Quantifying beauty is an almost impossible task, especially when one is surrounded by the aesthetic overload that is the famous Concorso d’Eleganza at the Villa d’Este hotel in Italy. But we found ourselves in complete accord with the decision of the audience at the rarefied event to award the Coppa d’Oro to this stunning 1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 Stradale.

Swiss collector Albert Spiess’s car is one of just 18 believed to have been built—Italian record keeping wasn’t the finest during this time—with its rarity underwritten by a price that made it about twice as expensive as a contemporary Ferrari 275GTB/4. Standing just 39 inches tall, the Stradale is based on the Tipo 33 racing car and makes only the barest concessions to occupant comfort. It uses aluminum bodywork over a tubular chassis with the minimally trimmed cabin accessed through dihedral-hinged doors (the Stradale was the first street-legal car to use them). It weighs just over 1500 pounds and is powered by a race-derived 2.0-liter V-8 that produces its peak 230 horsepower at a screaming 8800 rpm. It was fired up several times during the weekend, and we can report that it sounds every bit as good as you probably imagine. When new in 1968, it was claimed to be the fastest street-legal car in the world, capable of 160 mph as well as a 5.5-second zero-to-60-mph time.

While the Trofeo BMW Group award, the top prize, was given by a jury of luminaries to a stunning 1958 Ferrari 335 Sport, the Coppa d’Oro—based on a popular vote—was awarded to the Alfa. As huge believers in both democracy and the sound of high-revving, small capacity V-8s, we’re with the public on this one.

View Photos Mike Duff Car and Driver

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