ALFA'S CAGED ANIMAL

Italian flair just got a little more focused with the Giulia GTA

- Pawan Dhingara

The world of cars always gets up on its tippy-toes every time news of a new Alfa Romeo is fed across our desk, or indeed our garage. Admittedly, the rumors often fizzle out long before any metal is sculpted or when the car does eventually arrive it has usually missed its deadline or doesn’t quite deliver on those artistic renderings. It’s part of the charm, the Alfitsi will tell you.

Even the last Alfa Giulia QV was a mixed bag; so wonderful at times it would hold you in its heart and sing in your ear but the celebrations were often cut short by technical glitches or some rather low-rent interior materials. Sales around the world were dismal and it is largely down to Alfa’s partnership with Chrysler and Fiat that the brand has survived these modern times.

So does a faster, harder version of the Giulia make any sense? Actually yes! Alfa isn’t ready to throw in the towel just because of some crappy seats and a few error messages that plagued its understudy - instead, the Italian automaker is playing to its strengths and on its own battleground. The GTA is attempting to retain everything that was good about the Giulia and shove it in an even sharper package – and give us all the sexiest rear wing this side of a mid-90s Toyota Supra. You just know it’s going to be awesome to drive.

Giulia GTA (Gran Turismo Alleggerita) or (Grand Tourer Lightened) is Alfa’s answer to BMW’s GTS or Porsche’s GT3 which means things like a roll cage rather than rear seats and some other very serious compromises have been made in the game of going fast.