New Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale supercar unveiled with petrol and electric power

Alfa Romeo has rebooted the iconic 33 Stradale of the 1960s with a limited-edition, custom-built, multimillion-dollar supercar available with twin-turbo V6 petrol, or full battery power.

The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale name has been revived for a new supercar, unveiled in Europe overnight ahead of first customer deliveries overseas due late next year.

The new car is a modern reboot of the original 1967 33 Stradale, which was the road-going version of the Tipo 33 race car of the day, and is considered one of Alfa Romeo’s most iconic cars.

Limited to 33 examples, all sold out, the new 33 Stradale will be available with an enlarged version of the twin-turbo petrol V6 familiar to Alfa Romeo performance cars today – or solely electric power, as the first battery-powered vehicle unveiled by the Italian car maker.

With each vehicle to be custom-built to the customer’s specifications by boutique Italian ‘coachbuilding’ company Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, prices are estimated to exceed £1.7 million ($AU3.3 million), according to the UK’s Autocar.

It is unclear if any of those vehicles will be manufactured in right-hand drive, and if any have been purchased by Australian customers.

Alfa Romeo promises more custom-built – or “fuoriserie” – cars to follow, though they may be electric as the 33 is believed to be one of the company’s last internal combustion-engined vehicles, as it prepares to sell electric cars only from 2027.

The design of the 33 Stradale reboot is intended to evoke the original, with sleek proportions and a two-seat cabin with ‘butterfly’ (or ‘elytra’) doors claimed to offer a “panoramic view for the driver”.

It appears to be larger than the original 33 – likely due to modern safety regulations – but Alfa Romeo says the car’s proportions, and the ratio between the wheelbase and overall length, and between the wheel diameter and vehicle height are the same as the 1960s car.

The front fascia is inspired by the 1960s version – with large LED headlights, and a small Alfa Romeo triangular ‘scudetto’ grille communicated as an illuminated insert – while two large side air intakes cool the engine on petrol models, and there are circular LED tail-lights similar to the original 33.

The front and rear bodywork of the car lifts up in two ‘cofangos’, made from carbon-fibre as with the rest of the chassis.

Alfa Romeo highlights a number of aerodynamic details: air intakes beside the headlights, door mirrors sharped to direct air flow into the side intakes, and bodywork intended to produce enough downforce to eliminate all lift, without the need for active aerodynamics.

Three colours will be available initially – a regular red, Alfa Red, and royal blue – as well as a red and white livery inspired by the Tipo 33 race car.

Inside, there are few controls – let alone any touch-sensitive ones – with aluminium shift paddles, a steering wheel devoid of buttons, and aviation-inspired mechanical switches on the centre console and roof lining.

There are some screens for necessary functions – a digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, and a “large retractable display” that emerge from the dashboard for infotainment and drive mode functions – as well as a seven-speaker sound system, and air vents “hidden in the volume of the dashboard.”

Buyers can choose between ‘Tributo’ and ‘Alfa Corse’ interior themes.

The former offers leather and aluminium finishes inspired by the 33 Stradale in the Alfa Romeo museum – with various two-tone leather combinations – while the latter includes carbon fibre, Alcantara and red/black or blue/black trim.

All models feature unique sports seats trimmed in Poltrona Frau leather said to have been inspired by the original 33 Stradale – now with six-way power adjustment, and four lumbar positions.

Alfa Romeo does not say if the aluminium and carbon-fibre chassis of the 33 Stradale comes from an existing vehicle, however reports prior to launch suggested it would be based on the Maserati MC20, which too is available with petrol or electric power.

It would explain the source of the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that is mated to the petrol engine, claimed to be an enlarged, 3.0-litre version of Alfa Romeo’s familiar 2.9-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 from the Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio developing “over” 456kW, sent to the rear wheels.

Alfa Romeo insists it is an “evolution of the V6 engine that already features in the Italian brand’s highest-performance cars,” not simply the Maserati MC20’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo ‘Nettuno’ V6.

