33rd Swimsuit Issue Blazes Ground

The come-on of Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue remains unchanged - warming images of bikini-clad models arrayed on sun-splashed beaches.

But the 33rd edition, which went on sale Wednesday, is the first to feature a black model on the cover and the first to use the seaside and desert sands of South Africa as its setting.

The model is Tyra Banks, a Los Angeles native and actress who has graced the covers of Elle, Self and GQ. In the new issue, she joins Valeria Mazza, an Argentinian blonde, making this only the third time that more than one model has appeared out front.

“All along, the best picture makes it to the cover,” Art Berke, the magazine’s director of communications, said Tuesday. “But we’re all very happy, as a result of the location used this year, that we have a black woman and a white woman to reflect the harmony of the nation.”

If past swimsuit issues offer a guide - Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley and Elle Macpherson did covers - Banks and Mazza have taken major strides toward superstardom.

After all, the swimsuit issue ranks as one of publishing’s biggest hits, a phenomenon that sells an estimated 2 million additional copies, at $4.95 a pop, of what is mainly a mail-subscription magazine.

The added interest brings total distribution of the issue to 5 million copies.

This year’s hype began with a “news conference” Tuesday at the Official All Star Cafe in Times Square, where featured models paused for interviews with TV crews.

Rebecca Romijn, pictured across two pages while sprawled on Cape Peninsula sands, said it was “a total honor” to be chosen.