Alfa Romeo 33. Nineties series. Musing.

It tickled again. During the careful search for a nice hobby car I came across one Alfa Romeo 33 from the 907 series. That was the generation that retired the 905 models of the 33. The 907 series got a front that was in line with that of the 164. Also got the 33 for the nineties a new, taut back party. The Italian was equipped with a 1.5 IE engine. It looked neat and it was also possible to live with the mileage of 120.000 kilometers. He had his little things, and in combination with the price I decided to park the 33. However, he did open the door to memories of the model.

A former colleague once got a 33 Imola as a lease car. The 33 had just been taken out of production, but my colleague was happy to receive the keys to the 33. We immediately decided to take it for a spin. Unfortunately, the newbie hit Alfa rider my recommendations to first bring the fluids up to temperature completely in the wind. Because one Alfa was made for sporty driving. 'That's right', I said, 'but take your time, otherwise you will screw up the engine.' Thus happened. The fun lasted an hour. We had a good laugh about it later, but at that moment someone really had to explain something. It ended well for him, but not for the Alfa. It was lease car finished.

However, that experience was not a reason for me to remove the 33 from the list of favorites. Long ago, in 1998, I came close to buying an in Alfa Rosso painted and completely rust free Alfa Romeo 33, with spoiler on the tailgate. The type was a 907, the year of manufacture was 1992, the engine was still a 1.351 cc with two double carburettors. I looked at the Alfa okay, the car had been at the dealer in the Kop van Noord-Holland for a while. The seller asked twelve thousand guilders for it, and that was solid. The mileage was 98.000 kilometers, the maintenance book was stamped to 65.000 kilometers, we had to be in the dark about the distribution switch, which I found strange. But this 33 was at least worth a try.

The car had been sleeping in the open air on the property for a while. In addition, it was wintering, but the cold start went perfectly. The subsequent test drive was dangerously addictive, especially after I had warmed up the engine. This was a purebredwho didn't miss a beat. From the beginning. The temperamental reputation of the wonderfully grating Alfaboxers was already known to me, and the copy in this car certainly did not disappoint. The rest of the technology was also good. I wanted to go for this, I was going to have an adventure with this, I knew that. And it was not only the driving experience, the beautiful condition and the beautiful lines that remained under the skin for a long time.

The small imperfections also made this car. The wind noise, the closely spaced pedals, the window of the left rear door that always drops to a crack, the mediocre hinges and locks, the shaky but accurate and completely creak-free switching (very important with a 33) and the somewhat less strong heating would be a reason for every common-sense car to go a step further. Hereby Alfa I thought the small omissions did fit (although that window was also one of the things I wanted to fix), they made the car.

So negotiate. I soon knew that the mission was hopeless. The seller wanted to return a ridiculous amount for my old Opel, while sticking to the asking price. I was on a distribution switch, a pretty expensive affair Alfaboxers. The selling party did not start there. After all, he already gave a three-month warranty. I also wanted to stipulate an ANWB purchase inspection. No chance. And there it was again: three months warranty† It passed, but the car has always stuck with me. With a mixture of heartache and realism.

That specific feeling with a 33 has always remained. I still turn around three times when I see the De'Silva generation of the Alfa Romeo 33 see. If only because I hardly encounter the 33 anymore. But it slumbers at set times, and then I feel exactly what I felt during the test drive. I recall the sporty character, the pure lines and the addictive driving experience. You hear the engine, you feel the handling and you experience the seating position without actually driving the car at that moment. There are few cars that evoke that in me. Alfa's do that. The Alfa Romeo 33 does. That's why I love him already. Regardless of implementation. Including his nuggets. Because that's the character of Alfa's success number of yesteryear only further strengthen. And as I write that, I feel my feet tingling again. And I muse about the Alfa Romeo 33, which should have been mine. And about the Alfa Romeo 33, which I recently came across on the world wide web.