Meanwhile the electric version reportedly uses three electric motors that Alfa Romeo claims develop “over” 552kW, with an estimated driving range of 450km in European WLTP testing.

The petrol version is claimed to accelerate from 0-100km/h in less than three seconds, and hit a top speed of 333km/h.

The suspension is adaptive and will be tuned with the aid of Alfa Romeo Formula One driver Valtteri Bottas. It can be switched between Strada (road) and Pista (track) modes, which also vary the exhaust sound, engine and gearbox response (in petrol models), and stability control setting.

Alfa Romeo highlights carbon-fibre used in the roof structure, window frames and monocoque to save weight – around an aluminium ‘H-frame’ chassis – while there is a front-axle lift system to raise the front end by 50mm to clear speed bumps, which can be activated at speeds of up to 40km/h.

Petrol versions are claimed to be capable of braking from 100km/h to zero in 33 metres, thanks to Brembo carbon-ceramic brake discs with six-piston aluminium front and four-piston rear calipers.

The wheels are said to measure 20 inches in diameter.

Alfa Romeo says the 33 examples planned for production sold out within a few weeks of sketches of the car being shown to potential customers at the 2022 Formula One Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Each car will be specified to the customer’s desires over the course of a year, though the company says “each customer’s requests were subsequently examined by engineering to check whether they were feasible in production.”

They wear vehicle identification numbers (VINs) starting with ‘ZAR’, including the characters ‘33STR’, and with the eight final digits selected by the customer. This will be engraved in the central tunnel and rear of the car.

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2024 Subaru Solterra electric SUV due in Australia before the end of this year

Subaru Australia has confirmed it will start taking orders for its first-ever electric vehicle in October ahead of deliveries before the end of the year.

Subaru Australia is about to open the order books for its first-ever electric vehicle, the Solterra mid-size SUV, which is due in Australia before the end of the year.

Subaru Australia’s managing director Blair Read told Drive the company expects to start taking orders for the electric SUV in October with local deliveries due to start before the end of the year.

That would mean Subaru is scheduled to beat the Solterra’s near-identical Toyota BZ4X twin to the punch, with Toyota confirming deliveries of its version are not due to start until February 2024.

The Subaru Solterra and Toyota BZ4X electric vehicles are twins under the skin. Both are built in the same Toyota factory with the only differences the badges, lights and bumpers.

Both vehicles are likely to have been delayed as they wait for a technical update said to unlock more driving range and faster charging in the high-tech electric SUVs.

Toyota detailed a series of updates earlier this year following real-world independent testing in Europe that showed the Toyota BZ4X could only achieve 65 per cent of its laboratory-tested driving range – further from its claimed figure than other electric cars tested in similar conditions.

Toyota Australia has promised an “upgraded spec compared to what is currently available” for Australian models, believed to refer to software updates designed to increase the driving range. Those updates are expected to flow onto the Subaru Solterra.

Mr Read said interest for the Japanese brand’s first-ever electric vehicle remains high.

“We’ve had a lot of interest and a lot of customers going into dealers or coming to us asking for more information or wanting to place an order,” Read told Drive.

“Orders haven’t officially opened. There are a number of customers who have said as soon as that happens, they want to know and want to place an order. So, there’s been great interest.”

Prices for the Subaru Solterra are still to be confirmed: “That will come between now and October,” said Mr Read.

However, it’s likely the Solterra will become the most expensive four-door Subaru ever sold in Australia with Mr Read previously telling Drive it would be priced commensurately with its main rivals.

Those rivals include the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Tesla Model Y. All three have models in their respective line-ups priced in the $70,000 to $85,000 range.

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More evidence points to the return of the Honda Prelude

Honda has trademarked the Prelude name in the US, giving weight to a previous unverified report out of Japan suggesting the coupe could return as an electric sports-car.

