33 Permanent 4 — Alfa Romeo “All The Cars”

Alfa Romeo unveiled a prototype of the 164 Protéo at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show, a sort of manifest that declared there would be a four wheel drive version of each of its cars. The 33 had been available in 4x4 for years, but this car would have permanent 4WD and would also be available with a catalyser. The heart of the full time 4WD system was a Ferguson central viscose joint, which enabled torque on the two axles to begin gradually in line with need, all to the advantage of safety and drivability.

To avoid emergency braking problems given the presence of ABS, the electro- magnetic joint at the end of the gearbox disengaged the rear axle if deceleration exceeded 0.2g. It then reconnected the driveshaft as soon as the car attained an angular speed similar to that of the ‘box, so as not to provoke annoying grinding. All of that was overseen by an electronic management system with a dial on the dashboard to reveal any anomalies.

But the typology of the system was not the only new aspect of the car. Alfa Romeo decided to install 4WD in the range’s top sports model, the 33 1.7 IE 16V Quadrifoglio Verde, together with aerodynamic devices and a low set-up. And it had a refined 133 hp boxer engine with four valves per cylinder. The power output dropped to 129 hp on the catalysed version, which was standard in 1992. Performance was extremely high, providing tremendous driving pleasure and a top speed of over 200 kph. The range was slightly updated the following year when a Sport Wagon joined the saloon, which bore the simpler Q4 designation instead of the Permanent +4.

The Permament 4 made the Alfa 33 the first road car with permanent all-wheel drive; in the early ’90s, which seemed to be where the manufacturers‘ future lay. Power output was continually increasing and became more difficult to control as electronic systems for the purpose were not yet on the horizon. The result was a compact, very fast and fun car.