Q u a d r i f o g l i o
BACKGROUND
In 1923, legendary Alfa Romeo race car driver
Ugo Sivocci wanted to break a string of second-place
finishes. To prepare for the legendary Targa
Florio race in Sicily, he painted a white square
with a “Quadrifoglio”, or four-leaf clover, on
the front of his Alfa Romeo RL Targa Florio. He
finished in first place. In the same year, Sivocci
was track testing a new car that didn’t yet bear
his lucky symbol. Tragically, he crashed and lost
his life thus a legend was born. This marked the
beginning of a tradition: all future Alfa Romeo
race cars would bear the four-leaf clover on a
white triangle —the Quadrifoglio was also used
to designate high performance Alfa Romeo
street vehicles like the 1963 Giulia TI Super,
the 1965 Giulia Sprint GTA and now, the Giulia
Quadrifoglio.
The revered cloverleaf on the sculpted fender
serves notice of the Giulia Quadrifoglio’s caliber:
375 kW generated by an all-new 2.9L Bi-Turbo
direct-injection V6, amplified with performance
enhancing torque vectoring, Alfa patented sport
suspension and Alfa DNA Pro with Race Mode.
Race-ready leather Alcantara seats, 19-inch
forged wheels, a carbon fibre rear spoiler and
an active aero front splitter all add to the Giulia
Quadrifoglio experience. Clearly, this is an Alfa
Romeo that doesn’t take the word legend lightly.
EXTERIOR
The exterior design of the Quadrifoglio
amplifies the design of the Giulia by accentuating
performance enhancing elements. From the side
the Quadrifoglio badge is immediately noticeable
as well as the deep gouge in the side that
originates from behind the front wheel arch. The
Quadrifoglio also rides on light weight 19-inch
forged alloys that are wrapped in bespoke Pirelli
P Zero tyres. The carbon fibre side skirts are
integrated into the body surface. Lastly, the car
features six-piston red brake calipers at the front
and four-piston red brake calipers at the rear. The
front fascia features an aggressive aero treatment
including brake cooling ducts, aero curtain slits
as well as a carbon fibre Active Aero Splitter.
The bonnet also features heat extractors. The rear
of the vehicle is highlighted by a carbon fibre
spoiler and a wider, more aggressive rear bumper
with a diffuser that wraps around the quad tipped
Monza dual mode exhaust system.
INTERIOR
Like the exterior, the interior of the Giulia
Quadrifoglio is adorned with performance
focused materials and design elements such as a
red starter button, contrast stitching, leather and
Alcantara finishes and carbon fibre trim. The
standard sport design leather front seats feature
8-way electric adjustment with power bolsters
while the deeply sculpted leather and Alcantara
rear seats are designed to accommodate two
occupants.
HANDLING & DYNAMICS
Australian versions of the Giulia Quadrifoglio
are equipped with an 8-Speed Automatic gearbox
as standard and manual shifting can be achieved
via the column mounted aluminium shift
paddles. The small diameter steering wheel with
integrated starter button is trimmed in leather
with stitching in either red or black, dependent on
choice of interior upholstery. An optional steering
wheel trimmed with carbon fibre inserts and
Alcantara fabric is also available as an option.
A new eight-speed automatic transmission,
linked to the Alfa™ DNA Pro, makes its debut
on the new Giulia Quadrifoglio. The transmission
is specifically tuned to deliver a comfortable
and efficiency-oriented drive when the car is in
Natural and Advanced Efficiency mode while
still providing exhilarating responsiveness and
driver control when in Dynamic mode and Race
mode. The driver can choose to shift manually
via the selector or steering column-mounted
paddle shifters.
MOTORING
The Giulia Quadrifoglio has an unladen weight
of 1,524 kg and a weight-to-power ratio of 4.0 kg/
kW. These extraordinary results were achieved
by extending the use of carbon fibre to the roof,
bonnet, front splitter, rear spoiler and side skirts. The
weight of the Quadrifoglio variant can be reduced
further by selecting the available carbon ceramic
brake discs and Sparco seats with a carbon fibre rear
structural frame. It also features double wishbone
front suspension with semi-virtual steering axis
developed to guarantee rapid, accurate steering. The
caster trail is kept constant in corners and can tackle
high lateral accelerations as a result of its always
perfect footprint. The rear axle features the Alfalink
four-arm layout with an Alfa Romeo patented
solution for toe adjustment, to ensure the best
performance and comfort. The Active Suspension
system continuously adjusts the suspension dampers
reducing body movement in all driving conditions.
It interacts in real-time with the Chassis Domain
Control module and with the Alfa DNA Pro and
calibrates its action according to the mode selected.
A solenoid valve modifies the hydraulic flow
inside each shock absorber, changing the damping
characteristics of the suspension setup. The solenoids
are wired to the controlling computer which sends
them commands depending on the control algorithm.
When the DNA is in the ‘Dynamic’ or ‘Race’ driving
position, the active damping system maximizes the
stiffness. The stiffness is reduced with the ‘Natural’
and ‘Advanced Efficiency’ driving modes.
Making its global premier on the Alfa Romeo
Giulia, an innovative new electromechanical
braking system combines the stability control
system and traditional servo to improve brake
responsiveness, lower weight, reduce pedal
vibrations of the ABS system and make record-breaking
stopping distances possible: 100km/h to
a standstill in just 32m.
Breathtaking is a word most often used to
describe this stunning new addition to the Alfa
Romeo garage. Beautiful in appearance, easy to
drive and blessed with Alfa’s stunning handling
and performance, this is a car begging to be driven.
ALFA ROMEO
A rare mix of stunning good looks
coupled with wonderful performance
pindaramagazine.com.au Pindara Magazine | 87