An all-new Honda Prelude coupe may well be coming in the future, and a new trademark filing is the first hard evidence to support the return of the iconic nameplate.

In recent weeks, Honda has filed a trademark application for the Prelude name in the US – first spotted by MotorTrend – and lending weight to an earlier report of the car’s development emerging out of Japan.

While trademarks are no guarantee of a name being used, this trademark was filed under a category reserved for “land vehicles, namely, automobiles and automotive structural parts”.

In November 2022, Japanese publication Best Car reported Honda was working on resurrecting the Prelude name for a new electric coupe due in 2028 – with the Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ twins firmly in its sights.

The report followed teaser images of two new sports-cars shown by Honda in April 2022, one being a “flagship model” – which is expected to be a successor to the NSX supercar – while the other was labelled as a “specialty” vehicle, with proportions similar to a front-engined vehicle.

The coupe’s svelte silhouette inspired a speculative illustration by Best Car (top), providing an idea of what the Prelude could look like when it eventually arrives.

The Prelude hasn’t been available to buy for more than two decades, disappearing in 2001 after being part of Honda’s model range since 1978.

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Mercedes-Benz wins landmark court case, dealers say law needs to change

Mercedes-Benz dealers lose a multimillion-dollar Federal Court case scrutinising a radical change to the car-dealer business model which led to non-negotiable fixed prices.

German car giant Mercedes-Benz has won a landmark Federal Court case brought against it by 38 of its approximately 50 dealers, after the judge found the automaker acted within the law when it changed its dealer agreements, which led to the introduction of non-negotiable fixed prices for its new cars.

However, Justice Jonathan Beach indicated Australia’s franchising laws may need to be reviewed in light of the revelations made during the court case, which could have ramifications for an increasing number of new-car buyers across Australia if other auto giants make the same changes.

The group of Mercedes-Benz dealers who launched the legal action claimed they were entitled to compensation for the “goodwill” they had built-up in their businesses over several years, and in some cases over decades.

His Honour said Mercedes-Benz dealers argued a good case regarding the radical changes to their contracts with the car company, however analysts said “they lost on the law”.

As previously reported, 38 of the approximately 50 Mercedes-Benz dealers in Australia took legal action after the company wrote new contract terms which would see dealers no longer own showroom stock – and no longer be able to negotiate with customers on prices.

The dealers expressed concern that such a move would dent the viability of their businesses – and that Mercedes-Benz was, in effect, helping itself to each showroom’s network of customers.

According to documents released overnight, Justice Beach told the court the group of Mercedes-Benz dealers who launched legal action “ran a powerful and very thorough forensic case” and their legal team “presented a very skilled case on their behalf.”

“All that could be said or should have been said on their behalf was said,” Justice Beach noted in his findings.

“It will be apparent from the reasons that I’m publishing, that the applicants were successful on many issues of fact, but lost on the law, essentially.”

However, Justice Beach noted: “Given the facts of this case, leading to an adverse result for the applicants, it may be that further consideration needs to be given to the terms of the Franchising Code and possible modification. And that is a matter for another day. And obviously, in another forum.”

Mercedes-Benz Australia issued a brief statement welcoming the ruling: “We welcome the court’s decision. Our focus continues to be on delivering luxury, high-performance cars for our valued customers around Australia.”

However, the peak body representing dealers across most automotive brands said the finding was “a kick in the guts” and will take time to assess the outcome in detail.

“Automotive dealers across Australia will be very disappointed with this judgement,” James Voortman, the CEO of the Australian Automotive Dealers Association (AADA), said in a media statement.

“This will feel like a kick in the guts not only to the Mercedes dealers but to all franchised new-car dealers and, for that matter, all of Australia’s franchisees.

“I do note the judge said while the dealers were successful on matters of fact, they failed on matters of law. He also stated that further consideration needs to be given to the terms of the Franchising Code and possible modification.

“The AADA will use the learnings from this case in our input to the Federal Government’s review of franchising to call for stronger protections.”

