AN INTERVIEW WITH THE CENTRO STILE
ALFA ROMEO 33 STRADALE
15 September 2023 • Written By Marius Pop
Welcome to the Centro Stile in Turin, Italy. The one place where the most complex creations made by man are brought to life, starting from the spark of an idea to the finished product made up of thousands of parts, harmoniously coming together to move us, improve our lives and sometimes representing more than the sum of the materials they’re made of. Turning plain cars into genuine works of art.
You would expect such a place to be heavily guarded and closed off to the outside public, and it normally is, but this is a very special occasion. Alfa Romeo is showing its new 33 Stradale to the world and we have the privilege to meet its creators. Among them is Italian Design Project Responsible Alessandro Maccolini.
With a quarter of a century under his belt as an Alfa Romeo designer, Alessandro is no stranger to Alfisti meets and events, always cooly and calmly taking on this much sought after responsibility in the designers’ world, daring to dream, bringing one generation of Alfas after another to the road, contributing in the process to the Alfisti’s collective love for the Milanese brand. Furthermore, we had the opportunity to gain insights from the Chief Interior Designer Inna Kondakova who explained us in details the characteristics of the well-designed interior.
What do you think differentiates the Italian automotive style from other cultures?
‚Let’s always remember that the Italian school made by the great coachbuilders is the one that created the most beautiful cars and gave birth not only to the cars built by Italian companies, but also by foreign groups. Giugiaro, Pininfarina, Bertone, Zagato, Touring, and many others, have showed the world how to imagine and build cars, and have often defined new canons of design. Now obviously cultures are intertwining and at the same time are influencing each other, and perhaps nowadays it’s not that easy anymore to give such a clear reading. Certainly at the very basis, the Italian style has always meant the beauty to be made up of a few elements, just the necessary, strong and elegant at the same time, and with a look at the technical aspect where the language of materials and technology finds a properly defined space‘