Alfa Romeo 33 1.7 Cloverleaf

[Mikebentley]

Great car OP and good luck. Is the walk of shame you mention a reference to your dodgy footwear?

[itiejim]

Wow, great to see one of these. I had an identical one, same model and colour from 1998 - 2001 - G710 MET. Great car, loads of character and I could never understand why they seemed so underrated. It took me all over the place including to a new life in Rome but ended up in a scrap yard there due to terminal rust.
It was surprisingly rare to see a 1.7 Cloverleaf in Italy, so always got lots of attention.
Love it, enjoy 👍

[BVB]

Haven't seen one of these for ages! Well done for keeping it alive.

[Spinakerr]

Wow, Reader's Car Of The Week - thank you PH!

Great to get that on the day the car was at the Festival of the Unexceptional - we made it with zero issues, and it was the exact place to gauge interest from the right kind of potential owner.

Cupramax said:

That rotor arm..for the sake of a few quid get a new one...

One on the way already, thanks.

Earl of Petrol said:

Had a red 1.5 Green Cloverleaf (preceded by two Alfasud Ti’s) bought from Cubleys of Ainsdale. C969OKB. It was written off in what I later realised could easily have been a fatal (for me) accident.
Insurance paid out and I upgraded myself to a 75 Twin Spark, from the aforementioned Mangoletsi and Fraser Hudson.
Somebody asked about the wind deflectors, they were standard on this model, my earlier car didn’t have them. 33 is properly rare now and remarkably more Alfasuds probably survive. OP’s car looks very original.

Yep the deflectors are QV - I don't think anything on this car is non-original apart from some paint to the rear and standard consumables. Good to hear to worked your way through the back catalogue!

gregelvis said:

My Stepdad had one of these. Same spec and colour. He had been a (rear engined) Skoda man for years before this, so I was delighted when I managed to convince him to go for a nearly new Alfa.

We had a few Alfas in our family. I had a beautiful Sud Ti (which I stuffed into a tree). My Step brother had a GTV, a Sprint and a 146. He raced the GTV and 146 very successfully. You hardly see these even in Italy now (saw a 33 sportwagon in all over primer this week!)

Yes I see many, many Fiat 500s in Italy but no where near as many old Alfas. Like France, likely certain rural areas where they are all still plugging away.

Cambs_Stuart said:

Lovely Alfa.
And congratulations on car of the week!

Ta kindly, thanks for the ongoing support for the fleet!

MJK 24 said:

If you get underneath, there’s a drain bolt in each cylinder head to enable full draining of the cooling system!

Got it - that looks relatively easy - thanks!

tim-jxv5n said:

Thanks and lovely picture - I'm a serial Rover owner too

Haha, biggest insult of the day, that's an accord type r!!!

Oops - mea culpa - the perils of replying after viewing images on a phone screen.

TypeR said:

I see your car originally came from Amersham Motors. I bought a beautiful Sud Sprint from them over 20 years ago.
They became part of the Perrys group. I'm not sure if the dealership is still operating, last time I drove past, the showroom was full of Hyundais.
Well done for rescuing that lovely 33!! The noise they make is really unique.

I had a few comments about the Amersham connection and dealership yesterday - unfortunately I'm clueless on the subject but the paperwork is all there.

Mr Tidy said:

Brilliant Reader's Car of the Week!

Well done to the OP for giving it some love.

It looks far too good to be scrapped, so it's good to see it being saved. Such a rare car - I don't remember seeing many of them around even when they were current models!

Thanks - half the battle was taking the plunge, but quite a few RHD models seems to have made it here.

Mikebentley said:

Great car OP and good luck. Is the walk of shame you mention a reference to your dodgy footwear?

Ha! It's the summer, and I make no apologies for cheap loafers! Why do I always get picked up on my footwear in these threads...

itiejim said:

Wow, great to see one of these. I had an identical one, same model and colour from 1998 - 2001 - G710 MET. Great car, loads of character and I could never understand why they seemed so underrated. It took me all over the place including to a new life in Rome but ended up in a scrap yard there due to terminal rust.
It was surprisingly rare to see a 1.7 Cloverleaf in Italy, so always got lots of attention.
Love it, enjoy ??

