How cool is this? Alfa Romeo UK anticipates that around 100 Giulia Quadrifoglio GTAs could be headed to Britain. That's 10 per cent of the global run. Of course, there was always going to be a serious appetite for an even more exotic version of an already terrific super saloon, but even Alfa admits to being happily surprised by the number of serious enquiries it has received. Especially because nobody outside of the company has seen a GTA up close. Until now.
PH was granted access to the only GTAm currently in Britain for a static viewing and - more importantly - a quick listen to that re-tuned 2.9-litre V6 motor. Which we can tell you, in a closed and very echoey studio, came close to causing permanent ear drum damage to those of us stood behind it. The GTA sounds as purposeful as it looks - and the pictures barely do the in-the-metal presence justice. This is one mean and menacing four-door from all angles. No wonder HQ nicknamed its skunkworks project 'The Monster'.
The bulk added by those 50mm wider tracks is unmistakable, shoehorned into those carbon fibre rear arch extensions. The feedback on PH has been mixed, some arguing they look a little 'stuck on' by not being painted in body colour. It's a fair point. But Alfa head of design Klaus Busse told PH that they spoke to the GTA's exotic composition and to be fair to him, they look a hell of a lot more convincing in real life. Largely because the carbon weave is visible beneath the lacquer, so there's no mistaking the material for anything else. It's purposeful and race car-like.
Same goes for the single-piece carbon rear wing, which on the GTAm totally transforms the tail. It sets off that GTA diffuser, which is made all the more effective by the almost entirely flat carbon sheet underneath to the car. We had a look and it's extensive, with vanes to direct the air around the wheels and into the diffuser, so Alfa's claims for some serious aerodynamic enhancements seem to be credible. Then there are the single-piece carbon parts added to the front bumper, which spilt incoming air to cool the radiators and the brakes. They're obviously functional, and in real life look less cluttered than the pictures. suggest, adding real presence to the already eye-catching Giulia Quadrifoglio design.
Inside, the GTAm gets a half roll cage and harnesses draped over those slender bucket seats. The 'regular' GTA sticks with a rear bench and Alfa UK reckons interest is so far split about 50:50 between the two variants. Predictably though, it's the GTAm which is liable to raise your pulse before you've engaged the starter. You sit low in the car, your view ahead familiar because the dash is the same as the QF, but the addition of bar-mounted harnesses totally transforms your connection with it all. Think snug - and with that wing visible in the rear view mirror. It's fair to say they've nailed the right vibe.
Starting it up doubles down that impression. The twin-turbo motor has only been given retuned blowers, a freer-flowing exhaust system and new ECU settings to achieve its 30hp gain, but we're promised a more explosive top-end alongside the familiar mid-range grunt. On start-up and revs, the Akrapovic exhausts project coarser, raspier vocals - and it's loud. Noticeably louder than the already raucous QF, with a smooth six-pot baseline underneath the gruff high notes and condensation spit. No amount of coaxing will get the car out of the studio doors - it's not the finished article anyway - but if the GTAm's presence is even half as charismatic outdoors as it is in, it might actually justify its £153k price tag.
That price does, of course, increase the chances of examples ending up in private collections. PH was told that some US enquiries have been about right-hand drive, UK-spec cars, simply because the right hookers will be the rarest of the rare, and therefore worth the most in the long run. It's the kind of calculation that points to a life spent under covers for some cars, which would be a shame for a model which has clearly been developed with hard miles in mind. Alfa remains optimistic though that most GTA buyers will be inclined to use their cars as intended. With so many British customers registering interest, let's hope it's right. This show pony GTAm is due to be paraded around the rest of Europe now; we get the real thing next year. More on that next time.
[Photography by Thomas Howarth]
1 / 9