| Manufacturer | Alfa Romeo |
|---|---|
| Production | 1983–1995 |
| Assembly | Pomigliano d'Arco, Italy[1] |
| Predecessor | Alfa Romeo Alfasud |
| Successor | Alfa Romeo 145/146 |
| Class | Small family car |
| Body style | 5-door hatchback 5-door station wagon |
| Layout | FF layout Four wheel drive |
| Engine | Petrol: 1.2 Alfa Romeo H4 1.3 Alfa Romeo H4 1.4 Alfa Romeo H4 1.5 Alfa Romeo H4 1.7 Alfa Romeo H4 Diesel: 1.8 L HRT 392 I3 (VM)[2] |
| Wheelbase | 2,475 mm (97.4 in) 2,470 mm (97.2 in) (4x4)[2] |
| Length | 4,075 mm (160.4 in) |
| Width | 1,615 mm (63.6 in) |
| Height | 1,350–1,375 mm (53.1–54.1 in) |
| Curb weight | 890–1,070 kg (2,000–2,400 lb) |
| Related | Alfa Romeo Sprint |
| Designer | Ermanno Cressoni |
The Alfa Romeo 33 is a small family car produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo between 1983 and 1995. It was essentially an evolution of its predecessor, the Alfasud, which was based on the same floorplan, chassis and mechanicals albeit with some minor modifications. The Nissan based Alfa Romeo Arna was launched shortly after, offering a similar size car but at a lower cost.
The 33 has a unique place in Alfa Romeo history - nearly 1 million of these cars were produced internationally. During its 11 year lifespan the 33 saw a light facelift in 1986 and a significant restyle in 1989. The 33 was discontinued in 1994 and replaced by the Alfa Romeo 145 and 146, which used the same boxer engines but built around an entirely new platform based on the Fiat Tipo.
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Initially known as the Alfa 33, the 5-door hatchback was launched in 1983 and a station wagon version (initially badged Giardinetta, later badged SportWagon) was introduced the following year at the same time as a four-wheel drive version of the hatchback. The hatchback was styled by Ermanno Cressoni at the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo,[3] while the station wagon was designed by Pininfarina. Unlike the Alfasud, a 3-door was never launched.
The 33 became renowned for its nimble handling and powerful boxer engines, but also became equally well-known for its unreliable electronics and tendencies to rust (a frequent complaint on Italian cars in general at the time). Another issue was its braking and increased unsprung weight — the Alfasud's inboard front disc brakes (mounted on the gearbox) had been moved to the more common outboard discs (mounted on the wheel hubs). The rear discs of the Sud's four-wheel disc arrangement had also been replaced with drums.
The car featured numerous innovations for the company, including an instrument binnacle that moved up and down with the adjustable steering wheel, and a plastic bonnet. The UK launch promoted the sleek design,[4] and the Daily Mail noted its low drag coefficient of 0.36,[5] and very impressive in 1983 with only bigger cars such as the Ford Sierra and Audi 100 able to better it.
A mild facelift in autumn 1986 resulted in a revised range when the 1.7 litre engine was introduced and a new interior which simplified the dashboard, and lost the innovative moveable instrument binnacle. Exterior alterations were limited to indicator lens colour changes and minor amendments to grill and bumpers. A 1.8 litre diesel engine was also introduced in some markets.
The 33 was given a more extensive facelift in the end of 1989, the Series II or 'Nuova' 33, which went on sale in January 1990. This featured a revised interior, the introduction of fuel injection, the 1.7 litre engine upgraded to include a 137 PS (101 kW; 135 hp) 16 valve version, and a heavily restyled front and rear ends, in line with the new Alfa "family look" established by the flagship 164. Also new four wheel drive version was introduced called the Permanent 4, which was renamed to Q4 starting from 1992. Late production 33s also do not suffer from the rust problems of their ancestors, as their frames are galvanized in the manner Alfa Romeo introduced with the 164.
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| Type | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Supermini | Mito | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Small family car |
Arna | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| …Alfasud | 33 | 145 / 146 | 147 | Giulietta (940) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compact executive car |
…Nuova Giulietta | 75 / Milano | 155 | 156 | 159 | Giulia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Executive car |
…Alfetta | 90 | 164 | 166 | 169 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| …Alfa 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coupé | …Sprint | GT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| …Alfetta GT/GTV and GTV6 | GTV (916) | Brera | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Convertible | Spider (916) | Spider (939) | Spider | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Roadster | …Spider | 8C Spider | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sports car | SZ | RZ | 8C Competizione | 4C | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Racing car | 179 / 182 / 183T / 184T / 185T | 155 V6 TI | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SUV | C-SUV | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||