2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA and GTAm will be delayed as FCA shuts down Italy factories

GTA (Grand Turismo Alleggerita) is an iconic nameplate for Alfa Romeo. This name adorned the legendary Giulia GTA from 1965, a car that has won hundreds of victories for Alfa back in its glory days. And now when Alfa Romeo recognised the interest in something crazier than the current Giulia Quadrifoglio, if only to lift sales of the slow-selling sedan, Alfa turned its history pages to resurrect the GTA once again. Hence the new Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA and GTAm debuted earlier this month, just before the COVID-19 crisis turned into a pandemic and forced Alfa Romeo and several other carmakers to start shutting down production in Italy as well as in many other countries in Europe over the past week.

The A in GTA stands for Alleggerrita or “Lightened”. Staying true to its name the GTA and GTAm are lightened, sharpened versions of the Giulia QV. The Giulia GTA has shed about 100 kgs off the weight of the Quadrifoglio. And if that’s not racy enough, the GTAm takes it a notch further by offering just two seats, a six-point harness and a roll-bar, while retaining its right to ply on regular streets.

To aid the lightness, the Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA has a tweaked version of the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6. It now produces 533 hp, 28 hp more than the QV. It also gets an Akrapovic titanium exhaust to convert the gases into noise. All of this can take the GTA from 0 to 100 kph in 3.6 seconds. Alfa Romeo has also worked on the GTA’s handling. The front & rear tracks have been widened by 50 mm. Suspension updates including new springs, shocks, and bushings are also part of the package.

There are subtle styling updates to set apart the GTA twins from the regular Giulia Quadrifoglio (as the latter is called now since the “QV” name has been dropped). The other visual updates are all purpose-oriented. The front splitter is now an active unit, developed along with Sauber engineering to provide more downforce upfront. At the rear, there is a massive rear wing and a similarly large diffuser. The GTAm adds a larger front splitter and a carbon fibre rear wing.

The interior of the Alfa Romero Giulia GTA is covered in Alcantara. The material can be felt on the dashboard, door trims, pillars and the seats. The GTAm gets rid of the rear seats and lines the entire area with Alcantara. The side and rear glass of the GTAm are replaced with light-weight Lexan windows.

The 500 people who order the GTA will get a few perks. They will get to work with an Alfa brand ambassador (essentially a glorified car salesman) who would walk them through the entire process until the delivery of their vehicle. A customized BELL helmet along with a full Alpinestars racing outfit will be provided with the car – suit, gloves, shoes, the lot. Moreover, the owners will also get to use these and of course, their new Giulia GTA, at a course with the Alfa Romeo Driving Academy. It is unclear if the latter will be offered locally here if the cars make it to the UAE, probably at a price well north of Dhs 500,000.

Alfa Romeo has allocated most units of the Giulia GTA and GTAm for the European market but has also confirmed that they are gauging worldwide markets to introduce the GTA twins into other markets, although those plans are clearly on hold now as the coronavirus pandemic is officially worse in Italy now than in China.