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Mamma mia! Could the 'street legal' Giulia GTAm be the hottest Alfa Romeo ever?

On 24 June 2020, Alfa Romeo will celebrate 110 years in business. To commemorate this very special milestone, the automaker will pay tribute to one of its most emblematic vehicles of all time: the Alfa Giulia GTA. 

GTA, short for “Gran Turismo Alleggerita”, finds its origins in 1965 when the Alfa Romeo presented its Giulia Sprint GTA at the Amsterdam Motor Show. Back then, the car was fitted with a 1.6-litre twin-cam engine and weighed only 745kg. 86kW was a lot at the time, but Autodelta, Alfa Romeo’s official racing team, took the engine under their ‘care’ and developed 127kW from it.

Autodelta won numerous championships and races with the GTA race car and, in what is no surprise, the public associated the GTA badge with all things sporty in Alfa Romeo’s model line-up.

The new car draws on that heritage, but, says Alfa Romeo, the GTA “represents a real return to the roots of Alfa Romeo, planted deep in the world of performance and grand touring.”

alfa romeo giulia gta,gtam

                       Alfa Romeo Giula GTA. Image: QuickPic

Upping the ante

In standard trim, the bi-turbo 2.9-litre V6 engine develops 375kW in the Giulia Quadrifoglio. For application in the Giulia GTA, power has been increased to 403kW! This is coupled to a reduction in weight and ‘active aerodynamics’ to help increase downforce.

Alfa Romeo says that they tapped into their Formula 1 resources by utilizing the technical know-how of Sauber Engineering and the Sauber Aerokit.

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Furthermore, a more hardcore version of the GTA is also being readied, called the GTAm. According to Alfa Romeo, “the Giulia GTAm is an extreme 100% “street legal” version of the GTA, characterized by two racing seats, roll bar, and 6-point safety belts."

Alfa Romeo says that the Giulia GTA will clear the 0-100km/h time in 3.6 seconds.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA and its extreme version, Giulia GTAm, will be built in a limited edition of only 500 units in total, all numbered, certified, and ready to take up their place alongside their 1965 forerunner.

alfa romeo giulia gta,gtam

                       Alfa Romeo Giula GTA. Image: QuickPic

Compiled by: Charlen Raymond

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