| 1967-68 ALFA ROMEO 33/2 Stradale In the late 1960's, Alfa Romeo decided to build a car to challenge the best in Sport/GT car racing. The result of this effort was the 33/2 of 1967-68. Featuring a V8 mid-engine layout, the 33/2 saw early success with victories in class at Daytona and Le Mans. Later versions of the car were not as successful until 1973 when Alfa Romeo won the manufacturer's championship. The 33/2 Stradale was the street version of the race car. |
 |
 2 litre, 230 bhp V8 With four valves per cylinder, this V8 evolved from an earlier design and was also used in street form for the Alfa Romeo Montreal. |
 |
Ertl Recreates the Alfa Romeo 33/2 Stradale in 1:60 Scale Ertl's 33/2 Stradale was one of a series of sport/GT cars produced in the 1970's. Along with an Abarth, Porsche 917, Ford GT40 and McLaren M84, the 33/2 Stradale is a unique model to find in small scale. Ertl's's toy car is today worth $10-15 loose, due to rarity of this model and it is sought-after by Alfa Romeo collectors. The opening engine cover reveals the V8 motor but it was unfortunately sprayed in the same red as the car. The Ertl wheels have proved to be quite weak and are often found to be broken. The overall lines on the car are good although the casting shows too many mold lines. The beautiful shape of the 33/2 Stradale is captured in this toy car. Few other small-scale manufacturers bothered to do this car with only Polistil and Mercury/Speedy joining Ertl in producing examples. |
 |
| Styling by Scaglione Franco Scaglione was responsible for the 33/2 Stradale's lovely design. The body was designed to allow for the street version of the car to be fitted to the race-designed chassis. Only 18 of the 33/2 Stradale models were completed by Alfa Romeo, making it one of the rarest and most collectible of all road-going Alfas. With curb weight of just 1,260 lbs. and 230 bhp, the Stradale could reach over 160 mph. |
 |
Ertl's History of 1:64 Many collectors today are largely unaware of the wonderful and unique models produced by Ertl in the 1970's and 1980's. Ertl has recently returned to this scale with their American Muscle line. These older Ertl castings included many models like the Stradale, #1612, that were unique to 1:64. For a more complete review of these Ertl's small-scale models of this period, click here, and click here. |