- The Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA is up 30 hp and down 220 pounds compared to the Giulia Quadrifoglio.
- Alfa Romeo has not announced plans to sell the limited-edition Giulia GTA in the United States, but a representative said the company is evaluating the possibility.
- A more hardcore Giulia GTAm strips out the rear seats and replaces them with a roll hoop.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is already the best compact sports sedan you can buy today, so a lighter and more powerful version should be a guaranteed good thing. There’s just one problem with the new Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA, introduced in the wake of the canceled Geneva auto show: a plan to bring it to the United States isn’t yet in place.
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Alfa Romeo will split a 500-car production run between the road-going Giulia GTA and a track-focused GTAm version, but the company currently has no plans to sell either car in the U.S. “While most of the GTA volume will be allocated to European markets, we are evaluating opportunities to introduce the vehicle in other key markets around the world including the U.S.,” an Alfa Romeo spokesman told Car and Driver.
The “A” in GTA stands for alleggerita, which is Italian for “lightened.” True to the name, the GTA is said to be 220 pounds lighter with the driveshaft, hood, roof, front fascia, and fenders all made from carbon-fiber. Running same twin-turbo 2.9-liter V-6 as the Giulia Quadrifoglio, the GTA makes 540 hp. That’s up from 510 hp on the Europe-market Quadrifogilo (U.S. cars are rated at 505 hp). Alfa says the GTA improves on the QF’s handling thanks to new springs, dampers, and bushings, along with front and rear tracks that are two inches wider. The GTA also features a front splitter, rear spoiler, and side skirts developed to benefit aerodynamics with the help of Sauber Engineering. The car rolls on twenty-inch center-lock wheels and announces its presence through a titanium Akrapovič exhaust (take a listen in the tweet embedded below) that exits through the center of a carbon-fiber diffuser.
For the most dedicated tifosi, the two-seat Giulia GTAm ratchets up the intensity for track-driving exploits. A roll hoop replaces the rear seats while front passengers are strapped into carbon-fiber-shell buckets with six-point seatbelts. The GTAm also strips more weight out with lightweight Lexan composite used in place of glass on the sides and rear. Its more aggressive aerodynamic package includes a larger front splitter and a carbon-fiber rear wing.
While we don’t know pricing yet, we expect buyers to pay dearly to own the limited-edition Giulia GTA or Giulia GTAm. To sweeten the deal, Alfa Romeo is also throwing in a helmet in GTA livery; a racing suit, gloves, and shoes; a personalized car cover; and tuition at the Alfa Romeo Driving Academy with every car.
Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
