Alfa Romeo has a party of cars planned for its Geneva Motor Show stand, their display "pivoting around beauty, performance and exclusivity." They forgot to include "racy" in that description. A week ago we posted that Alfa Romeo might soon include Formula One technology in its cars. Before that happens, the Italian automaker will transfer its F1 livery to a select batch of Giulia sedans and Stelvio SUVs.
The Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio "Alfa Romeo Racing" limited editions celebrate Alfa Romeo's full-blooded return to a sport it once dominated. They get a livery drawn from that on the Alfa Romeo C38, the F1 car driven by Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi this year. Other exterior mods include an exposed carbon fiber roof and kick plates on the Giulia, a carbon fiber "V" in the grille and CF mirror caps and side skirt inserts on both vehicles. Burnished alloy wheels hide red brake calipers clamping carbon ceramic discs, tinted windows hide occupants, and an Akrapovic exhaust makes the music.
Special kit inside includes Sparco carbon bucket seats; a leather, Alcantara, and carbon steering wheel; a CF insert on the Mopar shift knob; and an Alfa Romeo Racing badge. Extra options get thrown in, such as adaptive cruise control, Harman Kardon premium audio, and the 8.8-inch Alfa Connect infotainment with navigation. The carmaker says the 2.9-liter turbo V6 has been tuned for more power, but didn't list the output.
The C38 race car will be on the stand, and Alfa Romeo will surely play up the fact that it's been eight years since an Italian has had a full-time drive in F1.
We expect those special editions to remain Euro-only affairs, like almost all the other debuts: The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Ti and Giulia Veloce Ti, and new Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The only potential global treat we're looking out for is the compact crossover that will sit either on the same Giorgio platform as the Giulia, or on the architecture that supports the Jeep Compass.
