The Alfa Romeo 33. Precision Crafted Performance.

'Alfa Romeo have been making cars since 1910. During these nine decades they've learnt a thing or two about what goes to make up a classic performance machine.'

In all those ninety years, company traditions have never been compromised. performance, roadholding, handling and safety have been the cornerstones of the Alfa Romeo philosophy, Supported and maintained by their devotion to design excellence and precision engineering.

It will come as no surprise, therefore, to discover their 33 sports hatchback to be conforming to the old ideals. Take a look at the car. The wedge shape profile suggests performance. The purposeful stance commands respect. And the badge on the front confirms your suspicions.

Alfa Romeos were never born to follow.
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That was the official sales pitch for the 33 I.E. in 1993, and I can assure you that, (as a previous owner of a 1990 33 16v cloverleaf) the words 'performance' & 'respect' are two words that sum up this car beautifully.

The series 3 fuel injected cars were unveiled in mid 1990, with revised bodywork, smaller tail and headlights, a sportier front grill and 164 style bonnet these machines looked as good as they performed.

Power steering was now standard and so was fuel injection (hence the injection electronic badge). The gem of the 33 package was the addition of a 16v head for the 1.7 power plant, which was fitted to both the hatchback and sportwagen (estate).


With the addition of intelligent 4WD, the permanent 4 cloverleaf still remains the 'one to go for' if the 33 is the kind of car that stirs your soul! Recaro seats and different alloy wheels for that sporty look, and a 4WD drive system that sent 95% of the drive to the front wheels under normal circumstances (with the capability to send 65% to the rear if needed), better weight distribution and much improved torque steer makes for a very capable street racer.
 
The Alfa 33 History
1986 - 1987

1.3s 4C   1.5s 4c
 
Power : 86bhp
0-60mph : 11.8sec
Top Speed : 105mph 		Power : 95bhp
0-60mph : 10.8sec
Top Speed : 106mph

1987 - 1990

1.5 Ti   1.7 Hatchback   1.7 Sportwagon
 
Power : 105bhp
0-60mph : 10.8sec
Top Spedd : 106mph		 Power : 118bhp
0-60mph : 8.5sec
Top Spedd : 120mph 		Power : 118bhp
0-60mph : 8.7sec
Top Spedd : 120mph

1990 - 1994

1.5 I.E.   1.7 I.E.   1.7 16V   1.7 Sportwagon
 
Power : 95bhp
0-60mph : 10sec
Top Spedd : 113mph		 Power : 112bhp
0-60mph : 9sec
Top Spedd : 120mph 		Power : 137bhp
0-60mph : 8sec
Top Spedd : 130mph 		Power : 137bhp
0-60mph : 8.2sec
Top Spedd : 128mph


One point to remember about series three cars, is that in 1993, insurance for 'hot hatches' went through the roof in the united kingdom. This resulted in a lot of manufacturers removing the 'GTI,RS,XR and worst of all the cloverleaf Badges' from their models.

Possibly late 1992, 1993 and possibly early 1994 1.7 16v cars had no cloverleaf badge, no rear spoiler (which incidently is the same as a 155 silverstone rear spoiler) no sporty seats (they used the 1.7 IE interior) and i'm not sure about alloys. The last off the production line in 1994 still had no cloverleaf badge or rear spoiler, but they did have rather sexy recaro bucket seats like the one above and the standard 14" alloy wheels. Other goodies consisted of a leather steering wheel and sunroof as standard.
 
The 1.7 Boxer Engine. A Technical knockout.
'The Alfa Romeo 33 is powered by the classic 1.7 litre, flat four Boxer engine, a free revving and flexible powerhouse that's a triumph of Alfa Romeo engineering. It's small, compact dimensions help keep down the centre of gravity so that the bonnet can be kept low and rakish. It also gave the designers a few more vital centimetres of space to use inside the car.

Fuel is delivered by a multipoint electronic injection system, with each of the four injector nozzles placed in the inlet ducts. This cuts down the time taken for the fuel mixture to travel into the cylinder and be emitted as exhaust. Combustion is therefore better, which translates into more power, decreased fuel consumption and less harmful exhaust emissions.

The 16-valve version of the 1.7 Boxer engine turns a brisk performer into a revered road burner. Two overhead cams in each cylinder bank control four valves per cylinder, filling and emptying each chamber in the most efficient way possible and producing prodigious amounts of power and torque. with sequential opening of the inlet valves and minimal valve train inertia, this unit sets the standards by which other engines will one day be judged.' or so Alfa Romeo says, anyway.