Alfa Romeo Tipo 33

Last updated

The Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 was a sports racing prototype raced by the Alfa Romeo factory-backed team between 1967 and 1977. These cars took part for Sport Cars World Championship, Nordic Challenge Cup, Interserie and CanAm series. A small number of road going cars were derived from it in 1967, called Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.

Contents

With the 33TT12 Alfa Romeo won the 1975 World Championship for Makes, and with the 33SC12 the 1977 World Championship for Sports Cars, taking the first place in all eight of the championship races.

Alfa Romeo Tipo 33

Alfa Romeo 33
1967 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Periscopica photo4.JPG
Overview
Manufacturer Alfa Romeo
Production1966–1967
5 produced
Designer Carlo Chiti
Body and chassis
Class Group 6 Prototype
Layout Rear mid-engine, rear wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine 2.0 L (1,995 cc) 90° V8
Transmission 6-speed manual
Dimensions
Length3,690 mm (145.3 in) [1]
Width1,760 mm (69.3 in) [1]
Height990 mm (39.0 in) [1]
Curb weight 580 kg (1,279 lb) [1]

Alfa Romeo started development of the Tipo 33 in the early 1960s, with the first car being built in 1965. It was sent to Autodelta to be completed and for additional changes to be made. It used a straight-4 engine from the TZ2, [2] but Autodelta fitted it with a bespoke V8 engine soon after. The 1,995 cc (2.0 L; 121.7 cu in) V8 engine has a bank angle of 90° and is rated at 270 hp (274 PS; 201 kW) at 9,600 rpm, with a large-diameter tube frame. [1] [3] The Tipo 33 mid-engine prototype debuted on 12 March 1967 at the Belgian hillclimbing event at Fléron, with Teodoro Zeccoli taking the win for Alfa Romeo. The first version was nick named the “periscope” type because it had very characteristic air inlet on the roof resembling a periscope objective. [4] The original T33 proved unreliable and uncompetitive in the 1967 World Sportscar Championship season, its best result a 5th at the Nürburgring 1000, co-driven by Zeccoli and Roberto Bussinello. [5]

Alfa Romeo T33/2

Alfa Romeo T33/2
Alfa Romeo Tipo 33-2.jpg
Overview
Manufacturer Alfa Romeo
Production1967–1968
Designer Carlo Chiti
Body and chassis
Class Group 6 Prototype-Sports Cars
Group 4 Sports Cars
Layout Rear mid-engine, rear wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine 1,995–2,500 cc (2.0–2.5 L) 90° V8
Transmission 6-speed manual
Dimensions
Length3,960 mm (155.9 in) [6]
Width1,760 mm (69.3 in) [6]
Height950 mm (37.4 in) [6]
Curb weight 780 kg (1,720 lb) [6]
Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 Le Mans (1968) Alfa Romeo 33 2 Tipo LeMans.jpg
Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 Le Mans (1968)

In 1968, Alfa's subsidiary Autodelta developed an evolution model called T33/2. A road version, dubbed Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, was also introduced. At the 24 Hours of Daytona, the Porsche 907 with 2.2L engines were dominating the overall race, but Alfa took the 2-litre class win, with Udo Schütz and Nino Vaccarella; after that the car was named "Daytona". [7] The win was repeated at the Targa Florio, where Nanni Galli and Ignazio Giunti also took second place overall, followed by teammates Lucien Bianchi and Mario Casoni. Galli and Giunti then won the class at the Nürburgring 1000 km, where the 2.5L version finished for the first time, fourth place in the 3.0 L class with Schütz and Bianchi. However, in most races, the Alfa drivers were outclassed by their Porsche rivals who used bigger engines. In 1968, the car was used mainly by privateers, winning its class in the 1000km Monza, Targa Florio and Nürburgring races. [8] At the end of season Alfa Romeo had finished third in the 1968 International Championship for Makes.

A total of 28 cars were built during 1968, allowing the 33/2 to be homologated as a Group 4 Sports Car for 1969. [9]

Alfa Romeo T33/3

Alfa Romeo T33/3
Alfa Romeo 33TT3
1970 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33-3.jpg
1970 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 at the Museo Alfa Romeo
Overview
Manufacturer Alfa Romeo
Also calledAlfa Romeo
Production1967–1968 (T33/3)
1969-1972 (T33TT3)
Designer Autodelta
Body and chassis
Class Group 6 Prototype-Sports Cars
Group 5 Sports Cars
Layout RMR layout
Powertrain
Engine 2998 cc 90° V8
400 bhp @ 9000 rpm
440 bhp @ 9800 rpm
Transmission 5-speed manual
6-speed manual
Dimensions
Curb weight 700 kg/650 kg (1971)
(1543 lb)/(1433 lb) (1971)

