It’s a good bet that few if any will ever race.
In an electronic marketing move assisted by the cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show due to COVID-19, Alfa Romeo debuted today by electronic press release/video its new 2020 Giulia GTA sport sedan a heritage edition timed for its 110th anniversary this June. (Coronavirus Spreads – Geneva Motor Show Cancelled)
The Fiat-controlled brand said the new Giulia GTA is technically and conceptually inspired by the Giulia GTA of 1965. Not mentioned was that the famous original was based on a coupe, a now endangered species among automotive creatures. That lightened sports racer was not only striking in appearance and technical prowess, but fearsome in the racing classes where it successfully competed or dominated.*
Alleggerita, or lightened in English, was developed based on the Giulia Sprint GT. This time around the successor is derived from the Giulia Quadrifoglio. The resulting Giulia GTA has a more powerful version of the Alfa Romeo 2.9 V6 Bi-Turbo engine, now rated at 540 hp. With extensive use of light materials, it sheds weight 100 kg compared to the Giulia Quadrifoglio, thereby achieving a best-in-class weight/power ratio of 2.82 kg/hp.
Active aerodynamics are employed to increase the downforce. These are claimed to contain technical know-how that comes directly from Formula 1, working with Sauber Engineering and the use of the Sauber Aerokit. The side skirts, the specific rear spoiler and the active front splitter are so tuned. The titanium Akrapovič central exhaust system integrated in the carbon fiber rear diffuser is also new, as are the 20-inch center lock wheels, appearing for the first time on a sedan. High speed handling is helped by widening the front and rear wheel tracks by 50mm and developing a new set of springs, shock absorbers and bushings for the suspension systems.
Perhaps more significant is the Giulia GTAm, a100% “street legal” version of the GTA, with two racing seats, roll bar and 6-point safety belts. On GTAm, the aerodynamic front piece has been optimized to an “extreme level, by adding a larger front splitter and a real carbon rear wing, which ensure a perfectly balanced load at high speeds.”
Alfa Romeo is now accepting orders for Giulia GTA and GTAm, available in only 500 certified, numbered units.
AutoInformed on:
*Three consecutive “European Touring Car Championships,” multiple national championships and hundreds of individual races world-wide, including Sports Car Club of America’s Trans-Am championship in 1966. The first SCCA National B-Sedan ARRC Championship in the same GTA in 1966. The GTA would also go on to win the 1970 championship.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Limited Edition of 500 Giulia GTA Sedans Appear in June
It’s a good bet that few if any will ever race.
In an electronic marketing move assisted by the cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show due to COVID-19, Alfa Romeo debuted today by electronic press release/video its new 2020 Giulia GTA sport sedan a heritage edition timed for its 110th anniversary this June. (Coronavirus Spreads – Geneva Motor Show Cancelled)
The Fiat-controlled brand said the new Giulia GTA is technically and conceptually inspired by the Giulia GTA of 1965. Not mentioned was that the famous original was based on a coupe, a now endangered species among automotive creatures. That lightened sports racer was not only striking in appearance and technical prowess, but fearsome in the racing classes where it successfully competed or dominated.*
Alleggerita, or lightened in English, was developed based on the Giulia Sprint GT. This time around the successor is derived from the Giulia Quadrifoglio. The resulting Giulia GTA has a more powerful version of the Alfa Romeo 2.9 V6 Bi-Turbo engine, now rated at 540 hp. With extensive use of light materials, it sheds weight 100 kg compared to the Giulia Quadrifoglio, thereby achieving a best-in-class weight/power ratio of 2.82 kg/hp.
Active aerodynamics are employed to increase the downforce. These are claimed to contain technical know-how that comes directly from Formula 1, working with Sauber Engineering and the use of the Sauber Aerokit. The side skirts, the specific rear spoiler and the active front splitter are so tuned. The titanium Akrapovič central exhaust system integrated in the carbon fiber rear diffuser is also new, as are the 20-inch center lock wheels, appearing for the first time on a sedan. High speed handling is helped by widening the front and rear wheel tracks by 50mm and developing a new set of springs, shock absorbers and bushings for the suspension systems.
Perhaps more significant is the Giulia GTAm, a100% “street legal” version of the GTA, with two racing seats, roll bar and 6-point safety belts. On GTAm, the aerodynamic front piece has been optimized to an “extreme level, by adding a larger front splitter and a real carbon rear wing, which ensure a perfectly balanced load at high speeds.”
Alfa Romeo is now accepting orders for Giulia GTA and GTAm, available in only 500 certified, numbered units.
AutoInformed on:
*Three consecutive “European Touring Car Championships,” multiple national championships and hundreds of individual races world-wide, including Sports Car Club of America’s Trans-Am championship in 1966. The first SCCA National B-Sedan ARRC Championship in the same GTA in 1966. The GTA would also go on to win the 1970 championship.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.