Alfa Romeo 33 stars at iconic Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este

• Alfa Romeo 33 was on display at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este
• To mark the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Alfa Romeo presented the 33/2-litre “Daytona” (1968) and the 33 TT 12 (1975) at Villa Erba celebrating their unforgettable feats on the iconic French track
• The Tipo 33 family dominated on both the track and road from 1967 to 1977, while the 33 Stradale remains a style emblem for the brand, the epitome of functional design and beauty devoted to performance

The iconic Alfa Romeo 33 was displayed at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este celebrating the design and heritage of Alfa Romeo in one of the most prestigious settings in Italy.

The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este was first held in 1929 and this year the event extended ,beyond its traditional headquarters in Cernobbio, to the enchanting Villa Erba to celebrate the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As part of this celebration, Alfa Romeo exhibited two gems from which raced on the French tarmac, the 33/2-litre “Daytona” (1968) and the 33 TT 12 (1975).

The bond between Alfa Romeo and the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este began with the profound connection between Milan – the birthplace of Alfa Romeo – and Lake Como, long-time favourite of Milanese aristocracy and a showcase for Italian excellence around the world. Villa d’Este continues to lend its allure to photo shoots, events, presentations and gatherings, where many of the brand’s heritage and concept cars have received prestigious awards.

Having won the first two F1 World Championships with the Alfetta 158-159, Alfa Romeo retired from competition in 1951. They returned to racing in 1963 with Autodelta, the company’s official racing department, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.  Following its initial successes with touring cars, Autodelta decided to make the leap in the ‘prototypes’ category, starting with the Tipo 33.

The Sport prototypes were designed exclusively for racing, equipped with extremely sophisticated engines and chassis, and were produced in the limited numbers required for type approval. They were equipped with a refined and powerful two-litre V8 engine, delivering 270hp and reaching almost 185mph.

The first version of the 33/2 (where ‘33’ denotes the project number and ‘2’ the engine displacement in litres) won its debut race in March 1967, uphill at Fléron near Liège, Belgium. Alfa Romeo then moved into the World Sportscar Championship, taking prestigious victories in challenging endurance races.

At the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona, Alfa Romeo took all three podium spots with the crews of Vaccarella-Schütz, Andretti-Bianchi, and Casoni-Biscardi-Zeccoli. This major victory led to the name of the renowned US circuit becoming part of the moniker of the Alfa Romeo 33/2 – hence Alfa Romeo 33/2-litre “Daytona”. The 33 also achieved excellent results at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – with another hat-trick in its class. In other competitions, it also made its mark in the overall standings, including ahead of much more powerful cars, a feat it repeated at Mugello, where Vaccarella-Bianchi-Galli topped the podium.

The development of the 33 continued into 1975 when Alfa Romeo achieved its dream of winning the World Championship for Brands. The star of this was the Alfa Romeo 33 TT (Tubular Chassis) 12, a car equipped with a three-litre V12 engine capable of delivering 500hp and reaching 205mph. With great drivers, such as Arturo Merzario, Vittorio Brambilla, Jochen Mass, Jacques Laffite, Henri Pescarolo, Derek Bell, Jacky Ickx and Nino Vaccarella, the 33 TT 12 took victory in seven of eight races that counted towards the World Championship. The legendary V12 engine fitted to the car laid the foundations for the return of Alfa Romeo to F1 in 1976, as engine supplier for the Brabham team.

ENDS