The Alfa Romeo T33/3 made its debut in 1969 at the 12 Hours of Sebring. The engine was enlarged to 2998 cc (183ci) with 400 hp (298 kW), which put the T33/3 in the same class as the Porsche 908 and the Ferrari 312P. The chassis was now a monocoque. The new car did poorly at Sebring and Alfa did not take part in Le Mans after Lucien Bianchi's death in a practice session. The car took a couple of wins in smaller competitions but overall the 1969 season was not a successful one, and Alfa Romeo was placed seventh in the 1969 International Championship for Makes.

In 1970 the bigger 5.0L Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512 dominated, yet Toine Hezemans and Masten Gregory took third overall at Sebring, and Andrea De Adamich and Henri Pescarolo won their class in the 1000km Zeltweg, finishing second overall. Also in 1970, an Alfa T33/3 was one of the "actors" of Steve McQueen's movie Le Mans , released in 1971.

Revised Alfa Romeo T33/3 with Nanni Galli at the Nurburgring in 1971 Nanni Galli, Alfa Romeo 33.3, 1971-05-29.jpg
Revised Alfa Romeo T33/3 with Nanni Galli at the Nürburgring in 1971

In 1971 the Alfa Romeo racing effort was finally successful. Rolf Stommelen and Nanni Galli won their class at the 1000km Buenos Aires (followed by De Adamich and Pescarolo), before taking another class win (and second overall) at Sebring. De Adamich and Pescarolo later won outright at the 1000km Brands Hatch, a significant result against the "invincible" 917s. They then took a class win at Monza (where Alfa Romeo took the three podium slots in the prototype class) and another one at Spa. At the Targa Florio, Vaccarella and Hezemans won outright, followed by teammates De Adamich and Gijs van Lennep. Hezemans and Vaccarella won their class at Zeltweg, and De Adamich and Ronnie Peterson won overall at Watkins Glen. Alfa Romeo finished the season second place in the championship. In 1972 the 5 litre Group 5 Sports Cars were banned and the 3 litre cars of Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Matra, redesignated as Group 5 Sports Cars, competed together for outright victories. [10]

Alfa Romeo T33/4

A 4-litre version was entered to 1972 and 1974 CanAm series by Otto Zipper, and the driver was Scooter Patrick. Autodelta was also one of entrants with T33/4 in season 1974. The T33/3 version was also used in the CanAm series earlier.

Alfa Romeo T/33/TT/12

Alfa Romeo T/33/TT/12
Alfa Romeo 33TT12.jpg
33TT12 at the Museo Alfa Romeo
Overview
Manufacturer Alfa Romeo
Production1973-1976
Designer Autodelta
Body and chassis
Class Group 5 Sports Cars
Layout RMR layout
Powertrain
Engine 2995.125 cc F12
470 bhp @ 11000 rpm
500 bhp @ 11500 rpm
Transmission 5-speed manual
Dimensions
Curb weight 670 kg (1477 lb)
Brian Redman driving Alfa Romeo Tipo 33TT12 at the Nurburgring in 1974 Alfa Romeo 33 TT 12 - Redman 1974-05-19.jpg
Brian Redman driving Alfa Romeo Tipo 33TT12 at the Nürburgring in 1974

The T/33/TT/12 (Telaio Tubolare, tubular chassis) appeared in 1973 with the Carlo Chiti-designed 12 cylinder 3.0L flat engine (500 bhp). The 1973 season was more or less development time and in 1974 the car, which had an F1-style airbox intake added won at Monza 1000 km and finished the season with second place in the championship. It wasn't until 1975 that, after years of trying, Alfa Romeo won the 1975 World Championship for Makes. The season was one of almost total domination with seven wins in eight races., [2] Winning drivers were: Arturo Merzario, Vittorio Brambilla, Jacques Laffite, Henri Pescarolo, Derek Bell and Jochen Mass. For 1976 Autodelta was concentrating on other things and the car was rarely used in competitions.

