If cars were works of art, the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 would be a Michelangelo on wheels, a Caravaggio with a screaming V8 behind the driver’s seat. In fact, just like a masterpiece from the Renaissance, the Tipo 33 was born from Italian ingenuity and passion, transforming into a timeless icon. A race car that became a road car—and in the process, a legend.
The Birth of a Red Lightning Bolt
Typically, cars follow a logical development path: first, the road version, and then—if it proves worthy—a competition derivative. But Alfa Romeo, ever the maverick, decided to flip the script: first, the Tipo 33 was built to race, win, and strike fear into competitors on tracks worldwide. Only then did it evolve into an ultra-rare road-going supercar. A bold approach, but one that paid off magnificently.
A Moving Aerodynamic Sculpture
At the core of the project was an H-frame chassis, a technical concept that would still make modern engineers drool. But the real star was the mid-rear mounted two-liter V8, a small masterpiece of engineering that roared like a caged lion. The goal? To win the World Sportscar Championship and reaffirm Alfa Romeo’s racing DNA
And it succeeded. The 33/2 debuted in 1967 and quickly racked up victories. Its legacy was so extraordinary that Franco Scaglione, one of the undisputed masters of automotive design, was tasked with creating the road-going version. The result? One of the most beautiful cars of all time. So stunning, in fact, that even today, whenever a 33 Stradale appears at an event, people stop breathing for a moment.
A Clash of Design Titans
But Alfa Romeo wasn’t finished. It decided to launch a true design showdown, offering five additional Tipo 33 Stradale chassis to the greatest Italian coachbuilders: Pininfarina, Bertone, Giugiaro. Each was invited to create their own interpretation of the ultimate supercar, resulting in a breathtaking collection of one-off masterpieces.
The outcome of this challenge? A creative explosion, with shapes and stylistic solutions that still leave enthusiasts in awe.
The Roadster G.S.
The Roadster G.S., designed by Paolo Martin and presented at the 1968 Turin Auto Show, was the precursor to the Alfa Romeo 33 Cuneo. In 1970, its chassis was repurposed to create the Cuneo, making it the first of three dream cars Pininfarina built on the 33 Stradale platform.
Painted white, the Roadster G.S. was an incredibly low, open-top two-seater that blended smooth surfaces with sharper lines. Its front end featured a full-width black rubber bumper, two black canard fins over the front fenders, and a striking row of six headlights embedded in the hood—elements later carried over to the Cuneo. However, the car’s most distinctive feature was a massive orange spoiler adorned with Alfa Romeo’s iconic Quadrifoglio logos. Positioned centrally above the engine, this wing also served as a roll bar. Other defining characteristics included a small windshield, vertically opening doors, and a truncated rear end with stacked rectangular taillights. Inside, the Roadster G.S. featured a minimalist black cabin, contrasted only by its orange seats, which matched the rear wing.
Before the Cuneo took shape, Pininfarina had already showcased the 33 Roadster at the 1968 Turin Auto Show—a daring open-top two-seater with many original design cues. The car’s sharp lines were softened only by the prominent fender bulges, while its unique lighting arrangement—a row of six centrally recessed headlights—gave it an unmistakable identity. The covered grille, topped with a simple rubber bumper, further enhanced its futuristic look. But the showstopper was undoubtedly the massive orange spoiler, which had multiple functions: it provided aerodynamic downforce, housed the oil radiator, and, with its large supporting fins, acted as a robust roll bar for added protection.
The Roadster G.S. was met with great enthusiasm, but like many concept cars of the era, it was ultimately sacrificed in the name of progress. Used as a testbed for new technical and stylistic ideas, the car was dismantled and effectively reborn on the designers’ drawing boards. The goal? To create an even more radical vehicle to shock audiences at the 1971 Brussels Auto Show.
Industry insiders have long speculated about the rivalry between Paolo Martin and Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina. Some suggest that Fioravanti, in a mischievous act of one-upmanship, orchestrated the dismantling of the G.S. Roadster to make way for the Cuneo—perhaps as a way to outshine Martin’s original design.
The Extreme Wedge
The new design pushed the Roadster’s styling to the extreme, eliminating all curves and reducing the bodywork to a pure wedge shape. The few remaining rounded elements were subtle bulges over the wheel arches, emphasizing the car’s wide stance. The only truly curved section was the windshield, which wrapped around the cockpit like a helmet visor, maintaining a sleek yet enveloping look.
The front-end design retained the black rubber bumper and the single rectangular headlight cluster, now centrally integrated into the lower fairing. The sides were clean and taut, featuring only an orange stripe running along the body. Pininfarina’s badge adorned the front fender, while the Quadrifoglio emblem—symbolizing Alfa Romeo’s sporting pedigree—graced the rear. Notably, the Alfa Romeo 33 Cuneo had no doors; instead, a sharp edge separated the vertical side panel from the flat surface extending alongside the cockpit, where two NACA-style air intakes were positioned. The wedge-shaped form subtly rose from the engine cover, creating a slim fin that led to the sharply truncated rear.
At the rear, a black rectangular panel housed six taillights and eight exhaust pipes—one for each cylinder—evoking the aesthetics of high-performance powerboats. Inside, the minimalist cockpit featured a four-spoke steering wheel with only a tachometer behind it, while the rest of the instruments were neatly aligned at the center of the dashboard. The orange seats echoed the exterior stripes, and a slim tubular roll bar supported the air intake cover behind the seats.
Just like its predecessor, the Alfa Romeo 33 Cuneo stunned audiences, offering a radically different and essentialist vision of a sports car. It is fascinating to compare the 33 Stradale and the Cuneo, as they are nearly opposites—where Scaglione used compasses and curvilinear forms, Pininfarina relied solely on rulers and straight edges. This stark design philosophy would go on to influence other designers for years to come.
The Alfa Romeo 33 Spider Cuneo is still perfectly preserved at the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese, where it shares space with many other iconic Tipo 33 models. Alongside the breathtaking 33 Stradale, visitors can admire other concept cars: the angular Bertone Carabo by Marcello Gandini, with its scissor doors inspired by beetle wings; the iridescent metallic Iguana by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign; and finally, the futuristic Navajo, Bertone’s final dream car based on the 33 Stradale, featuring spaceship-like lines and an elongated chassis for improved aerodynamics and driver comfort.
This extraordinary collection of concept cars stands as a testament to Italian creativity and innovation, all rooted in the brilliance of the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale—an undeniable masterpiece of automotive art.
