Have a wild guess which is the most extreme road-going Alfa Romeo ever produced. The Zagato-bodied TZ3 Stradale doesn’t count because it’s a Viper under the skin, and the 8C Competizione takes its mojo from an old-school Ferrari mill that was shared with the Maserati GranTurismo lineup.
GTAm is the culprit, a Giulia Quadrifoglio GTA with a few more go-faster bits and pieces. Developed in collaboration with Sauber Engineering, the performance-oriented sedan is wider, produces more downforce, and it’s much grippier than the already bonkers Quadrifoglio. Priced at €178,000 in Italy, which is $208,600 at current exchange rates, the GTAm flaunts a force-fed V6 with 540 PS (533 horsepower) and 443 pound-feet (600 Nm).
Not as easy to control on the limit in comparison to the 2021 BMW M3 Competition, the special-edition model is very much to the liking of Mat Watson. The Carwow presenter actually prefers the Porsche 911 GT3 in the same price range, namely €170,969 or $200,350 before options and taxes.
A very different machine from the Alfa Romeo, the 992 in this configuration relies on a free-breathing boxer that cranks out 510 PS (503 horsepower) and 470 Nm (347 pound-feet) when on full song. The high-revving motor is best paired with the PDK transmission for it shifts much quicker than the six-speed manual preferred by purists. The question is, how do these unlikely rivals fare on a short racing circuit that benefits very nimble cars?
The 992 turns in harder and grips more than the Giulia GTAm, and obviously enough, the rear-engined sports car laps the track in 46.1 seconds as opposed to 47.6 seconds for the Alfa Romeo. The Porsche also has the upper hand from a standstill to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour), 100 miles per hour (161 kilometers per hour), as well as in the braking test.
Collectible in every respect, the 911 GT3 plays second fiddle to the Giulia GTAm because Alfa Romeo is offering just 500 units worldwide.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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