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1969 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 news, pictures, and information | ||
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 |  |  | Sports Racer Chassis Num: 105 800 23 |
| Sold for $1,591,628 (€1,232,000) at 2012 RM Auctions. | |||
After leaving motor racing with its withdrawal from the Formula One World Championship at the end of the 1951 season, Alfa Romeo would be absent from motor racing until 1963 when it returned with its TZ1 model with its Zagato-designed body. The process of Alfa's return to motor racing had been rather slow and very intentional. And it would pay off. By 1968, just five years after returning to motor racing, Alfa Romeo would sweep its class at Le Mans. The car that would achieve the feet would be the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2.
The 33/2 was certainly a strong performer earning victories in the Targa Florio, the 24 Hours of Daytona, Nurburgring and Monza. However, the car just could not compete with the likes of Porsche's 908 and Ferrari's 512. Both of those cars utilized engines larger than 2.2-liters, whereas the Tipo 33/2 only used a 2.0-liter engine. Therefore, the car was very competitive, if not dominant, within its class, but it certainly struggled to match the pace of the Porsches and the Ferraris.
Something had to be done about that. And in 1969, Alfa Romeo would debut its Tipo 33/3. While the design of the car would certainly change, the biggest departure from the 33/2 would be the use of a 3.0-liter engine capable of producing some 400 bhp. Now, Alfa would find itself in the same league as the Porsche and the Ferrari.
Despite making the move to the 3.0-liter category, no Tipo 33/3 would be entered in the 24 Hours of Daytona. Tragedy would strike at Sebring when Lucien Bianchi died during practice. The tragedy would lead the team not to enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans for 1969. Instead, 33/3s would only take part in smaller endurance races and would come away with a couple of victories. Still, the team would end up 3rd in the championship.
1970 would hold any greater promise as Porsche and Ferrari would move into the 5.0-liter category thereby only increasing the divide between themselves and Alfa Romeo. Besides a class win in the 1000km of Zeltweg, the greatest achievement the team would have in 1970 would be its role it played in the film Le Mans.
1971 would see Alfa Romeo'a 33/3 return the team to successful ways with class victories in numerous events. This would be helped by the move to a five-speed gearbox and many unreliability issues being resolved. But still, Alfa could not compete regularly against the likes of Porsche and Ferrari. Therefore, the surprise victory by de Adamich and Pescarolo in the 1000km of Brands Hatch over the powerful Porsche 917s would be truly something special.
Throughout the years of competition with the 33/3 and all previous models, Autodelta was the official factory effort and one of its 33/3 chassis, chassis number 23, would be made available for auction at RM Auctions' event in Monaco. Held at the Grimaldi Forum in 2012, RM Auctions would present to the public a virtually untouched original Sports Racer that actually saw competition and actually still appears to have just come away from the track.
Chassis 23 had been sold in 1973 by Autodelta S.p.a. to Milan's Weiss-Siam company. Although usually difficult to track because of Carlo Chiti's habit of keeping detail within his own memory, this particular chassis is known to be sold for 5,000,000 lire and was sold to Weiss-Siam, which was a company responsible for importing Koni shock absorbers into Italy.
Again, while exact records are difficult to come by there are hints within the chassis itself that suggest the car had been used throughout the 1970 season by Piers Courage and de Adamich. Some of the highlights the two drivers managed to earn throughout the 1970 season included a 13th place result overall at the 1000km of Monza, an 8th overall at the 12 Hours of Sebring, a 6th at the 1000km of Buenos Aires and a victory in the 200 miles of Buenos Aires race.
After being campaigned, apparently, during the 1970 season, chassis number 23 would be sold in 1973 and would remain in a private collection for some thirty years. Throughout this thirty year period the car would remain untouched and highly original, a true time capsule.
Then, after thirty years of being part of a single private collection, the car would be sold in 2003 to only its second private owner. Moved by the highly original state, confirmed by numerous photographs and other information, the new owner couldn't be moved to do anything to the car and elected to leave it in its unaltered state as well.
One year later, the car would be sold again. At that time the car would be imported to the U.K. and would take its place in yet another private collection. Then, in 2006, Pearsons Engineering Ltd. would be commissioned to restore the car with the main focus being to keep the car's high originality. This would induce an extensive process that would start out with examination of the car and other research. Gerry Pearson would then set about carefully dismantling the car taking out its engine and gearbox. This would be just the beginning as Pearson would then turn to removing the suspension and the fuel cells.
Instead of replacing components, Pearson would thoroughly test them and focused on returning them to service with the car if it was at all possible. This meant the chassis and all of its components would be ultrasonically cleaned and rebuilt. In total, the inspection and restoration would cost nearly £100,000. But what would result would be a car of incredible originality, a true look back into the world of endurance sportscar racing from the early 1970s.
