Have you seen the Giulia Quadrifoglio Nurburgring lap? If not, definitely take a look. Driver Fabio Francia is very casually attired - perhaps too casually attired, you might say, given the speed - yet trying properly hard. We're so used to Nordschleife laps of locked-down, aero balanced supercars making the circuit look far easier than it should; the Francia lap shows just how difficult it can be, with frantic inputs and corrections aplenty.
The result was one heck of a time, too: the Giulia's 7:32 was a record for four-door saloons until it was beaten by the Jaguar XE SV Project 8. Which is a four-door, roadgoing saloon like Concorde was a commercial plane - it's rather more specialised than the norm. And, let's not forget, the Jag is essentially three times the price of the Alfa - you'd want another 10 seconds around a 13-mile lap.
Anyway, Alfa was rightly proud of its achievement, beating the Germans on home turf at the kind of fast car they arguably do best. So proud in fact, that they commissioned a celebratory special edition: the NRING. There was one for the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, too, it having matched the Giulia's feat but for SUVs. While mechanically standard, the NRING cars were treated to a feast of carbon parts and unique matt grey paint.
Moreover, the 216 NRING customers (108 between each model) were treated to a host of Alfa goodies; might not seem much as a new car, but it's easy to imagine them becoming more desirable as time passes. Don't pretend you wouldn't fancy driving your 190mph Alfa around in a Sparco jacket, with a scale model of it sat at home on the mantelpiece. And the duffel bag in the boot, just because...
Given this was an Italian car celebrating a lap record in Germany, the vast majority of the NRING Giulias are left-hand drive; this car, though, is one of just 12 right-hand drive cars. What price rarity? Those original buyers were asked for £82,500, or about £20k more than a standard Quadrifoglio. A lot given the modest upgrades, though perhaps justifiable given the exclusivity. Perhaps.
Not so long ago, these cars were advertised beyond six figures; now things have levelled out a bit, reflecting the fact that the Giulia is interesting - but not the most special of special editions. Therefore our spotted, still with fewer than 1,000 miles showing, is for sale at just £400 over list price.
And yes, of course you could just go and buy a standard, used Quadrifoglio for not much more than half this cost. Quite brilliant that would surely be, too. But that doesn't stop the NRING from being an interesting and rare curio, a car marking the occasion Alfa really showed the world just how good its new sports saloon was. In fact, by being very far from the rational choice, it's actually perfectly conforming to the traditional Alfa Romeo stereotype. Prior to the Giulia, the future for Alfa's sporting prospects looked pretty bleak; it would be hard to overstate the impact it's had, particularly as a Quadrifoglio. As the rarest and most expensive derivative of that, the NRING certainly holds its own niche appeal. And one thing's for certain: the Alfa love spreads far and wide across Europe, so don't be surprised if one person's affection is worth £80,000.
SPECIFICATION - ALFA ROMEO GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO NURBURGRING
Engine: 2,981cc, twin-turbo V6
Transmission: 8-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 510@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 443@2,500rpm
MPG: 34.4
CO2: 189g/km
First registered: 2019
Recorded mileage: 991
Price new: £82,500
Yours for: £82,900
1 / 4