2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA

Giulia GTA: The Return of an Alfa Romeo Legend

•110 years after its foundation, Alfa Romeo returns to its roots, bringing back one of the legends of its history and of motoring in general: Giulia GTA
•The new Giulia GTA is technically and conceptually inspired by the Giulia GTA of 1965: the 'Gran Turismo Alleggerita' developed by Autodelta and based on the Giulia Sprint GT that racked up sporting successes worldwide
•Based on Giulia Quadrifoglio, Giulia GTA is fitted with a more powerful version of the Alfa Romeo 2.9 V-6 Bi-Turbo engine, now with 540 hp
•A GTAm (modified) variant is an extreme 100 percent 'street legal' version of the GTA, characterized by two racing seats, roll bar and 6-point safety belts
•With its extensive use of ultra-light materials, GTA and GTAm benefit from a weight reduction of 220 lb compared to the Giulia Quadrifoglio, achieving a best-in-class weight/power ratio of 6.2 lb/hp
•Specific technical solutions have also been developed for aerodynamics, setup and handling
•Alfa Romeo will collect the declarations of interest on Giulia GTA and GTAm starting today, available in only 500 certified, numbered units in total. Lucky buyers will receive an exclusive customer experience, with one-to-one sales process and dedicated experience packageOn June 24, Alfa Romeo will reach an important milestone in its remarkable history: 110 years in business. During that century-plus span, Alfa Romeo engineers and designers have relentlessly pursued innovation, while always remaining true to the brand's DNA. Over the years, this DNA – the perfect combination of sportiness and elegance – has created not only some of the most iconic vehicles ever built, but also vehicles that are right at home both on the racetrack and in any beauty contest. To mark its 110th birthday, Alfa Romeo presents a vehicle that fully signifies a return to the brand's origins, while paying tribute to one of the most emblematic vehicles of Alfa Romeo: Giulia GTA.

A set of initials with a legendary feel: GTA
The acronym GTA stands for 'Gran Turismo Alleggerita' (alleggerita being the Italian term for 'lightened'), and it originated in 1965 with the Giulia Sprint GTA, a specific version derived from the Sprint GT, designed as a sports car and presented at the Amsterdam Motor Show staged that same year. The body of the Giulia Sprint GT was replaced with an identical version in aluminum, for a total weight of 1,642 lb compared to the 2,094 lb of the road version. A second variation concerned the 1.6 twin cam engine which, in the road configuration, with dual ignition, reached an impressive output of 115 hp. The technicians of Autodelta, the official Alfa Romeo racing team, chose it as the reference vehicle for the Touring category, and developed it to achieve a maximum output of 170 hp. The model's success in competitions was then immediate: three consecutive 'Challenge Europeo Marche', tens of national championships and hundreds of individual races in every part of the world. And the way it ramped up the image of the entire range was also impressive: Giulia Sprint GTA expressed the claim 'A victory a day in your everyday car' to perfection. From then on, the GTA made a name for itself as the undisputed icon of Alfa Romeo sportiness and the acronym GTA became so successful that the public soon associated it with all the sporty Alfa Romeo vehicles in general.

The legend is renewed with excellent technical solutions
On the year of its 110th anniversary, Alfa Romeo intends to break a few rules: it doesn't intend to talk about history, especially its own, nor does it want any gifts for its birthday. Instead, it prefers to give a gift to Alfa enthusiasts by presenting the Giulia GTA. Today, this is a real return to the roots of Alfa Romeo, planted deep in the world of performance and grand touring.

Specific technical features and functional style
For the new Giulia GTA, Alfa Romeo engineers have striven to improve aerodynamics and handling but above all to reduce weight: the same guidelines followed for the 1965 Giulia GTA. The active aerodynamics were specifically studied to increase the downforce. These solutions contain technical know-how that comes directly from Formula 1, thanks to the synergy with Sauber Engineering and the use of the Sauber Aerokit. The same task is assigned to the side skirts, the specific rear spoiler and the active front splitter. The titanium Akrapovic 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. (concept carz) The handling at high speeds has been improved 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. 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. In terms of performance, the powerful 2.9 V6 Bi-Turbo, made entirely of aluminum and capable of unleashing no less than 505 hp in the standard configuration, reaches a power output of 540 hp on Giulia GTA, thanks to meticulous calibration work performed by Alfa Romeo engineers. The same team has also succeeded in optimizing the implementation of the new Akrapovic specific exhaust system, with its unmistakable sound.

Source - Alfa Romeo