Expected to earn between 725,000 and 825,000 EUR at auction, chassis 105 800 23 is certainly one of the marquee Alfa Romeo racing automobiles in the world. Drawing from a lineage that includes the famous 158 and 159, this Tipo 33/3 Sports Racer, with its beautifully flowing nose and brawny backside is certainly an evocative machine and would be a proud and prominent feature in any collection, especially amongst those in which Alfa Romeo is so dear.
Sources:
'Lot No. 373: 1969 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 Sports Racer', (http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=MC12&CarID=r335). RM Auctions. http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=MC12&CarID=r335. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
'Le Mans 1968-1971—List of Races', (http://www.racingsportscars.com/races/search.html?track=Le%20Mans&from=1968&to=1971). Racing Sports Cars. http://www.racingsportscars.com/races/search.html?track=Le%20Mans&from=1968&to=1971. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
'Drivers: Piers Courage', (http://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/Piers-Courage-GB.html). Racing Sports Cars. http://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/Piers-Courage-GB.html. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
'Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 (105-33)', (http://www.alfa-models.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=88&Itemid=91). Alfa-Models.com. http://www.alfa-models.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=88&Itemid=91. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
'1968 Alfa –Romeo Tipo 33/2 News, Pictures and Information', (http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z10330/Alfa-Romeo-Tipo-33/2.aspx). Conceptcarz.com: From Concept to Production. http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z10330/Alfa-Romeo-Tipo-33/2.aspx. Retrieved 14 May 2012.By Jeremy McMullen
The Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 name was used from 1967 through 1977 for Alfa Romeo sports racing prototypes and even a few road going cars. Alfa Romeo's history in sports car racing goes back to pre-World War vintage. They legacy continued in 1950 and 1951 as they won the first two Formula 1 World Championships. After this accomplishment, they retired from racing to focus on the production of road-going vehicles. Their absence from racing would be only for a short time, as their Zagato-bodied TZ1 was introduced in 1963. Its light alloy body, tubular frame, disc brakes, and independent suspension gave the vehicle superior handling and performance. The work had been managed by Carlo Chiti of Autodelta, a new competition department formed by Alfa Romeo. The Giula 1600 GTA soon followed and was a dominate force at many of their racing expeditions.
During the early 1960s, Alfa Romeo began designing a new racer which was given the codename '105.33'. The designs were later sent to Autodelta for further development. The '105' was later dropped and the vehicle became known as the '33' when it was introduced for the 1967 season. As the iterations of the Tipo 33 evolved, the names of the original cars became known as the '33/2', with the '2' representing their two-liter engines. Mounted mid-ship was a quad-cam V8 engine that was highly tuned to produce an impressive 270 horsepower. For its inaugural race at the Belgium hillclimb the Tipo 33/2 proved its potential by emerging victorious. The rest of the season was plagued by mechanical issues which made the racer unreliable.
Work and testing to evolve the Tipo 33 continued for the 1968 season. The bodywork and engine were slightly improved in an effort to resolve reliability issues and to improve the vehicles performance. Udo Schütz and Nino Vaccarella were able to navigate the 2-liter Tipo 33 at the 24 Hours of Daytona. A few other impressive victories and podium finishes followed throughout the season, but the Porsche rivals with their bigger engines often outpaced the Alfa Romeos. Alfa Romeo team finished third in the World Championship for 1968.
The Tipo 33/2 were able to secure many class victories but it was not powerful enough to contend for overall victories. Work began on a three-liter unit that would be able to contend with the competition. The V8 3-liter unit was given four valves per cylinder and adapted to an aluminum monocoque type chassis which had shrunk in size by 10 cm. At the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1969, Alfa Romeo debuted the 33/3. The racer had 400 horsepower and in the same class as the Ferrari 312P and the Porsche 908. The Alfa Romeo team would have a dismal season and often started the 33/2 in place of the 33/3.
For 1970 there were two bodystyles created, a long and short version. The long tail spider version was known as the Le Mans Spider. Worked continued to improve the vehicles reliability issues. The car was unable to contend with the dominate Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512.
In 1970 an Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 was in Steve McQueen's movie 'Le Mans'.
In 1971 the Tipo 33/3 was given a five-speed gearbox. Many of the issues had been resolved and the 33/3 had a rather successful season, finishing second in the Constructor's World Championship. Rolf Stommelen and Nanni Galli had driven their cars to class wins at the 1000km Buenos Aires. At Sebring, the class win victory was repeated. At the 1000km Brands Hatch, De Adamich and Pescarolo were able to outpace the Porsche 917's and secure an overall victory. Vaccarella and Hezemans won outright victories at the Targa Florio, the vehicles most impressive accomplishment of the season.
Near the close of the 1971 season, Autodelta introduced a new prototype racer dubbed the 33 TT3. The 'TT' meant Tellaio Tubulare - meaning tubular chassis for the vehicles spaceframe type chassis. Much had been learned from the prior racers and adapted to this new vehicle. The weight distribution was greatly improved by moving the driving position forward and relocating the gearbox ontop of the engine.
