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Alfa Romeo Giulia Q Burning Its Clutch in Acceleration Clip, an Awareness Lesson

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is being worshiped by mortals from all over the world, but gods have their weak spots too and we're here to talk about one of them.
Alfa Romeo Giulia Q burning its clutch 5 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Alfa Romeo Giulia QAlfa Romeo Giulia QAlfa Romeo Giulia Q burning its clutchAlfa Romeo Giulia Q burning its clutch
To be more precise, we're dealing with a Giulia Q that recently roasted its clutch. The unfortunate episode was caught on camera, having taken place at the 2016 Zoute Grand Prix. And no, the smoking episode is not just a phase, so this super-sedan will need a new clutch.

The Dutch event saw two Alfa-owned cars showcasing the might of the Ferrari-developed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6, but, after a rushed take-off, one of them delivered clutch, instead of tire smoke.

There's probably no reason to point our finger at the car, as these issues are usually the fault of the driver. And since we're talking about a demo car, we could only imagine the kind of abuse this 502 hp (510 PS) sedan had been subjected to. Sure, burnouts and blitz take-offs are OK, but the idea is that your left foot must not linger on the clutch - while it might seem counterintuitive not to ride the clutch in difficult situations, as the risk of stalling can't be ignored, riding the clutch will generally lead to moments such as the one seen here.

Then again, if changing gears yourself isn't that important in your driving life, the Italian automaker also offers the range-topping Giulia in automatic trim.

In theory, the ZF-supplied eight-speed auto can deliver sub-100ms gear changes, while the driver is able to play with the generously-sized paddles on the steering column.

In practice, no matter how good you are at the clutch game, the auto will allow the Giulia Q automatic to be a full seven seconds quicker around the Ring compared to its three-pedal equivalent. And remember, the later can deliver an overly impressive 7:39 lap time.

To put things another way, going for an automatic would allow you to tell the driver of a 2017 Porsche Panamera Turbo that your car is faster on the Green Hell, while choosing the manual means you can remind him that four-door Porsches don't offer such an option anymore. Then again, neither do Ferraris...

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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