Alfa Romeo tries to rescue its image at the LA Auto Show, with the 33 Stradale for collectors and a Tonale that is new but not really new
Alfa Romeo arrives at the Los Angeles Auto Show with two machines, one an exquisitely limited fetish object and the other yet another attempt to convince Americans that the Tonale is more than a pretty nose wrapped around a middling C SUV interior.
Exclusivity is easy to sell when there is almost none to go around, and the 33 Stradale lives up to that rule. Thirty three hand built cars, all spoken for, each one more investment piece than something you would spot on the freeways above LA. Alfa Romeo talks about obsessive craftsmanship and elegance inspired by aeronautics. It sounds polished in a press release, although in practice the car functions mainly as the brand’s PR mascot.
A biturbo V6, 630 horsepower, a sprint to 100 kilometres per hour in under three seconds and 333 kilometres per hour flat out, the numbers are impressive. They do not turn the 33 Stradale into a technological signpost for the masses. It remains a reverent homage to the sixties original, lovingly reimagined by Touring Superleggera.
The model’s US tour says everything, Monterey Car Week, Quail Lodge, Petersen Museum and finally the concours at Wynn Las Vegas. The route makes clear who the car is aimed at. Collectors with climate controlled garages whose tyres rarely greet asphalt.
Showing the Tonale in the United States for the first time sounds like a frank admission. The crossover has not yet won American hearts. Alfa is now trying everything, a wider track, a fresh front end, new colours, red leather, Alcantara, larger wheels, extra LED lighting and yet another iteration of its digital cockpit.
All of that is pleasant enough, but it does not solve the central issue. Can the Tonale deliver what Alfa mythology promises, sharp handling, memorable character and mechanical honesty. The marketing claims the Tonale offers the segment’s most direct steering and an authentic Alfa Romeo dynamic signature. So far the criticism has been cautious. The ride is polite rather than class leading, and the car remains firmly within the confines of a compact urban SUV.
The 2.0 litre turbo petrol with 268 horsepower, Brembo brakes, electronic DSV suspension and 360 degree camera tech represent understandable efforts. They will not turn the Tonale into a segment shaker. Alfa talks extensively about iconic design, although that phrase has worn thin. Behind it sits a safe facelift rather than a genuine rebirth.
The Los Angeles Auto Show has always been a stage for showing rather than selling. Alfa Romeo earns a respectable slot, yet it is largely symbolic. The Italian brand’s influence in North America is hardly dominant, and even the 2025 headline show will not change that overnight.
The 33 Stradale will draw the crowds. The Tonale will do its job in the sales plan. Neither answers the question of what Alfa Romeo’s future truly looks like. For now the brand sounds like it is trying to live in the past while selling the compromises of the present.
