Alfa Romeo is “pushing” to secure an allocation of the limited-run Giulia GTA for Australia – but nothing is set in stone just yet.
“We’d like to have it,” Guillaume Drelon, Alfa Romeo Australia director of product strategy, told media.
“It’s not yet confirmed but we’re working on it seriously.”
Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm
Revealed in March, the Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA and GTAm revive the iconic Gran Turismo Alleggerita nameplate for the Italian marque.
The latter adds an ‘m’ for ‘Modificata’ as it removes the rear seats and modifies numerous components of the car specifically to reduce weight for track use.
Power comes from a massaged version of the Ferrari-developed 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 familiar from the standard Giulia QV, tuned to deliver 402kW (up from 375kW). A torque figure has yet to be confirmed.
With the added grunt, the Giulia GTA claims to sprint from 0-100km/h in just 3.6 seconds, 0.3 seconds quicker than the Giulia QV. The GTA is rear-wheel drive and offers a launch control feature.
Both models get extensive use of carbon-fibre throughout the body – including the drive shaft, bonnet, roof, front bumper, front fenders and rear arch flares – to reduce weight, a 50mm wider track, and special 20-inch alloy wheels with race-style centre locks.
Aluminium has been used for some of the engine components, doors and suspension for further weight reduction, and other composite materials have been used throughout the vehicle.
Alfa Romeo claims the GTA and GTAm are about 100kg lighter than the Giulia QV.
There’s also revised aerodynamics for both models which entails an active front splitter and side skirts, as well as a prominent rear diffuser element – all with help from the Sauber F1 team. Sticking out the back is a new Akrapovic titanium sports exhaust with central outlets.
The Giulia GTAm turns it up to 11, removing the rear seats entirely and subbing in a roll cage, polycarbonate side and rear window frames, carbon-fibre race seats with six-point Sabelt harnesses, a larger carbon-fibre front splitter and that distinctive carbon-fibre rear wing.
Alfa Romeo is limiting the Giulia GTA and GTAm’s production run to 500 units in total globally, meaning if Australia was able to get an allocation, it’d likely be in the single digits.
Our market has our love for performance vehicles on our side, though. Rival luxury marques BMW and Mercedes-Benz have both gone on record saying Australia is one of of the largest markets for M and AMG products outside of Europe, and it’s a similar story for Volkswagen and its R models.
Toyota has even cashed in on Australia’s love for fast cars with the latest GR Yaris homologation special, offering an initial run of 1000 vehicles with super sharp $39,990 drive-away pricing and then a further 100 vehicles for $44,950 drive-away – all of which have now been snapped up with deposits.
Do you want to see the Giulia GTA and GTAm in Australia? Let us know your thoughts below.
MORE: Alfa Romeo Giulia news and reviews
MORE: Alfa Romeo news and reviews
