By Paul Strauss
While I’ve had the opportunity to see the new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio in person, I think only a handful of people have had the chance to drive one yet. One such lucky bastard is Tim “Shmee150” Burton, who recently attended the European press launch for Alfa’s new rear-wheel drive sports sedan.
This Ferrari-influenced Alfa gets a 2.9-liter transverse-mounted twin-turbo V6 that cranks out a stellar 510 horses, and is capable of going 0 to 62 mph in just 3.9 seconds. Left-hand drivers will get the choice of a 6-speed manual or a paddle-shifted 8-speed ZF automatic, while right-handers get just the auto, which is kind of surprising given the popularity of manuals in Europe. The manual also seems to have stolen a couple of features from the Corvette Stingray, with no-lift shifts and rev-matching blips on downshifts.
Check out the video for an in-depth look at the Giulia in action. You can skip to 3:52 if you want to dive straight into a hot lap on the track. Even on a soaking wet track, it looks like a blast, and it sure sounds great with that deep roar of an exhaust note. There’s scads of power, aggressive shifting, a stiff chassis, near perfect weight balance, and very direct steering, all things that make me very happy.
Seriously, I cannot wait to get behind the wheel of one of these.
Source:: 95 Octane