What's it like to order one of the rarest cars in the world? We asked the man who did exactly that. Edward Glynn Bloomquist Jr. is an American collector from Texas who commissioned one of the thirty-three new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale models to be produced in the coming months.
We met Mr. Bloomquist in Italy, at the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese. This is where customers make important decisions when customizing their collectible supercars. In this case, it's the new 33 Stradale, the heir to the original 33 Stradale.
Of course, a car like this can't be bought from just any dealer: You need a workshop.
The customer experience starts with the configuration. Alfa Romeo created the "bottega" program, a name inspired by Renaissance workshops and coachbuilders of the 1960s, in which works of art were created with the customer's instruction.
The new "Alfa Romeo workshop" consists of a team of professionals designed to work closely with customers intent on taking home one of the world's most exclusive supercars. These special meetings take place in symbolic locations, such as the Historic Board Room inside the Alfa Romeo Museum where the board approved the first 33 Stradale in 1967.
Today, as then, the configuration requested by the customer must be validated by a committee chaired by Alfa Romeo CEO Jean Philippe Imparato. The committee consists of heads of different departments in charge of approving the project, ensuring respect for the history and iconicity of the car and its name.
Every customer is special by definition. Mr. Bloomquist Jr., specifically, is an American entrepreneur. In our interview, he told us how he has dedicated much of his life to racing. He started a company that has sponsored the Indy Car championship since the 1990s.
From the "passion" for speed also came a passion for the Alfa Romeo brand, cultivated—he explained to us—by reading Luca dal Monte's book Ferrari Rex and participating in several Formula 1 GPs in Austin, where he got to drive a Giulia Quadrifoglio on the track: The car he later chose for everyday use.
Bloomquist Jr. chose a small spoiler for his 33 Stradale, Rosso Alfa paint for the bodywork, and a leather-colored interior in the "60s" style. And of course, clover wheels typical of the company.
To make the car unique, the entrepreneur chose to endow the bodywork with the number 14, a tribute to Enzo Ferrari himself—who used to race with this number in competition for the Biscione Brand—but also to former Texan driver A.J. Foyt. Foyt is a multiple Indianapolis and Le Mans champion, as well as one of Bloomquist's personal "heroes."
In the video, you'll see renderings of a car that hasn't even been produced yet. The price? Unknown, because negotiations are confidential. But the order of magnitude was given by CEO Jean Philippe Imparato some time ago at a press conference: "Alfa Romeo is the only brand capable of selling cars from €30,000 to €2 Million."
Well said.
The new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is the heir to one of the rarest cars in the world, namely the 33 Stradale designed by Franco Scaglione. Between 1967 and 1969, Alfa only built 18 examples. Each one used the iconic 2.0-liter V-8 engine with 230 horsepower at 8,800 rpm designed by the legendary engineer Giuseppe Busso, and with suspension and set-up tuned by Carlo Chiti, a technician whose history has been linked to Autodelta and to Enzo Ferrari.
Like its ancestor, the new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is a limited series supercar that will be produced in only 33 examples, with either a 620-hp gas engine or an electric version with 750 hp.
