Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA Iconic GTA badge reborn on a hardcore version of Alfa’s performance saloon
Lightened, faster version of our favourite performance car gets a 533bhp punch On sale Summer Price from £100,000 (est)
ALFA ROMEO HAS a rich heritage of producing cars that are both fast and beautiful, and to celebrate its 110th birthday, the Italian car maker has created a GTA variant of the most potent version of its Giulia saloon, the Quadrifoglio – our reigning Performance Car of the Year.
The letters ‘GTA’ stand for Gran Turismo Alleggerita (lightened grand tourer).the new model is a tribute to the original 1965 Giulia Sprint GTA, on which the usual steel bodywork was replaced by aluminium, resulting in a signi cant weight saving that boosted performance.
Two versions of the limited-edition model will be offered: the standard four-seat GTA and the two-seat GTAM, which has a larger rear spoiler on the outside and racing seats, harnesses and a roll bar on the inside.a total of 500 cars will be built and each will be numbered.although the GTAM is primarily aimed at track-day driving, it is also legal to drive on the road.
Like its 1960s namesake, the Giulia GTA is lighter than the standard production car. Carbon bre has been used to make some of the body panels and the seats, while aluminium has been employed for the doors, engine and suspension.
Even more weight-saving measures have been used on the race-inspired GTAM, including a polycarbonate rear window.the resulting kerb weight of 1520kg represents a 100kg saving over the standard Giulia Quadrifoglio – itself no slouch in the performance department.
Both the GTA and GTAM are tted with a more powerful version of the Quadrifoglio’s 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, producing 533bhp. In the case of the GTA, that means the 0-62mph sprint takes just 3.6sec.
Using knowledge gained from Formula 1 racing, the aerodynamics of both versions have also been enhanced with the addition of a larger active front air splitter, side skirts and a carbon bre rear wing.
A new Akrapovic central exhaust system has also been added, along with 20in wheels. Handling has been improved, too, by moving the wheels farther apart across each axle and tting new suspension components.
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