Sounds like the correct adventure arc for an Alfa! We'll see how this one goes...

[Spinakerr]

With a full hamper of edibles, a smattering of tools and bleary eye we set off for the Festival of the Unexceptional yesterday, my first time there and hopefully the first of many! It started with minimal complaint this time, alternator belt not shrieking and only a few pings and pongs from the exhaust to the absolute delight of my neighbours.The 33 is surprisingly quiet at 70mph on the motorway, but much more at home whizzing around 50mph B roads and sweeping bends of Buckinghamshire.

From some email correspondence I had thought we were going to be waved to the 'main stage', but we ended up just outside..



This is the type of classic festival where MGBs get weird looks for turning up as being 'too common'.

Once we took the tour the confusion source was uncovered, there was another gold 33, a 1.5, on the main ground:



Good to talk to the custodian here as a few reference pics of the engine bay and random info nuggets were well received.

The variety and multitude of vehicles was truly a wonder - everyone was stopping and shaking their head with "Well I never.." and "What is that?..." gestures. Picture overload to follow. Name them all!



20190720_111213 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr

20190720_111228 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr

20190720_111316 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr

20190720_111324 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr

20190720_111342 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr

20190720_111503 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr

20190720_111604 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr

20190720_111637 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr

20190720_112004 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr

20190720_112119 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr

20190720_113309 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr

20190720_113955 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr

20190720_122620 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr

Phew.

[Cupramax]

Great pics, good to see some old metal being kept going

[shrewiside]

Hi all

thankfully a friend of mine pointed me to this post, and great it is too, cracking 33 by the looks of it, and it nice to read some love for them for a change!

i'm a huge 33 and sud fan, amongst other alfa's but those 2 are my main stablemates, so i thought i'd jump in and offer myself up in case you need some bits and bobs. I usually have stock of, or access to, most mechanical things 33 and sud, sometimes other stuff too, but i also build performance exhaust systems and manifolds for the boxer engined stuff, and have a thing for retro wheels and refurbishing too, as i am an active restorer of these old girls and others.

if i can help in any way, just holla, and well done so far , keep it up!

cheers

shrew


ps - my own Series 3 16v Cloverleaf lightly modified is up for grabs shortly too!

[carinaman]

Thanks for the photos Spinakerr. That Croma confused me, the headlamps and grille were saying Tempra.

[Mr Tidy]

Fantastic photos OP.

I think I really need to go next year!

But the Croma looks like a Lancia Thema to me.

Our family had a bit of Fiat thing in the 60s/70s so some of those cars really take me back - especially that Orange 127 Sport. My Mother test drove one of those and a 128 3P in 1978 - and of course I blagged a go in both! They were fantastic - but she went and paid more for a Fiesta 1.1S.

[carinaman]

Mr Tidy said:

But the Croma looks like a Lancia Thema to me.

Seems it was a Facelift:

https://it.motor1.com/photo/2416310/progetto-fiat-...

Those front wings and indicators are straight off the SAAB 9000 version of the Tipo Quattro?

[StescoG66]

carinaman said:

Mr Tidy said:

But the Croma looks like a Lancia Thema to me.

Seems it was a Facelift:

https://it.motor1.com/photo/2416310/progetto-fiat-...

Those front wings and indicators are straight off the SAAB 9000 version of the Tipo Quattro?

The Croma, Thema, SAAB 9000 and Alfa 164 were all essentially the same car. Croma, Thema and 9000 shared some body panels, most notably doors, but the Alfa was totally its own bodyshell

[Alex]

tim-jxv5n said:

Thanks and lovely picture - I'm a serial Rover owner too

Haha, biggest insult of the day, that's an accord type r!!!

