1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo Concept - Images, Specifications and Information

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After winning the first two Formula 1 World Championships in 1950 and 1951, Alfa Romeo officially withdrew from motorracing to concentrate on a new line of road cars. Although these cars were not as glamorous as the pre-War Alfas, they were still clearly inspired by the designs of old. At the end of the decade work was started on a new racer, built around the road cars' 1.6 litre four cylinder engine. This slow process eventually resulted in the TZ1 model, launched in 1963, it featured a new tubular chassis and an aerodynamic body designed by Zagato.

To construct the new GT racer, Alfa Romeo created a new competition department and dubbed it Autodelta. Two years later the highly successful Giula 1600 GTA was constructed specifically for Touring car racing, which the GTA dominated the following years. In the mean time Alfa Romeo and Autodelta worked on a completely new competition car that was intended to restore Alfa's old reputation. Code named '105.33', the new car was designed by Alfa's experimental department and then sent to Autodelta in 1965 to be further developed.

When Autodelta received the first prototype, it was powered by a TZ2 derived four cylinder engine. The engine was installed behind driver's compartment, complying with the latest racing design trends. A completely new V8, displacing just under 2 litres, was designed by Autodelta and mated to a Colotti 6-speed gearbox. The chassis consisted of three large aluminum tubes; two longitudinal side members and one fitted transversely at the rear. Suspension was by double wishbones front and back. It was equipped with the latest vented Girling discs all-round.

Simply dubbed 33, the new racer made its debut in the 1967 season. In later years the cars were known as 33/2 for their 2 litre displacement, to distinguish them from the larger engined evolutions. In competition trim the high revving quad-cam V8 was good for at least 270 bhp. It made a victorious debut at a hillclimb in Belgium, but reliability issues dominated the rest of the season. For 1968 a slightly revised engine and new bodywork improved both performance and reliability. After its debut race the 1968 33/2 is now commonly referred to as Daytona. Alfa Romeo finished third in the World Championship.

In September of 1967 Autodelta took the wraps of a quite remarkable 33 variant; a road car! Technically, the 33 'Stradale' was virtually identical to the racing car, except for a longer wheelbase and a downtuned engine. More importantly it featured a Franco Scaglione penned body, which to this day is considered one of the most beautiful designs ever. Thanks to the aerodynamic body top speeds of well over 250 km/h were easily achievable. At least four chassis were supplied to Italian coachbuilders and used for exciting design studies.

Two years after debuting the curvacious Lamborghini Miura, Bertone took the wraps of the wedge-shaped Alfa Romeo Carabo, signaling a new direction in supercar design. Both the name and paint were derived from a small bright green beetle. Much inspiration was drawn from the Carabo when the Lamborghini Countach was designed, which enherited the overall shape and the scissor doors first seen on the Alfa Romeo show car.

Today the Carabo is on display in Alfa Romeo's excellent museum, together with the other three design studies. It is seen here at the 2004 Paleis 't Loo Concours d'Elegance, where Bertone's work was celebrated.