Alfa Romeo have announced the new Giulia GTA and wow it looks angry!
Just when we thought the Giulia Quadrifoglio couldn’t get much better, Alfa Romeo dialled it up to 11 with the new Giulia GTA. Less weight, more power and even more radical styling has turned this family saloon into literal car porn. This combination of less weight and more power has served the likes of Porsche and Ferrari rather well, so Alfa Romeo thought they’d have a go and on paper they have smashed it.
Let’s start with the looks. In the pictured red, there is almost something satanic about that front end. The new grille and vents give the GTA a look that gives off the impression it wants to kill both you and your family. It has a fancy active front splitter and an even bigger rear diffuser, the latter of which joined a twin centre exit akrapovic exhaust. These new parts greatly increase the downforce, which given Alfa’s Formula One ventures, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to think Sauber Engineering have had some involvement in the development of the GTA.
If there is something the Quadrifolgio did not lack it was power. Its 2.9-litre bi-turbo V6 churned out 503bhp, some 78 more than the most recent M3, the QV’s main rival, so it was not exactly a slouch. However, the Italians feel that this is not enough so have decided to take the power up to 532bhp!! For comparison, this is just one horse less than McLaren’s 540c, which is absolutely staggering for a saloon.
Now, if you feel like the GTA is perhaps not hardcore enough fear not because Alfa Romeo have this covered. They also announced a slightly more hardcore GTAm. Even though the power may still be 532bhp, Alfa got more radical with the styling and weight shedding. The GTAm has a rear spoiler the size of Lincolnshire, not just for show but also to increase downforce which, aside from the power equal to 10 suns, will probably be this car’s party piece. It also has no back seats to accommodate a roll cage, race harnesses and even a helmet holder. You don’t get that in your 3 series! If that wasn’t enough, the glass rear window has been substituted for a something I’ve never heard of called Lexan polycarbonate, which is much lighter. As a result, the GTAm is some 100kg lighter than the standard QV.
Both the GTA and GTAm will be awash with carbon fibre: the bonnet, roof, front bumper, front wheel arches and rear wheel arch inserts and even the driveshaft get the carbon fibre treatment.
The cost for all of this lightweight mayhem? It is looking likely that the GTA will be coming in at around the £100k mark which is not as bad as you may think because yes the BMW M3 CS may have been on the market for around £85k, the Jaguar Project 8 is £150k! You best get your name on the waiting list quickly though as there are only 500 GTAs being built.
Chez Entertainment 