Martin Sifredi’s Alfa Romeo 33 16V

After seeing my interpretation of the Alfa Romeo 33 permanent4, Martin Sifredi from Australia contacted me. He attached a couple of pictures of the 1991 33 Boxer 16V he purchased four years ago in Melbourne (Victoria). It was a very original and clean example of this model, and considering there are very few around, he snapped it up. The car has traveled 189.000 km and it still runs as good as it would have when new.

Alfa Romeo 33 | Martin Sifredi / Australia

The bodywork has been kept totally original, apart from the addition of Autodelta Stickers on the front fenders. Not just there for looks, but also indicating that there really is an Autodelta chip installed in the ECU. The Alfa Romeo rosso corsa paintwork has been redone two years ago by Alfa Specialists Cambro Motors in Melbourne. Martin maintains the finish of the car using only Meguiar’s products. He replaced the factory 14” wheels with a set of beautifully matched 17 X 7.5” MOMO corse wheels, replacing the MOMO corse center cap with original Alfa center caps, reminiscent of the Alfa DIVA concept. Tyres are Khumo Ecsta Supra 205/40 R 17. According to Martin, the wheel and tire upgrade has definitely improved stability and driving feel.
The suspension has been upgraded with new bushings all around and red Koni sport shock absorbers on the rear axle. The car has also been lowered by 40 mm, giving the Boxer a really nice stance. Future handling improvements will include a K-mac rear sway bar.

Alfa Romeo 33 | Martin Sifredi / Australia

The engine internals are all completely original, performance modifications include an Autodelta ECU power chip, stainless steel tuned length exhaust extractors, 2.5” exhaust system with catalytic converter, rear semi baffled muffler and ANSA tip. Producing a very throaty “WRX” like rumble on idle, but once accelerating through the fully rebuilt five speed gearbox, the sound starts to climb into more of the renowned Alfa Romeo symphony: a higher pitched metallic rasp. Martin loves the sound of the exhaust system, and of course the legendary flat four Boxer 16V. It is definitely a unique sound, separating it from the rest of the cars on the road! Cabin noise is still very comfortable, though, with no boom as one gets from some aftermarket exhaust systems.

Alfa Romeo 33 engine | Martin Sifredi / Australia

The factory air filter has been replaced with a high flow K&N panel air filter, providing more flow through the AFM. The engine oil is always replaced every 4.000 km with Mobil 1 5W-50. This oil seems to work extremely well. With these engine and ECU upgrades the 33 is now pushing out a very spirited 150hp @ 7.000 rpm and does make for a spirited drive on a nice crisp morning! J
The cam belts, shaft seals, tensioners, water pump and brand new rear brakes have all been done recently. The car gets treated to all that it requires, in order to keep it running as new. All mechanical work is done by Alfa Romeo specialists Mauceri Motors in Melbourne.

Alfa Romeo 33 | Martin Sifredi / Australia

The Interior of the 33 is original, but sporting some new performance orientated parts. Martin replaced the standard Alfa 3 spoke steering wheel with a beautiful MOMO Daytona 4 steering wheel, covered in black leather. This particular steering wheel has a smaller than standard MOMO horn button. Installing the original badge from the original wheel proved a bit tricky, because it was a little oversize. He removed the center piece from the MOMO wheel and had it machined out a bit larger to take the Alfa badge. The horn button project turned out perfect, just like it would have come like that for the car!
The other internal modifications were MOMO Corse Manual pedal set in Aluminium, MOMO Corse black leather gear knob and boot. Martin designed the surrounding piece from 15 mm acrylic plastic and had it machined up, and then sprayed it platinum silver metallic to give it the aluminium look. He installed it using black allen key bolts in order to give it a sport factory look.

The last touch on the interior was the addition of the Engine Start button. It’s wired into the 33’s ignition system, still requiring the driver to use the ignition key to unlock the steering. The surround around the button is made out of a MOMO gear knob ring, carefully hand filing the base and top to the required height. It looks like the button was always there! “Call me a little bit of a dreamer but I get a buzz out of starting the car with the engine start!” says the proud owner.

Alfa Romeo 33 | Martin Sifredi / Australia

This 33 is a sunny day only weekend car. It is always garaged, which explains the showroom condition it is in.
A member of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Australia in Melbourne (www.alfaclubvic.org.au), he entered the 33 into the show for the wash and shine competition in the 900 series in November 2007. This class comprises Alfasud, Sprint, and series 1, 2 and 3 Alfa 33’s. Winning his first trophy gave him even more motivation to keep the car looking pristine and running like it rolled off the assembly line! Martin hopes to enjoy the Alfa for a very long time and hopefully expand the collection soon! Martin says that he would be extremely happy to answer any questions or just to meet other 33 Boxer owners and have a chat about all things Alfa. His email address is: mvsifredi@iinet.net.au

Alfa Romeo 33 | The proud owner: Martin Sifredi from Australia

Thank you for your contribution to VirtualModels.org, Martin. I really appreciate it.

Kind regards,
Sebastian

PDF Download >> Alfa Romeo 33 16V | Display Card by Martin Sifredi