UFI MULTITUBE technology for the Alfa 33 Stradale
Alfa Romeo has chosen the UFI MULTITUBE engine air filter technology from UFI Filters, for the 33 Stradale supercar.
Scheduled to produce only 33 examples, all of which have already been sold despite its price tag of over one million euro, the unreleased Biscione coupé is clearly inspired by the 1967 version of the same name.
From the 33 2-litre of the 1960s, created at the time by designer Franco Scaglione and closely related to its competition version, the new millennium interpretation takes up above all the V shape that characterises the front bonnet, completed by the classic Alfa Romeo badge.
The new 33 Stradale can be had with either a 3.0-litre, twin-turbo V6 making 620bhp or as a BEV. Contributing to its performance is the airbox, engineered by UFI Filters technicians and based on MULTITUBE technology: the latter consists of a revolutionary engine air filtration solution that employs a patented tubular structure, capable of replacing the traditional panel filter.
The special tubular formula of the filter media, made from 100 per cent hydrophobic synthetic fibres, maintains full functionality and filtration performance (over 99.5%) throughout its entire life cycle.
Peculiar features of MULTITUBE technology are its geometric flexibility and filter resizing. Thanks to the first of these features, the cartridge structure can provide for the positioning of the tubes in parallel, in series or according to different geometries, with different diameters and lengths, depending on the space requirements of the engine.
This allows the UFI Group to offer manufacturers specific designs for the needs of each model, optimising their placement within the engine compartment. But MULTITUBE‘s innovation also makes it possible to contain the size of the filter, occupying – depending on the application – a space reduced by up to 50 per cent compared to a traditional panel system, without affecting its filtration capacity in the slightest.
The consequent reduction in the weight of the filter, which can be as much as 25 per cent, is even more important for cars dedicated to absolute performance such as the 33 Stradale, for which reducing weight as much as possible is essential.
Finally, the geometric shapes of the UFI MULTITUBE filter make it possible to achieve better airflow dynamics: their linear passage through the structure decreases the car’s drag and minimises pressure and energy loss, ensuring greater power availability (measured in certified tests with an increase of up to 4% for some vehicles) and a reduction in fuel consumption and polluting emissions.
The UFI MULTITUBE has passed the DIN53438 test – ISO standard – which determines the degree of combustion of commercial materials, receiving an F1 classification, the highest possible.