Alfa Romeo 33SC12

Alfa Romeo 33SC12
Alfa Romeo 33SC12 Turbo
Alfa Romeo 33 SC 12 Sovralimentata 1977 red vr TCE.jpg
Alfa Romeo 33 SC 12 Turbo
Overview
Manufacturer Alfa Romeo
Production1976-1977
Designer Autodelta
Body and chassis
Class Group 6 Two-Seater Racing Cars
Layout RMR layout
Powertrain
Engine 2995 cc F12
520 bhp @ 12000 rpm
2134 cc F12 twin-turbo
640 bhp @ 11000 rpm
Transmission 5-speed manual
Dimensions
Curb weight 720 kg (1587 lb)

The successor of the 33TT12 1976 was the 33SC12, SC referring to SCatolato, a boxed chassis. The 3.0 L flat-12 engine now produced 520 bhp (390 kW). With this car Alfa Romeo won the 1977 World Championship for Sports Cars, the 33SC12s driven by Arturo Merzario, Jean-Pierre Jarier and Vittorio Brambilla having won every race in the series. At the Salzburgring the car reached an average speed of 203.82 km/h (126.6 mph); in that same race Arturo Merzario also tested a 2134 cc turbocharged SC12 producing 640 bhp [11] finishing second with that car. The SC12 Turbo was Alfa's first twin turbocharged 12 cylinder engine and it was introduced around the same time as Renault's Formula One turbo engine. In the Alfa Romeo engine each bank was fed with its own turbocharger; that feature was adopted by many racecar makers in the following years. [2]

The flat-12 engine was later used on Brabham-Alfa BT45, BT46 and Alfa Romeo 177 F1 cars.

Technical data

Technical data 33/2 33/3 33TT3 33TT12 33SC12
Engine: 8-cylinder 90° V-engine 12-cylinder 180° V-engine 12-cylinder 180° V-engine with twin turbo
Displacement: 1995 cm³2998 cm³2995 cm³2134 cm³
Bore x stroke: 78 x 52.2 mm86 x 64.4 mm77 x 53.6 mm77 x 38.2 mm
Compression: 11,0:112.0:1
Max power at rpm: 270 hp at 9 600 rpm420 hp at 9 400 rpm440 hp at 9 800 rpm500 hp at 11 500 rpm640 hp at 11 000 rpm
Max torque at rpm: 470 Nm at 9 000 rpm
Valve control:  Double Overhead Camshafts per cylinder bank, 2 valves per cylinder Double Overhead Camshafts per cylinder bank, 4 valves per cylinder
Fuel system:  Fuel Injection
Gearbox: 6-speed manual5-speed manual
front suspension: Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bars
Rear suspension: Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll barsDouble transverse links, single longitudinal links, coil springs, anti-roll bars
Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes
Chassis & body: Platform chassis of aluminum tube with aluminum bodySelf-supporting monocoqueFackverksteel frame with aluminum bodySelf-supporting monocoque
Wheelbase: 225 cm224 cm234 cm250 cm
Dry weight: 600 kg700 kg650 kg670 kg770 kg
Top speed: 260 km/h330 km/h350 km/h

Audio

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arturo Merzario</span> Italian racing driver (born 1943)

Arturo Francesco "Art" Merzario is a racing driver from Italy. He participated in 85 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting at the 1972 British Grand Prix. He scored 11 championship points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nino Vaccarella</span> Italian racing driver (1933–2021)

Nino Vaccarella was an Italian sports car racing and Formula One driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari 512</span> Car model

Ferrari 512 S was a sports prototype car produced by Italian manufacturer Ferrari from 1969 to 1970. As it name suggests, the car had a 5.0L V12 engine. A total 25 units were built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 908</span> Motor vehicle

The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced in 1968 to continue the Porsche 906-Porsche 910-Porsche 907 series of models designed by Helmuth Bott (chassis) and Hans Mezger (engine) under the leadership of racing chief Ferdinand Piëch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porsche 907</span> Motor vehicle

The Porsche 907 is a sportscar racing prototype built by Porsche in 1967 and 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 24 Hours of Le Mans</span> 41st 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race

The 1973 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 41st Grand Prix of Endurance and took place on 9 and 10 June 1973. It was the eighth round of the 1973 World Championship of Makes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 24 Hours of Le Mans</span> 40th 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race

The 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans was a motor race staged at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France on 10 and 11 June 1972. It was the 40th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the ninth race of the 1972 World Championship for Makes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 World Sportscar Championship</span>

The 1968 World Sportscar Championship season was the 16th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship racing and featured the 1968 International Championship for Makes and the 1968 International Cup for GT Cars. The former was contested by Group 6 Sports Prototypes, Group 4 Sports Cars and Group 3 Grand Touring Cars and the later by Group 3 Grand Touring Cars only. The two titles were decided over a ten race series which ran from 3 February 1968 to 29 September 1968, but one race was only worth half points, and only the five best results were counted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari 312 PB</span> Sports car

