The Alfa Romeo P33 Roadster: A Lost Icon of Italian Automotive Design

Design Reverberation - In the shifting landscape of late-1960s automotive design—an era caught between fading curves and the rising fascination with sharp geometric forms—there emerged a concept car whose brief existence still sparks curiosity today: the Alfa Romeo P33 Roadster. It was a moment when designers were rethinking the very language of form, moving from sensual, rounded silhouettes toward crisp wedges and angular minimalism. Into this creative pivot stepped Paolo Martin of Pininfarina, tasked with imagining a new kind of roadster at a time when ideas were evolving almost faster than they could be sketched. 

The 1968 Alfa Romeo Pininfarina P33 Roadster was debuted at the 1968 Turin Motor Show. (Picture from: AllCarIndex)

The P33 Roadster was developed immediately after the Ferrari Dino Berlinetta Competizione, a dramatically curvy machine that stood in stark contrast to the straight-edged attitude Martin was about to adopt. Unveiled at the 1968 Turin Motor Show, the P33 delivered an unexpected fusion of sharp lines and selective softness, acting almost as a stylistic bridge between two automotive generations. 

The 1968 Alfa Romeo Pininfarina P33 Roadster was debuted at the 1968 Turin Motor Show. (Picture from: Speedholics)

Its very foundation came from one of the 18 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale chassis, originally part of a plan to build 50 examples before Alfa redirected its resources toward the Montreal project. The five unused chassis—each paired with a potent 2.0-liter, 230-horsepower V8—were sent to Italy’s top coachbuilders so they could craft dream cars destined for prestigious motor shows.

The 1968 Alfa Romeo Pininfarina P33 Roadster was debuted at the 1968 Turin Motor Show. (Picture from: Speedholics)

This initiative produced a remarkable sequence of experimental showpieces. Bertone’s 33 Carabo appeared first in Paris in October 1968, followed a month later by Martin’s P33 Roadster for Pininfarina at the Turin show. Soon after came Leonardo Fioravanti’s P33 Coupé Prototipo Stradale in Geneva in 1969, Giugiaro’s Iguana at the Turin show later that year, and ultimately the P33 Spider “Cuneo” in Brussels in 1971—a design that would directly replace the Roadster. The lineage closed in 1976 with Gandini’s futuristic 33 Navajo. Within this sequence, the P33 Roadster held a unique place as the concept that marked the dramatic stylistic shift from flowing forms to assertive angularity. 

The 1968 Alfa Romeo Pininfarina P33 Roadster was debuted at the 1968 Turin Motor Show. (Picture from: Carstyling.ru)

Martin created the P33 Roadster under tight deadlines, working from dimensional drawings rather than a complete physical chassis. This constraint encouraged a simplified yet innovative approach: a wedge profile beginning at an unusual black rubber front bumper—an aesthetic and aerodynamic experiment for its time—and tapering to a K-tail at the rear. Adjustable side appendices, added at the suggestion of Renzo Carli, contributed to the visual intrigue, while Fioravanti’s preference for a single retracting headlight unit led to a distinctive lighting solution. Tiny upward-opening doors compensated for the high chassis spars that made conventional entry nearly impossible, and a low wrap-around windscreen served both style and aerodynamic purpose. 

The 1968 Alfa Romeo Pininfarina P33 Roadster was debuted at the 1968 Turin Motor Show. (Picture from: Carstyling.ru)

The car’s sides were kept clean and disciplined after Martin abandoned the idea of NACA ducts, while the rear featured eight intake trumpets emerging from a rectangular opening above a vertical tail section fitted with four slim, longitudinal taillights. Beneath them sat a heat-dissipating aluminum frame surrounding the exhaust. The interior was as radical as the exterior: two anatomical seats and a transverse structural frame that doubled as both dashboard support and part of the ventilation system, paired with a futuristic steering wheel that echoed the design language of the entire project. 

The 1968 Alfa Romeo Pininfarina P33 Roadster was debuted at the 1968 Turin Motor Show. (Picture from: Carstyling.ru)

One of the Roadster’s most daring innovations was its hydraulically adjustable cast-aluminum fin integrated into the roll bar. This element served as an aerodynamic stabilizer, a heat exchanger for the oil circuit, and theoretical rollover protection—an ambitious combination that ultimately proved impractical, as any malfunction risked dumping hot oil onto the occupants. Nonetheless, it showcased the kind of experimental thinking that defined concept cars of the era. Combined with the racing-derived mechanics of the 33 Stradale, the P33 Roadster was reportedly as exhilarating to drive as it was to look at. As no proper video of the prototype has surfaced, this video of its base model—the legendary Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale—serves as the closest reference. | xluAEuBDhRA |

Despite its promise, the Roadster survived less than three years. It was ultimately dismantled so its chassis could be reused for the 1971 P33 Spider “Cuneo,” a decision typical of coachbuilding practices at the time but one that Paolo Martin never fully accepted. Today, the car exists only in archived photographs, original sketches, and Martin’s own recollections. Its disappearance has only amplified its mystique, leaving behind the impression of a concept that captured a pivotal stylistic transition: the fading elegance of postwar curves giving way to the sharp-edged futurism that would define the next decade. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | STELLANTISHERITAGE | SPEEDHOLICS | ALLCARINDEX | CARSTYLING.RU ]

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