Alfa Romeo wanted to bring some zest and fire to the Geneva Motor Show, but while the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent actions of the Swiss government thwarted Alfa Romeo’s original plans for a grand unveiling worthy of its ongoing 110th anniversary celebrations. The Italian sports car maker instead took to the digital realm to showcase the newest iteration of its Giulia sedan, which revives a vaunted moniker that has painted a trail of victories and performance during Alfa’s existence.
Dubbed the Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA, this model arrives to serve as an even hotter version of the already bonkers Giulia Quadrifolglio. The standard Quadrifolglio was already an utterly evil sports car, with the super sedan being powered by a twin-turbocharged V6 that shared its family heritage with Ferrari’s legendary V8 engines. So how does the GTA treatment improve on this already potent recipe? It all comes together once you look at the GTA moniker itself, which stands for Gran Turismo Alleggerita (aka Grand Touring Lightened in English.) The third letter in that is in abundance here, with Alfa Romeo engineers cleaving 221 pounds of flab when compared with the standard issue Quadrifolglio. As a result, the leaner and meaner Giulia can make the sprint to 62 mph in 3.6 seconds. But if your looking for even more upgrades, Alfa Romeo will also offer the GTAm which takes things to a higher level in both insanity and functionality. The rear seats are pitched, and the two remaining seats feature six point harnesses, and Alfa even included a roll bar to help stiffen the car, but has thankfully managed to keep the car fully street legal despite such extreme modifications.
The GTA also comes equipped with carbon components for the hood, roof, front bumper, and fenders. The body incorporates and active front splitter that is a fruit of the brand’s long term relationship with Sauber Engineering. The rear of the car features a massive rear wing mounted on the trunk, and an equally massive rear diffuser to help keep things planted and under control during extreme driving. The model rides on 20-inch wheels, with the spokes incorporating a design that is supposed to resemble a clover. As expected, the GTAm turns up the volume here too, with that model getting an even bigger front diffuser, and a massive carbon fiber rear wing.
The interior of the GTA is slathered in Alcantara trim, with the material covering the dashboard, door panels, pillars, and the center of the seats. Opt for the GTAm and you will be rewarded with carbon sport seats, Alcantara trim for the space vacated by the rear seats, and even Lexan windows that replace both the side and rear glass. This particular type of window is also used in many track only race cars, and it is nice to see that Alfa Romeo engineers left no stone unturned when it came to shedding every ounce it could out of the car.
Performance for the GTA (regardless of flavor) comes from an updated version of the twin-turbocharged V6 which now makes 533 horsepower versus the 505 horses that defined the old engine. The exhaust system has been heavily revamped, with an Akrapovic titanium exhaust replacing the stock exhaust system. Alfa engineers even rerouted the exhaust pipes, with a set of centrally mounted circular exhaust pipes helping to broadcast the rowdy soundtrack that the engine has to offer when allowed to sing through its full octave range. Akrapovic has seen its stock in the performance car world soar over the past few years, with the firm also creating the exhausts system used in the recently unveiled Liquid Carbon edition model which we had the chance to see in person at the 2020 Chicago Auto Show.
But while the engine certainly tries its best to steal the show, the suspension also earns a fair amount of the spotlight with Alfa engineers bestowing the GTA with a wider front and rear track which is 2.0 inches wider than normal, while broader fenders cover the additional size, and also hide the updated shocks, springs, and bushings that allow the revamped suspension to have handling that is even sharper and track focused than ever before.
Buyers looking to secure a GTA of their own will have to act quickly, the brand is only building 500 examples, with the car being a European exclusive (for now) All 500 of these buyers will have the opportunity to work with an Alfa Romeo brand ambassador that will guide them throughout the GTA/GTAm buying process until the vehicle is delivered. These buyers will also get a suite of exclusive goodies with Alfa providing a Bell helmet in GTA livery, and a racing outfit from Alpinestars which includes the main suit, gloves, and even shoes. This spiffy yet purposeful set of duds will come in handy on the track, with Alfa Romeo including a session at the Alfa Romeo Driving Academy for every buyer.
Alfa Romeo’s press release for both the GTA and the GTAm only covers the European market with the firm only revealing that it is exploring the possibility of expanding GTA availability to other markets including the U.S. If it does make it to the U.S. look for the GTAm to perhaps not make the trek over, since some of its more exotic features (including the Lexan windows) would not fly with our country’s tougher safety regulations. Instead, look for the standard GTA to be the most likely candidate for the trip across the pond since the costs of converting it to U.S. regulations would be less than its more track focused brother.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.