Test Drive Alfa Romeo 33 1990 - 1994 Sedan

Alfa Romeo 33: Ferrari for poor

The eighties, Alfa Auto Corse, then still independent, began to be rest. Measures to reduce the costs adopted by Rudolph Chrunki did not give tangible results, and a convulsive attempt to save funds through the dismissal of employees was not only dubious in the social plan by the decision, but also injected the company in a vicious circle.
The deficit of financing and human resources led to the coagulation of engineering and research on many promising areas, so new models for a number of consumer qualities were inferior to competitors, weakly were bought out and the profits brought little. German, Japanese, Swedish, French corporations were experimed with multiclapped heads, electronic fuel injection, multi-dimensional suspension, ABS, airbags and invented all the more advanced anti-corrosion protection of the body. Milanians unwitted themselves aside from all this.
Stylish to the oddities design and excellent dynamic characteristics - here, perhaps, all that Alfa Auto could offer customers. That is, the calculation was made on enthusiasts, true alfomanians who are ready to put up with mediocre ergonomics, and with ever-emerging technical problems. Such connoisseurs are not only outside Italy, but even less remained in their homeland. In a short period from 1983 to 1985, the company brought three models at once, actually updating its production line (only a classic Spider remained untouched). Large sedans 75 / Milano and 90 success did not use success, and only compact 33 allowed Alfa Auto to lavaway for several years, while in 1987, Mark did not enter the Fiat Auto SPA concern. Thirty-third inherited its name from Racing Tipo 33, in 1975 and 1977 who defeated the World Sport Protection Championships. The five-door hatchback replaced at the same time two models - superpopular alfasud and frankly failed arna with the body from Datsun Cherry. From the first model, the car borrowed a mechanical part - front-wheel drive, transmission and opposite engines with working volumes 1.2, 1.3 and 1.5 liters. The biggest motor was equipped with two carburetors (for a carburetor for a couple of cylinders), the rest - one. The chopped design was completely original, weathered in the new corporate identity La Linea. In order to save steel, steel for the manufacture of body panels up to 1990 has been purchased from the Soviet Union that over time it hurts the image of the model: the machines kept a six-year warranty from end-to-end corrosion, after which they were rapidly shed. What is called, the miser pays twice.
The production of the car placed in the plant Pomolly d'Arko near Naples. This decision was made in the framework of promoting a government program to increase the number of jobs in the poor southern part of the country. However, and here, without a catch, it was not necessary: \u200b\u200bas the experience of the alfasud released here, due to the specifics of the geographical location and the nature of local residents, control over the quality of products in the south was much more difficult to exercise than at the headquarters near Milan.
The Alfa Romeo 33 conveyor stood in August 1983 three months after the world premiere. At first time, cars were stained only in three colors: red, silver and dark gray metallic. After a year later, the Giardinetta five-door wagon went to the series and the all-wheel drive version with a forced connected drive to the rear axle - a very prompt response to Audi Quattro, and in 1985 the family was headed by the QV modification (abbreviated from the Italian Quadrifoglio Verde, then you mean green maple leaf) from 1.5 -Litrov 105-strong motor with two carburetors.
In the fall of 1986, the car was upgraded, and it was one of the first in the world white turn signals appeared, which will be combined only at the turn of the nineties. The interior has changed a bit, for example, an extravagant steering column control system in height, following the landscale, moving the entire dashboard, gave way to a simpler and more generally accepted place. The top line of the hierarchy took a new version 1.7 QV with a 117-strong engine, and the list of power units replenished the three-cylinder turbodiesel manufactured by VM Motori. Among the machines of the second series of all-wheel drive modifications was no longer.
And the former QV on the occasion was renamed 1.5 Ti. It is such a car dated in 1987, you see in the photos. From the other thirty-third of the period, except 1.7 qv, it is distinguished by the corporate anti-cycle rear, the aerodynamic skirt along the thresholds and the regular right mirror. We had the opportunity to get acquainted with this car closer. After remembering the problems with rust, we examine the body. Surprisingly, the major foci of corrosion could not be found, probably just a copy of lucky. Along the way, we note the original solution, sharply increases the chances of survival of the wheeled caps with the Alfov emblem: the caps are attached to the same bolts as the wheels, so you can only remove them with wheels.
Now look under the hood. He opens, by the way, against the course, like BMW. Such a scheme when refusing the lock does not allow the cover of the hood at high speed to lean on the windshield. Podcast space is intelligible to be divided into two compartments: in the fact that closer to the cabin, there is electrical equipment, brake amplifier and shock absorbers supports, in the second - actual engine with power and ignition systems. Moreover, from the black cover of the air filter to the motor itself, quite far - the four-cylinder boxer literally lies deep downwardly, and its center of gravity is carried out for the front wheels. This scheme is associated with a semi-independent rear suspension, in which a curly beam, Utta parallelograms and a Panar parallelogram, are designed to provide stability and excellent handling in high-speed turns, which are replete with hilly and mountainous areas of Italy. Fall inside the car - it is falling by because of a very low landing of the driver and the front passenger, creating a feeling that we are squeezed directly on the asphalt. Therefore, in generally, a low car, even a gloomy person, nothing like a claustrophobia salon does not cause a thirty-third. The back seat is located more than the front, which removes questions with the placement of the legs, but it becomes not enough space over the heads. If we talk about the trunk, then the impression of it spoils a significant loading height.
But the element of Alfa Romeo is a movement. The machine with ease breaks off from the place with the slip of the wheels and the famously gains momentum. It is worth the tachometer arrow to leave the green zone, limited 3000 rpm, as the motor as it opens a second breathing, and in the area of \u200b\u200b4000 turns, there is a tangible pickup, carrying a car forward. The speaker is excellent; Unwittingly remember that evil languages \u200b\u200bnicknamed the Ferrari car for the poor.
And what kind of sound! Against the background of the rapid set of revolutions, the bass mimping goes into a loud, full energy voice with a distinct sporty hoarse. It does not matter that there is no magnetic in Alfer, it is necessary to listen to music, but a song of a motor.
And this is with just a half-and-anddrew volume!
Note that the decent dynamics and the correct sound can be achieved only by achieving the ideal consistency of the work of both carburetors, which is not an elementary task. Opposite engines themselves are considered very reliable, and 300,000 km of mileage until the overhaul is not the limit for them. There is nothing to fear of an increased consumption of oil, it is rather normal. However, Alfa Romeo 33 has and frankly weaknesses - they include shruses, a synchronizer of the second transmission and peripheral wiring.
The car is acute and clear steering, but the gear ratio of the mechanism is such that the steering wheel has to turn to large corners than you expect from such a combat car. Returning action is great.
The suspension is tough enough, but with small pits it copes well. But the transverse seams and the joke cause unpleasant concussion. Such is the fee for decent handling, minimal rolls in turns and the lack of skate at speed.
But back to the story. In 1990, the car moved re-modernization, this time more thoroughly. Almost all body elements have changed, the rear lights stretched into a narrow strip, and the third series machine immediately began to resemble the older model 164. At the same time, the most powerful version 16V QV with a 16-valve motor with a capacity of 132 liters was made. With., which the Italian press MiG attributed to a lively classics. Soon the revival of all-wheel drive modifications, called P4, and then came a turn of the replacement of carburetors on the fuel electronic injection system.
In this form, Alfa Romeo 33 existed for another couple of years, after which he freed the place under the sun model 145. It happened in the summer of 1994. And the last spring of the world was the new generation machine - 147, going to win the competition of the year. The long-term evolution was crowned with the birth of a perfect form.
   
 

A source: Wheel Magazine [№44 2000]