Alfa Romeo takes the Giulia Quadrifoglio to its most extreme version: the Luna Rossa

Inspired by famous racing yachts, the Italians push their most famous saloons to the limit

Alfa Romeo brings the Giulia Quadrifoglio to its most extreme version: the Luna Rossa

The Italians are taking their most famous limousine to the limit, inspired by the famous racing boat

Only the Italians can do something like this.Others do very good things, but they can only achieve the level of interest they can create with their designs.No one gives their cars a unique touch, that soul, like the transalpinis.An example is Alfa Romeo, which went over the top with this Giulio Quadriflio Luna Rossa.

Even the most loyal fans of the brand are shaken by the sight of one of the best sedans on the market.With unique and personal lines, it speaks face to face with the always leading German designs, when it does not leave them behind on the asphalt.The Giulia hasn't had the commercial success it deserves, but that doesn't matter.The folks at Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica di Automobili took a look at the most famous model in their current catalog... and they made it wild.

With the soul of a racing car and the body of a Renaissance sculpture, it was born in collaboration with the brand and the most famous Italian sailing team in the world.So, to celebrate the successes on the water, this version of the famous Giulia is presented as the most extreme limousine Alfa has ever created.Only ten examples will be available worldwide, ten unique examples for collectors with a compass at the craziest thing to come off their digital tables in years.

The premiere took place at the Brussels Motor Show, where Alfa Romeo showed what happens when engineers are allowed to play with fine materials, nautical references and an obsession with aerodynamics.The Giulia Quadrifoglio Luna Rossa is the first project of the Bottegafuoriserie program, the technical division that unites Alfa and Maserati under the banner of excess, tradition and the future.

For starters, its bright two-tone color changes sound like the sails of a racing boat in the sun.Details red ripples with metallic gray.The matte black finish hood, roof and rear integrated with visible carbon fiber parts, as if the AC75 is made of the same material as the racing boat.Even the Alfa logo is painted red.

The visual impact is increased at the rear, where a double-profile spoiler appears without notice.Inspired by foils - Luna Rossa's hydrodynamic drifts, which lift a boat out of the water - are used not for additional flight, but to press the car onto the asphalt.This rear wing alone provides 140kg of downforce at 300km/h, five times more than the regular Giulia Quadrifoglio.

The operation did not spare attackers either.The aerodynamic package is completed by canard drifts at the corners of the bumper, a more aggressive splitter, chassis profiles and side skirts.Everything has been researched to steer the wind like someone handling a sail: without turbulence and waste.Useful eddies only.A load distribution of 40% on the front axle and 60% on the rear axle respects the compliance of the original Giulia, but pushes it to the limit.

The 19-inch wheels, finished in red in the center section, are accompanied by the "Luna Rossa" lettering running along the sides.Nothing here, not even the roof, is designed to resemble the deck of a sailboat.

Once inside, the panel is made from the original cloth used for the Luna Rossa AC75 sails.A real piece, crafted, polished and built into the heart of the car.The Sparco seats, gray and black with a central red stripe, are reminiscent of the life jackets of a sea team.Everything smells of carbon, leather, aluminum and salty wind.only aesthetic.

Under the hood, there is nothing new, but nothing secondary either.The irresistible 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 engine, born with Ferrari DNA, continues to pulse with the energy expected from an Alfa.It delivers 520 horsepower at the rear, with the help of a mechanical limited-slip differential that gives meaning to every curve and harmony to every excess;Very few vehicles of this type make such threats.The eight-speed automatic gearbox shifts precisely and the exhaust Akrapovic, also encased in carbon, doesn't growl or growl, but it beats even an army machine gunner.

A great engine

This V6 has character as well as power.Linear thrust, flexibility and the ability to drive with energy at low revs turn every acceleration into a test of strength.The self-locking differential inherited from the 2024 update allows for more precise torque delivery, increasing traction when cornering.It's a car that not only wants to go fast in a straight line, but also seeks out the apex of every bend with the desire to turn its passengers' heads.

The chassis has not been changed compared to the original giulia quadriflio, but that does not imply weakness.Completely on the contrary.The balance remains one of its main qualities, with adaptive suspensions that allow you to switch between civilized and cruel depending on the driving situation.The control is very direct and communicative.And the braking system, of size to resist the driving of an excessive track, remains an effective anchor against the 300 km/h that this sedan can reach.a small joke

Redesign and more

It may seem like a simple correction on a well-known basis, but that would be like saying that a knee is a coat that flies in the wind.Luna Rossa is something else: it is the epitome of the Italian sports spirit taken to the extreme, and although it does not improve in terms of pure numbers on the Quadrifoglio GTAm, it surpasses it in spirit, which is something that is difficult to put in a machine.

Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but that's out of the question.Ten such units have been sold since before its inception.Probably none of them will drive more than a thousand kilometers in their lifetime, but that doesn't matter.These numerous and loyal Alfistas had another reference to dream about every night.All but ten lucky people were able to take it on the road.How lucky some people are.