Most automakers just lived with torque steer on hot front-drive hatches. Alfa Romeo engineered it away instead, building a permanent all-wheel-drive 33 — the Permanent 4 — with Recaro seats and a Nardi wheel to match.
Median 63 hp across 165 similar cars
Lead trim: 1.2 Boxer (77 PS; Greece) · up to 109 hp
Alfa Romeo 33 second series1990–1995
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Alfa Romeo 33 second series yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactMost automakers just lived with torque steer on hot front-drive hatches. Alfa Romeo engineered it away instead, building a permanent all-wheel-drive 33 — the Permanent 4 — with Recaro seats and a Nardi wheel to match.
The 33 was given a more extensive facelift at the end of 1989, the Series II or "Nuova" 33 (Type 907), which went on sale in January 1990. It featured a revised interior, the introduction of fuel injection, the 1.7 litre engine upgraded to include a 137 PS (101 kW; 135 hp) 16-valve version, and heavily restyled front and rear ends in line with the new Alfa "family look" established by the flagship 164. The part-time four-wheel-drive 33 4x4 was joined by a version with permanent four-wheel drive, the Permanent 4, offered only on the most powerful 16-valve version, with Recaro seats in front and a Nardi steering wheel; it was renamed the Q4 from 1992. The estate was sold as the Sport Wagon in most markets, and late-production 33s do not suffer from the rust problems of their ancestors, as their frames are galvanized in the manner Alfa Romeo introduced with the 164. In mid-1992, as required by the introduction of Euro 1 emissions requirements, uncatalyzed models were discontinued or built only for export markets with laxer standards, and in May 1992 the 1.8 TD was updated to become the 1.8 TD Eco, which was discontinued midway through 1993. Zagato's tall-bodied "Z33 Free Time" prototype anticipated the Renault Scénic, and a hybrid prototype with a 16 hp electric motor was tested on three 1.5 Sport Wagons.
Collectors Spotted in the Alfa Romeo 33 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Alfa Romeo 33 yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
7 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 Boxer (77 PS; Greece) | 1990–1993 | 1.2 L Flat-4 | 76 hp | 70 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.5 Boxer (105 PS) | 1990–1992 | 1.5 L Flat-4 | 103 hp | 98 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.5 IE Boxer (105 PS) | 1990–1995 | 1.5 L Flat-4 | 103 hp | 93 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.5 IE catalyst Boxer (97 PS) | 1992–1995 | 1.5 L Flat-4 | 96 hp | 92 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.7 IE Boxer (110 PS) | 1990–1995 | 1.7 L Flat-4 | 109 hp | 113 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.7 IE catalyst Boxer (107 PS) | 1990–1995 | 1.7 L Flat-4 | 106 hp | 110 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.8 TD i turbodiesel straight-three (84 PS) | 1990–1993 | 1.8 L Inline-3 | 83 hp | 131 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Most automakers just lived with torque steer on hot front-drive hatches. Alfa Romeo engineered it away instead, building a permanent all-wheel-drive 33 — the Permanent 4 — with Recaro seats and a Nardi wheel to match.
The '86 facelift Alfa 33 actually took a step backward inside — its clever moveable instrument binnacle, which moved with the steering wheel, was dropped for a conventional fixed dash.
The original Alfa 33 had a dashboard that moved: the whole instrument binnacle rose and fell with the adjustable steering wheel — unusual enough that the 1986 facelift dropped it for a conventional layout.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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