Half a century has passed since Alfa Romeo introduced the world to the iconic 33 Stradale.

Designed by Franco Scaglione, the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale made its debut on August 31 1967, on the eve of the Italian F1 Grand Prix in Monza.

Alfa Romeo’s 33 Stradale is considered one of the first supercars, sitting alongside the Lamborghini Miura. It combines one of the sexiest designs in the history of the automobile with pure racing technology derived from the Tipo 33 line of race cars.

The Italian company made just 18 examples, with five of them converted to concept cars. We don’t really know how many of them survive to this day, with various sources indicating that there around five or six of them out there.

Power came from a 2.0-liter dry-sump V8 that featured twin overhead camshafts and fuel injection. It was capable of revving up to 10,000rpm, making around 230hp. With a weight of just 700kg (1,543lbs), the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale was capable of a 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 160mph.

For the 50th anniversary, Alfa Romeo is launching a special exhibition at the Museo Storico in Arese, Milan. The exhibition will bring a prototype 33 Stradale with five of the six concepts that derived from the 33 Stradale’s chassis: Carabo, Iguana, 33/2 Speciale, Cuneo and Navajo. Also on display will are the 33/2 Daytona, 33/3, 33 TT12 and 33 SC12 turbo racing cars.

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