Carbonfibre front bumper, front wheel arches and other features trim Giulia’s weight 100kg below QV
Turin revives historic GTA nameplate for lightweight range-topper with 533bhp and wild styling
The new Giulia GTA is the most powerful road car Alfa Romeo has built and packs a raft of mechanical and dynamic upgrades over the current Quadrifoglio range-topper.
The historic GTA nameplate, which stands for Gran Turismo Alleggerita, has been revived to indicate the new car’s lightweight construction and performance potential. Alfa referred to the car’s unveiling as “a momentous comeback”, signifying a return to performance car construction.
The GTA takes its power from the same twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 engine as the Quadrifoglio, but calibration tweaks and the addition of a titanium Akrapovic exhaust help to boost its output from 503bhp to 533bhp. They’re also claimed to give the car a unique soundtrack.
Performance figures have yet to be confirmed, but it’s likely the GTA will eclipse the Quadrifoglio’s 3.9sec 0-62mph time and 191mph top speed.
In addition to the power hike, the GTA benefits from a 100kg weight loss, courtesy of a bonnet, a roof panel, a front bumper, front wheel arches, rear arch inserts and a driveshaft made from carbonfibre. Aluminium and composite materials feature elsewhere on the car in order to further reduce kerb weight.
The GTA is also claimed to perform better in corners than the Quadrifoglio, thanks to it gaining a bespoke suspension set-up and a 50mm-wider track at both the front and rear.
Visual differences from the Quadrifoglio include a Formula 1-inspired active aero package comprising a larger front splitter, a carbonfibre rear diffuser and a rear wing. There are also 20in centre-lock wheels and Alcantara-trimmed interior panels.
Like the similarly conceived Jaguar XE SV Project 8, the GTA will also be available in hardcore track-focused guise, with the rear seats making way for a roll bar. Called the GTAm, it remains road-legal but swaps its front seats for race items with carbonfibre bases and six-point harnesses, gains a much larger spoiler and can crack the 0-62mph sprint in just 3.6sec.
Alfa Romeo will build a total of just 500 GTA- and GTAm-badged Giulias, with prices expected to start from just above £100,000.
The GTA badge first appeared on a racing version of the 1965 Giulia Sprint, which used an all-aluminium bodyshell to weigh just 745kg, giving it an edge in motorsport and becoming one of the world’s most revered sports saloons.
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Source: Autocar
