Alfa Romeo is celebrating its 100th anniversary with the Giulia GTA which pays homage to a 1965 Giulia GTA. In fact, there’ll be two versions: Giulia GTA and Giulia GTAm; the photos here feature the latter.
The ‘GTA’ stands for “Gran Turismo Alleggerita”, where alleggerita is Italian for “lightened”. The acronym debuted in 1965 with the Giulia Sprint GTA, where the body was made of aluminum, resulting in a total weight of 745 kg (1,642 lbs) compared with the 950 kg (2,094 lbs) of the road version. While the 1.6-litre twin-cam engine offered only 115 metric hp (an impressive figure at that time) in the road-going version, the technicians of Autodelta — the official Alfa Romeo racing team, managed to extract almost 170 metric hp in the racing version.
Anyway, back to the new Giulia GTA. It looks significantly more dramatic and aggressive than the Giulia Quadrifoglio, especially in this GTAm guise. The m suffix stands for modificata, which is, of course, Italian for “modified”. The exterior differences in the GTAm include a larger active front splitter and a massive carbon fibre rear wing.
Except for the front and rear Alfa Romeo badges, the rest of the logos and badges are painted in order to cut down as much weight as possible. Other notable features include the Akrapovič titanium central exhaust system integrated into the carbon fibre diffuser and 20-inch center lock wheels.
In case you haven’t noticed yet, the front and rear tracks are wider by 50 mm for better handling at high speeds. In addition, there is a new set of springs, shock absorbers and bushings for the suspension system.
And yes, there’s a total weight reduction of about 100 kg (220 lbs), especially in the GTAm, compared with the Quadrifoglio. Weight saving measures include the usage of carbon fibre for the driveshaft, hood, roof, front bumper, front fenders, rear wheel arch inserts, and, on the GTAm, the shell of the sports seats. Further weight savings come from the usage of aluminum for the engine, doors and suspension systems, and Lexan – a polycarbonate resin – for side and rear window frames.
Inside, the GTAm deletes the rear seats for a roll cage and there are specific moldings designed to hold helmets and a fire extinguisher. There are matte carbon inserts and generous usage of Alcantara and of course, red contrast stitching for added drama.
Also, in the GTAm, the door is opened with a belt instead of a traditional handle, for more drama, of course. Moving on to the business end of the story, the Ferrari-built 2.9L V6 biturbo engine now pumps out 397 kW or 540 metric hp, which is 30 metric hp more than the Giulia Quadrifoglio. The torque appears to be the same 600 Nm (442 lb-ft) as the Quadrifoglio and so is the 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox. A 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint is claimed to happen in 3.6 seconds.
Only 500 units of the Giulia GTA and GTAm will be built in total (combined) and will be numbered. The new owners will also receive a Bell helmet in special GTA livery, a full racing set by Alpinestars (race suit, gloves and shoes) and a personalized Goodwool car cover.
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