The Ferrari 312 PB was a Group 6 Prototype-Sports Car introduced in 1971 by Italian carmaker Ferrari. It was officially designated the 312 P, but often known as the 312 PB to avoid confusion with a previous car of the same name. It was part of the Ferrari P series of Prototype-Sports Cars but was redesignated as a Group 5 Sports Car for 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ</span> Italian sports car

The Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ was a sports car and racing car manufactured by Alfa Romeo from 1963 to 1967. It replaced the Giulietta SZ. In 2011, the name was reduced from Giulia TZ to TZ in the new TZ3 model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autodelta</span> Alfa Romeos competition department

Autodelta SpA was the name of Alfa Romeo's competition department. Established in 1961 as Auto-Delta by Carlo Chiti and Lodovico Chizzola, former Alfa Romeo and Ferrari engineers, the company was officially made a department of Alfa Romeo on March 5, 1963 by the then president of Alfa Romeo Giuseppe Luraghi. Originally based in Feletto Umberto, Udine, the team subsequently moved closer to Alfa Romeo's facilities in Settimo Milanese in 1964, officially becoming Autodelta SpA. The move enabled Autodelta to use the Balocco test track for new racing cars and prototypes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toine Hezemans</span> Dutch racing driver (born 1943)

Antoine Emile "Toine" Hezemans is a Dutch former touring and prototype racing car driver in the 1960s and 1970s. After retiring from racing, Hezemans started manufacturing karting engines. He developed the Rotax 100 cc engines into a World championship winner in his new factory at Eindhoven Airport in Holland. His Rotax engines won 10 times the world championships in various classes and wiped out the Italian karting competition. He sold his company Bombardier Rotax Holland b.v. back to Bombardier in Canada in 1996. In 2000 he started his own team with Dodge Vipers and won numerous races in the Gt 1 Championship. He made a deal with GM in the USA and got hold of 2 Corvettes C6 and was successful privateer Team, winning 2 times the 24 hours of Spa. One of the drivers was his son, Mike Hezemans. Even today he has a European Nascar team where his sons Loris Hezemans and Liam Hezemans won the European Nascar championships 3 times. Since 1978, he is very active in real estate projects in Miami, Brussels and Amsterdam.

Udo Schütz is a German entrepreneur, who was competing successfully with racing cars in the 1960s, and with yachts in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 12 Hours of Sebring</span>

The 1970 12 Hours of Sebring was an endurance race held at the 5.2 mile (8.3 km) Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Florida, United States on March 21, 1970. It was the twentieth running of the endurance classic and the second round of the 1970 World Sportscar Championship season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 Targa Florio</span>

The 1970 Targa Florio was an endurance race that took place on 3 May 1970. It was held on a 44.6 mi (71.8 km) anti-clockwise circuit made up entirely of public roads on the mountainous Italian island of Sicily. It was the fifth round of the 1970 International Championship for Makes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 1000 km of Nürburgring</span>

The 1970 1000km of Nürburgring was an endurance race held at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Nürburg, West Germany on May 31, 1970. It was the seventh round of the 1970 World Sportscar Championship season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 Austrian 1000 km</span>

The 1970 Austrian 1000km was an endurance race held at the Österreichring, near Zeltweg, Austria on October 11, 1970. It was the tenth and final round of the 1970 World Sportscar Championship season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willi Kauhsen</span> German racing driver

Willibert "Willi" Kauhsen is a German former racing driver and racing team owner from Eschweiler in Aachen, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 Targa Florio</span>

The 52° Targa Florio took place on 5 May 1968, on the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, Sicily (Italy).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1969 Targa Florio</span>

The 53rd Targa Florio took place on 4 May 1969, on the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, Sicily (Italy).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Alfa Romeo 33 'Periscopica' Spider". Ultimate Car Page.
  2. 1 2 3 "Autodelta - a history". italiancar.net. Archived from the original on 2013-07-18. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  3. "Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 le Mans".
  4. "Alfa Romeo Australia – 1960-1970". myalfaromeo.com.au. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  5. Bissett, Mark (23 June 2015). "Alfa Romeo Tipo 33: Balocco 1967…". primotipo.com. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Melissen, Wouter (9 April 2012). "Alfa Romeo 33/2 Daytona". UltimateCarPage.
  7. "1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/S Daytona". sportscarmarket.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  8. "Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 Daytona Coupé". 10 February 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  9. ML Twite, The World's Racing Cars, Fourth Edition, 1970, page 110
  10. Sobran, Alex (2017-12-22). "Winning Lineage: The Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Competition Cars". Petrolicious. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  11. "Alfa Romeo 33 Sport Prototipo" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2009-10-27. Retrieved 2007-05-09.