1969 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 Coupe Speciale
Leonardo Fioravanti penned this striking Pininfarina concept for the 1969 Paris Motor Show, utilizing an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale chassis after factory efforts to market the road-going Stradale in series were curtailed. The design drew on themes explored in Pininfarina’s Ferrari 250 P5 concept from the previous year, echoing its low wedge-like stance, dramatic surfacing, and expansive glazing.
Yellow paintwork covered the aluminum bodywork, distinguished by hydraulically operated butterfly doors, pop-up headlights, and a concave front deck flowing into prominent, ovoid rear fenders.
The transparent roof extended rearward to create an almost uninterrupted greenhouse, emphasizing the car’s show-car character over pure competition utility.
Brown leather and patterned cloth trimmed the interior, which combined concept-car flair with Tipo 33 racing cues such as the steering wheel and deeply cowled main instruments, supplemented by centrally located auxiliary gauges.
Despite the showpiece presentation, the cockpit retained purposeful ergonomics befitting its competition-derived chassis and powertrain.
Power came from a mid-mounted 1,995cc Tipo 33 V8 making roughly 245 horsepower at very high rpm, paired with a 6-speed manual transaxle driving the rear wheels. With curb weight around 1,590 pounds (about 720 kilograms), the Coupe Speciale was reputedly capable of roughly 155 mph, giving this design exercise genuine race-bred performance.
This sole example was one of several coachbuilt specials constructed between 1968 and 1971 on surplus 33 Stradale underpinnings by a range of Italian carrozzerie. Today, the Tipo 33/2 Coupe Speciale is preserved in the Alfa Romeo historical collection at Arese, where it stands as a showcase of late-1960s Italian design and Alfa’s sports-prototype heritage.
Source