Mr Voortman also noted: “Dealers are weighing up their options and as an industry we will carefully consider this judgement as more detail comes to hand. The AADA will review the judgement in greater detail and provide further comments on the case in the coming days.”

Japanese car-maker Honda switched to non-negotiable fixed prices for new cars in Australia from 1 July 2021, and Mercedes-Benz followed suit from 1 January 2022.

Other brands – such as Hyundai and Volvo – have tried a mix of the traditional dealer business model (in which prices are negotiable), while also setting fixed prices for certain models such as electric cars.

However, while Hyundai continues to make this distinction, Volvo has recently reverted to the traditional business model for its electric cars, to match the rest of its showroom line-up.

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2024 Formula One Australian Grand Prix race day tickets sold out

The Australian Grand Prix could set a new Melbourne crowd record for the third year in a row, after tickets for 2024’s race were snapped up in less time than it took this year’s race to be completed.

Photo by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images

Race-day tickets for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix sold out within two hours of going on sale, with local Formula One fans hoping to see two Australians on the grid at their home race for the first time in more than a decade.

The race’s organisers – the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) – announced its allocation of general admission (Park Pass) and grandstand tickets for the Formula One race on Sunday 24 March 2024 were exhausted shortly after the final release went on sale at midday on Tuesday August 29.

In addition to the sold-out Sunday, grandstand tickets for Saturday’s action – highlighted by qualifying for the Grand Prix – have all been accounted for, while the AGPC claims only a limited number of Park Pass tickets remain at the time of writing.

Photo by Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

According to the AGPC, more than 100,000 people had pre-registered for early access to tickets for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, a record for any Ticketmaster-managed sporting event in the country.

The two most recent editions of the Australian Grand Prix set four-day crowd records for the race since it moved to Melbourne in 1996 – with an estimated attendance of 419,114 in 2022 and 444,631 in 2023.

The all-time Australian Grand Prix attendance record is still held by the 1995 race – the last to be held in Adelaide – which saw an estimated 520,000 fans turn up to the four-day event. 

Photo by Morgan Hancock/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Australian rookie Oscar Piastri scored his first Formula One points in this year’s Australian Grand Prix, though fellow Aussie Daniel Ricciardo was not on the grid for the first time since 2011, after losing his seat at McLaren to his compatriot at the end of 2022.

However, Ricciardo made his Formula One return at this year’s Hungarian Grand Prix – replacing the under-performing Nyck De Vries at AlphaTauri – and could continue racing for the team next year, pending his recovery from a broken hand due to a crash at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The last time there were two Australian Formula One drivers racing at Albert Park was the 2013 race, where Ricciardo was racing for Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) and Mark Webber scored his best-ever home race finish, coming home fourth in the Red Bull.

To date, no Australian has ever finished on the podium at the Formula One Australian Grand Prix.

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Icons of the Road: Toyota Tarago | Drive Flashback

In 2002 we celebrated what was once a mainstay on our roads, the slightly space-age looking Toyota Tarago. Australians bought them in their tens of thousands.

Original story by Pete Mackay published in Drive on 4 April, 2002.

A vehicle that was part minibus, part goldfish bowl, part ‘chariot’ from Lost in Space, the Toyota Tarago was a pioneer in people movers – a craze that was spawned by the success of the legendary VW Kombi in the 1960s and a fad that was to reshape the motoring industry in the ’80s and ’90s.

Released by Toyota in 1983, this manoeuvrable little beast, which could turn on a 20-Yen piece, became immensely popular with large families and at one stage was responsible for 49 per cent of all people mover sales nationwide.

In fact, with the Tarago selling nearly 64,000 models here alone, its extraordinary success played a big hand in lifting Toyota from third to second, just behind Ford, as top dog in local sales in only its second year of production.

