Some will remember the first teaser images for the Maserati MC20 published in early 2020 depicted a heavily modified 4C test mule. There’s a perfectly good reason for that since Modena’s supercar was initially supposed to wear the Alfa Romeo badge. In an interview with the Australian magazine CarExpert, Alfa’s head of product Daniel Guzzafame said the MC20 actually started out in life as an Alfa before a switch to the trident badge was decided.
Despite transitioning to another marque within FCA (now Stellantis) while the car was in the works, the door was left open for Alfa Romeo to be a part of the project again. The new 33 Stradale has a strong connection with the MC20 but it’s more than just a reskinned version of Maserati’s flagship model. Aside from having a different body, both the front and rear suspension are tailor-made while the front H-frame and the rear aluminum frame are unique as well.
In addition, the engines are also different since the 33 Stradale uses the Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio’s 2.9-liter V6 bored out to 3.0 liters while the MC20 has Maserati’s own Nettuno, also a 3.0-liter V6 with a pair of turbochargers. The two supercars use different gearboxes as well, an eight-speed, dual-clutch from ZF in the case of the Alfa while the MC20 has a Tremec-developed eight-speed dual-clutch.
While the MC20 has spawned a convertible version dubbed Cielo and a couple of track-only derivatives, that won’t be the case with the 33 Stradale. Daniel Guzzafame says Alfa will stick to its original plan and make only 33 coupes. About two to three cars are going to be assembled monthly and customers still have approximately 12 months left to choose whether they want the ICE or the purely electric powertrain.
Alfa Romeo hasn’t decided how many electric motors the zero-emission 33 Stradale is going to have, but he didn’t rule out an AWD variant with two e-motors at the back and another one at the front. The electric variant will be related to some extent to the MC20 Folgore.
All 33 cars planned for production were sold about a year ago and there won’t be any extensions.