It certainly is. Although it does look a bit like a Rover 400/600, which were basically Hondas.

[cbmotorsport]

Fantastic, well done for saving it.

I raced 33's during the late 90's, early 2000's. Fantastic little cars that could be made to go really quite quickly with not much development. Stiffened right up they were a hoot.

I always thought they were unlucky to be the follow up car to the Alfasud, as they were a tough act to follow - despite the 33 being so similar and actually being a bit better in some ways (outboard brakes for example)

[Cupramax]

cbmotorsport said:

I always thought they were unlucky to be the follow up car to the Alfasud, as they were a tough act to follow - despite the 33 being so similar and actually being a bit better in some ways (outboard brakes for example)

Better for maintenance, yes, but not for dynamics. Sud inboard front discs were the bane of my life at the rate I used to go through them I’ve never had a car before or since that ate brake pads like my Sud.

[cbmotorsport]

Cupramax said:

cbmotorsport said:

I always thought they were unlucky to be the follow up car to the Alfasud, as they were a tough act to follow - despite the 33 being so similar and actually being a bit better in some ways (outboard brakes for example)

Better for maintenance, yes, but not for dynamics. Sud inboard front discs were the bane of my life at the rate I used to go through them I’ve never had a car before or since that ate brake pads like my Sud.

They stayed much cooler as outboards, and destroyed less driveshafts. The 'dynamics' advantage of unsprung weight was negligible and far outweighed by the cooling and reliability benefits,certainly for racing anyway.

I'd actually raced a Sud for a few years before switching to a 33 and ran outboard brakes on it for those reasons.

[Cupramax]

Yes, no doubt, I remember pulling up once after a spirited drive to find smoke pouring out of my bonnet, Major panic stations only to find my pads virtually on fire fortunately a bottle of water resolved that.

[shouldbworking]

shrewiside said:

i also build performance exhaust systems and manifolds for the boxer engined stuff, and have a thing for retro wheels and refurbishing too, as i am an active restorer of these old girls and others.

if i can help in any way, just holla, and well done so far , keep it up!

cheers

shrew


ps - my own Series 3 16v Cloverleaf lightly modified is up for grabs shortly too!

Noted with interest! I have a boxer 145 that I suspect is not far off wanting new manifolds

[Spinakerr]

A happy end to this little 33 adventure - one of the PH members who saw this thread will be taking on this rare gem, and hopefully starting a thread of his own to document further work and the trips he has planned for it.

As he is a serial Alfa owner, relatively local and had more enthusiasm for this little car than any of the other potential buyers I'm sure this won't be the last we hear of it!

I've been out of the country of late but here's my last photo I have at present after the deal was done at Alfacraft in Mortlake, with Phil agreeing to finish a few jobs before the new owner takes it on.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the thread and sent their own stories in PMs - the 33 seems to be a touchstone for many of us in the community, and I'm glad to have had this one on the drive for a short, entertaining period!

[Cupramax]

Good luck to the new owner

[Maitland77]

Hello all - I'm the new custodian of the little Alfa and looking forward to the many adventures ( and challenges) that lie in store for the both of us. I've been a serial Alfa owner and long time fan since the age of seventeen and have had seven Alfas to date. Starting with the first ( a deathtrap Alfetta GTV from 1978 that only stayed with me for a few months before being traded in for the 33 - that kindled my fondness for the model which has never dimmed, right through another Alfetta GTV, two 164s, a 146 and a 916 GTV.) I plan on keeping this one for good, or until legislation attempts to force it from my tightly held grasp. ( And even then, I'm sure I will plan some covert existence for it, where it can continue on, dressed up in a Prius suit or some other such cunning disguise.) I will continue to add to this thread with updates for those interested in how she and I are getting on.

I must thank the OP for being so helpful and putting up with my messages while on holiday - it was great to meet a PH'er for real and I'm sure we will cross paths again at events, or maybe even at Phil's garage. Looking forward to the call from him to say that it is ready to collect now.