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The Giulia GTAm is a potent sports sedan, an embodiment of Alfa Romeo's racing spirit.
Alfa Romeo is one of the most reputable automakers in the game, with a legacy that dates back as far as the mid-60s. The brand may have suffered a few cuts and bruises in the past, but it maintained its composure. Today, the brand continues to make meaningful contributions to the automotive community and is responsible for some of the coolest and most zealous sports cars in existence, like the 8C Competizione, the GTV6, and the 33 Stradale.
In June 2015, the Italian manufacturer unveiled two of its two sportiest compact executive cars: the Giulia GTA and its track version, the GTAm, at the press at the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo in Arese, with a market launch scheduled for February the following year.
The Giulia GTAm is a sports sedan with a wide throttle range and is a living embodiment of Alfa Romeo's racing spirit. It's ready to take on the racetrack, with its sleek styling and performance-oriented touch-ups. But for the most part, both GTA and GTAm pack updated versions of the twin-turbo V6 from the Quadrifoglio, which bumps power output up to 540 horsepower, allowing it to take on the Porsche 911 GT3.
But, only about 500 units of the Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA and GTAm were made, which is why weren’t surprised when we heard the car was sold out pretty quickly. Even though it’s pretty much one of the rarest cars right now, you still have a chance to own one - if you can find who’s willing to let it go.
Let’s dive into the features that make the GTAm a suitable track sedan for enthusiasts.
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In both the GTA and the GTAm, you’re welcomed into this comfy space that makes use of standard Alcantara material, which looks and feels incredibly luxurious. Alcantara upholstery is spread in the entire cabin, concealing the central console, the glove box visible, the dashboard, the door panels, and the side pillars. Aside from that, you’ll find plenty of matte carbon fiber inserts. In addition, the lightness of the material combined with carbon fiber reduces the overall weight of the car compared to other materials, which is why it's more visible inside the GTAm.
But unlike the street-legal version, the GTAm completely ditches the rear seats, which has allowed the engineers to equip the track-based version with a helmet rack, a fire extinguisher, and a roll cage. The rear windows are made of lightweight polycarbonate while the seats that comprise carbon fiber. The interior handles were also removed and replaced with fabric loops, which are color-matched to the six-point SABELT seat belts. If you’re more focused on tech, the Giulia spoils you with the 8.8-inch touchscreen system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support right at your fingertips.
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Both the GTA and the GTAm pretty much have the same exterior design, featuring carbon fiber and composite material that spans across the body. At the front, it flaunts large, aggressive, abyss-looking huge air vents and a smartly-designed grille in-between, with the iconic ‘Trilobo’ floating at the inner top part.
The profile is significantly boosted by the unique 20-inch single-locking nut wheels that are wrapped in Pilot Sport Cup 2 Michelin tires. The rear end has a stylish and sporty appeal to it, with the Akrapovič central exhaust system that’s integrated into the carbon fiber rear diffuser. This special exhaust system is composed of titanium, which further justifies the original market value.
To top this off, the track-based GTAm’s front splitter can be extended by 1.6 inches, and the rear spoiler can be adjusted to four positions. To reduce the weight, the front bumper, roof, hood, driveshaft, and wheel arc extensions are made of carbon fiber. The doors, however, use aluminum.
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As we mentioned earlier, the Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA and GTAm are both propelled by the same engine, a 2.9-liter, bi-turbo V-6 engine, which generates 540 horsepower and 443 lb.-ft of torque. This new power puts the GTAm and its road-going sibling a decent 35 horses ahead of the standard Giulia Quadrifoglio, achieved by a higher boost pressure from the turbochargers. The pistons were also systematically redesigned, allowing it to handle the power better while making the engine more reliable.
Power goes to the rear wheels or all wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Unlike the road version, the GTAm is equipped with two engine control modules, one per bank, which not only control the pressure direct injection system but also allow the driver to disable one bank if desired.
The vehicle has excellently adopted lightweight materials. We did mention that the inside and outside have received carbon fiber materials while the engine has engine utilizes aluminum components. All this has allowed the GTAm to lose about 220 pounds, making it faster. With the Launch control engaged, the Alfa Romeo GTA can sprint from a standstill to 62 mph in just 3.6 seconds.
Wilfred Nkhwazi is a screenwriter, actor, and sports car enthusiast from Blantyre, Malawi. He has written 2 feature films and a thriller trilogy. Wilfred is pursuing an Electric Car Technology program and spends a lot of his time writing for hotcars.com, penning down fast whips, celebrity collections, and everything else in-between. When he isn't writing, he loves to take long drives around the city, make music, and drink hot chocolate.