful in every detail) of theAlfa Romeo 33 Stradale, commissioned to the artisans of the Piedmontese atelier by an important German collector. The making of the car, started literally from scratch with the study of the shape plans and the frame of the original model, it required about 12,000 hours of work. In addition, of course, to an out-of-the-ordinary experience and craftsmanship. Skills, from beating the sheets with bare hands to the tailor-made “packaging” of the passenger compartment, which returned an amazing result: apart from the shield with the emblem of the Visconti snake on the nose, the car came out of Scaglione’s pencil and the one reproduced today are two drops of water.

A BIG ALPHA HEART UNDER THE BONNET – FromAlfa Romeo 33 Stradale also derives the entire mechanical setting of the car. There MAT tried to remain as close as possible to the true story of the Biscione’s masterpiece. Starting with the engine, which is the 2.6 V8 twin shaftAlfa Romeo Montreal private, however, of the Spica indirect injection system: the power supply is entrusted to a battery of carburetorsjust like on the exuberant engine of the 33. The exchange with six gears, of which every single gear was made ad hoc on the basis of the original project. The price of such a masterpiece? From 1.3 to 1.5 million euros, or just over a third of the estimated value of an original specimen. What no price can buy, however, is the sense of wonder this car is capable of arousing. Just like the passion and art that made it possible.