The Aussie-only Tarago was known as the Toyota TownAce in Japan

Toyota was ecstatic but Holden was not as impressed, and legend has it that if you look hard enough you can still see the faint chalk outlines where “I must try harder – really and truly” was written 100 times on the GMH boardroom blackboard.

The Tarago was a workhorse in the true sense, but having one often proved a rod for the owner’s back since they continually found themselves ferrying their kids – and all their kids’ friends – to and from school, to and from sport, in fact to and from every event within the radius of a tank of unleaded or diesel fuel.

With a Tarago, that well-used term “Mum’s taxi” was never more apt.

Smooth, rounded, some might be even tempted to say oval-shaped, one Tarago was recently seen roaming around Melbourne with the registration ‘THE EGG’, which is possibly the most perfectly matched number plate seen since HOT GT, COOL HR and the memorable TOWED P-76.

Now into its third generation, and sacrificing strength for size like so many other vehicles today, the Tarago wasn’t so hot in a bingle but it had one big advantage over its competition in a collision.

Considering how it looked, just before impact you could always wave your arms wildly in the air and yell “Danger, Danger Will Robinson!”

So, what happened next?

Australia’s enthusiasm for people movers has waned since those heady days of the 1980s.

That waning is almost entirely down to the advent of the sport utility vehicle. With many brands now offering seven-seat SUVs in their line-up, families no longer feel the need to ferry their loved ones in a van-based people mover.

Which is a pity, as vehicles like the Kia Carnival and its seating for eight, provide a far more practical solution for ferrying large families than any seven-seat SUV ever could.

The Kia Carnival has inherited the Tarago’s mantle as Queen of the People Movers

Toyota retired the Tarago in 2019, signalling the end of the nameplate’s 36-year life in Australia. Its replacement, the Toyota Granvia, hasn’t set the sales charts alight in the same way the Tarago once did.

So far in 2023, Australians have bought just 72 of the HiAce-based Granvia, the bulk of those likely to commercial operators. Its outsold by rivals from both ends of the people mover spectrum, the upmarket Mercedes-Benz V-Class with sales so far in 2023 of 218 and the Chinese-built LDV Mifa (214).

The Kia Carnival, meanwhile, enjoys a stranglehold on the segment, with an 81.6 per cent market share. Sales of the popular people mover number 6709 to the end of July, proving there’s life still in what was once the mainstay of large families everywhere. RM

What are your memories of the venerable Toyota Tarago? Let us know in the comments below?

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2021-2023 Ford Ranger and Everest recalled in Australia

More than 4800 new-generation Ford Rangers and Everests are affected by a low-battery charge fault, which could lead to the vehicle’s transmission selecting ‘park’ at low speeds.

Ford Australia has recalled 4841 examples of its 2021-2023 Ranger and Everest twins, due to a low-battery charge fault which could cause the ute and SUV’s transmissions to engage ‘park’ while moving at low speeds.

The recall notice, lodged with the Department of Infrastructure, says: “Due to a software issue, under certain circumstances if the battery level drops below a critical threshold, the transmission may shift into park when the vehicle is travelling at speeds below 6km/h.

“This may cause a sudden stop without the rear brake lamps illuminating as intended.

“A sudden stop whilst driving at low speed and the rear brake lamps not illuminating as intended, could increase the potential risk of an accident, causing injury or death to vehicle occupants and other road users.”

Date of recall notice	29 August 2023
Make	Ford
Model	Ranger, Everest
Year	2021-2023
Vehicles affected	4841
VIN list	Click here and here to download the list of affected VINs
Contact link	Click here to contact the manufacturer

A full list of vehicle identification numbers for the 4841 vehicles involved in the recall can be found here and here.

Ford Australia has advised it will contact affected owners in writing requesting they make an appointment at their preferred Ford Authorised Dealership for repairs, free of charge.

Alternatively, owners can contact the Ford Customer Relationship Centre by phone on 13 36 74 or enter their car’s VIN to Ford’s Recall and Service Action Lookup for more information.

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