In 1973 a Carlo Chiti-designed 12-cylinder box engine was placed in the vehicle. Alfa Romeo's fitted with this engine were known as the 33 TT 12. With the increase in power, the Alfa Romeo team won many of the races in 1974 and by 1975 was dominating the competition. The Alfa Romeo team scored seven victories in eight championship races. They repeated their accomplishments in 1976 with the Tipo 33 SC 12.
The Tipo 33 SC 12 had a 2995cc 12-cylinder boxer engine that produced 520 horsepower. Alfa Romeo secured the Sports Car Championship in 1977. The final race of the season had been raced with a turbocharged version of the 12-cylinder engine which increased horsepower to 640.
Part of the reasons for Alfa Romeo's success with the Tipo 33 models were its continued development, excellent drivers and dwindling competition. Ferrari had left sports car racing in 1974 to compete in Formula One. FIA had added new regulations throughout the early 1970's which made formidable contenders such as the Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512 ineligible to compete.
By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2007
For more information and related vehicles, click hereDuring the early 1960s, Alfa Romeo began designing a new racer which was given the codename '105.33'. The designs were later sent to Autodelta for further development. The '105' was later dropped and the vehicle became known as the '33' when it was introduced for the 1967 season. As the iterations of the Tipo 33 evolved, the names of the original cars became known as the '33/2', with the '2' representing their two-liter engines. Mounted mid-ship was a quad-cam V8 engine that was highly tuned to produce an impressive 270 horsepower. For its inaugural race at the Belgium hillclimb the Tipo 33/2 proved its potential by emerging victorious. The rest of the season was plagued by mechanical issues which made the racer unreliable.
Work and testing to evolve the Tipo 33 continued for the 1968 season. The bodywork and engine were slightly improved in an effort to resolve reliability issues and to improve the vehicles performance. Udo Schütz and Nino Vaccarella were able to navigate the 2-liter Tipo 33 at the 24 Hours of Daytona. A few other impressive victories and podium finishes followed throughout the season, but the Porsche rivals with their bigger engines often outpaced the Alfa Romeos. Alfa Romeo team finished third in the World Championship for 1968.
The Tipo 33/2 were able to secure many class victories but it was not powerful enough to contend for overall victories. Work began on a three-liter unit that would be able to contend with the competition. The V8 3-liter unit was given four valves per cylinder and adapted to an aluminum monocoque type chassis which had shrunk in size by 10 cm. At the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1969, Alfa Romeo debuted the 33/3. The racer had 400 horsepower and in the same class as the Ferrari 312P and the Porsche 908. The Alfa Romeo team would have a dismal season and often started the 33/2 in place of the 33/3.
For 1970 there were two bodystyles created, a long and short version. The long tail spider version was known as the Le Mans Spider. Worked continued to improve the vehicles reliability issues. The car was unable to contend with the dominate Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512.
In 1970 an Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 was in Steve McQueen's movie 'Le Mans'.
In 1971 the Tipo 33/3 was given a five-speed gearbox. Many of the issues had been resolved and the 33/3 had a rather successful season, finishing second in the Constructor's World Championship. Rolf Stommelen and Nanni Galli had driven their cars to class wins at the 1000km Buenos Aires. At Sebring, the class win victory was repeated. At the 1000km Brands Hatch, De Adamich and Pescarolo were able to outpace the Porsche 917's and secure an overall victory. Vaccarella and Hezemans won outright victories at the Targa Florio, the vehicles most impressive accomplishment of the season.
Near the close of the 1971 season, Autodelta introduced a new prototype racer dubbed the 33 TT3. The 'TT' meant Tellaio Tubulare - meaning tubular chassis for the vehicles spaceframe type chassis. Much had been learned from the prior racers and adapted to this new vehicle. The weight distribution was greatly improved by moving the driving position forward and relocating the gearbox ontop of the engine.
In 1973 a Carlo Chiti-designed 12-cylinder box engine was placed in the vehicle. Alfa Romeo's fitted with this engine were known as the 33 TT 12. With the increase in power, the Alfa Romeo team won many of the races in 1974 and by 1975 was dominating the competition. The Alfa Romeo team scored seven victories in eight championship races. They repeated their accomplishments in 1976 with the Tipo 33 SC 12.
The Tipo 33 SC 12 had a 2995cc 12-cylinder boxer engine that produced 520 horsepower. Alfa Romeo secured the Sports Car Championship in 1977. The final race of the season had been raced with a turbocharged version of the 12-cylinder engine which increased horsepower to 640.
Part of the reasons for Alfa Romeo's success with the Tipo 33 models were its continued development, excellent drivers and dwindling competition. Ferrari had left sports car racing in 1974 to compete in Formula One. FIA had added new regulations throughout the early 1970's which made formidable contenders such as the Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512 ineligible to compete.
By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2007
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 1969
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