The McLaren P1's Designer Thinks the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale Is 'Stunning'

He doesn't think it's perfect, however, going as far as to point out a few styling flaws.

Photo by: Alfa Romeo

By: Anthony Alaniz

Jun 6, 2025 at 11:15am ET

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Believe it or not, Frank Stephenson, the famed car designer, is still gushing about the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale. The Italian automaker revealed the car nearly two years ago, pledging to build just 33 examples. It's a faithful tribute to the 33 Stradale of the late 1960s, considering the quagmire of modern safety constraints, and it's a car that Stephenson calls one of the "most stunning" of the last few years.

The Stradale revival has retro-inspired sheet metal and a mid-engine layout, just like the original. However, despite Stephenson's praise, he reveals to Top Gear the car is "still not perfect," and that there's "room for improvement."

He criticizes the 33's chunkier rear-end design, noting the license plate's distracting location and other styling flubs. Stephenson praises the front-end design of the Alfa, however, calling it "fantastic," although he questions whether the headlights should have been rounder.

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Alfa revealed the 33 Stradale in August 2023, even though it had sold all of them nearly a year earlier. The car is available with two powertrains— a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 engine or a battery-electric setup. Alfa never revealed the split between the two choices, but he admitted that it had "just a few EVs" in development despite it being the more powerful option.

The EV version produces 750 horsepower and could sprint to 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds. The V-6, meanwhile, makes 620 hp, sending power to the rear wheels. Alfa announced it delivered the first example last December. And if you want the company to make more cars like the 33 Stradale, you're going to have to buy more SUVs first.