Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale (carscoops.com)
Renowned designer fine-tunes the iconic Italian sports car
Few would dispute the iconic beauty of the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, but Frank Stephenson, celebrated for his work on masterpieces like the Maserati MC12, has embarked on a mission to elevate its design to new heights, culminating in an absolutely masterful creation.
The latest iteration of the 33 Stradale pays heartfelt homage to its predecessor, successfully marrying the original car’s timeless elegance with Alfa Romeo’s contemporary sportiness and aggressiveness. However, Stephenson perceives certain aspects of the design as overly conspicuous. His transformative touches commence at the front, where he subtly enlarges the LED headlight graphics and introduces a simplified hood. Nonetheless, the majority of his alterations are concentrated on the car’s sides. Notably, the shape of the front fenders departs from tradition, and the side windows undergo subtle adjustments. Stephenson’s discerning eye recognizes that the original 33 Stradale’s side windows possessed a gentle downward slope, a feature he admires and faithfully reproduces in the new model. The most substantial alteration, however, emerges with the side air intakes.
In contrast to the understated side vents of the original, which Stephenson compares to a delicate mark on the visage of a beautiful Italian woman, the new car’s vents are notably larger and adorned with an extraneous carbon fiber element reminiscent of a ship’s anchor. By reverting to a smaller intake akin to the original, the new car’s design attains a heightened level of cohesion. Further refinements are observed at the rear, where the window’s slope becomes more pronounced, giving the rear a lower and more slender appearance. Stephenson skillfully tweaks the diffuser’s shape, retaining an ample serving of carbon fiber allure while infusing a touch of subtlety. Frank Stephenson’s artistic intervention has undeniably enhanced the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, elevating an already iconic car to an even higher level of automotive artistry.