1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33B/2 “Daytona” Pilots: G. Biscaldi, M. Cosoni Team: Autodelta SpA. Race: 6th overall (3rd in P 2.0 class) at Le Mans in 1968 Spark - S4368 (resin)
Published 09/06/17
Alfa Romeo’s racing branch, Autodelta, started the development of the Tipo 33 in 1964, and the first complete car was ready in 1965. The first Tipo 33 had a simple chassis built around three large diameter tubes forming an “H”, with a spyder body. In 1967 Autodelta further developed the car into a coupe, and this new car was called the Tipo 33/2. After it’s debut at the March 1968 Daytona 24 Hours, the 33/2 became known as the Alfa “Daytona”. The engine was an Alfa Romeo V8 with 1996 cm³ of displacement, Lucas Mark II mechanical fuel injection and DOHC, that produced 270 hp.
For Le Mans in 1968, Alfa Romeo fitted the T33/2 with a long-tail bodywork. They also used small fins near the trailing edge to add aerodynamic stability. That specific model was called the T33B/2. All those modifications were to allow the car to reach 300 km/h on the Mulsanne. Therefore, giving it a chance to beat the much larger cars such as the GT40. All in all, between the factory cars and privateers, there were six T33B/2 at La Sarthe that year. The 33B/2 “Daytona” #40 (chassis #75033-026) here came in 6th overall.
In 1:43 there isn’t much I can say about the car. It’s the basic fantastic-all-around resin model that I usually see from the folks at Spark. Detail-wise it’s as good as my TSM T33/3 but this time with no livery issues . Definitively a model for the alfisti and a good model for the Le Mans collectors. Although, Spark also offers the other 1968 Autodelta 33B/2 “Daytona” cars that placed higher in the race.