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StarLight Garage presents the Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Super-R, a replica built by the Alfaholics Company which is specialized in of course Alfa Romeos.
An Alfa Romeo is for me like a cousin of Ferrari and always when I see one, my heart rhythm
goes up.
Enjoy this beauty.
Suggestion proposed by my friend CostasDrifter.
Alfaholics worked for three years on the Giulia for one of their clients, and the end result is astonished.
The car is built with the best components available, actually the perfect car you always wanted for a track day and daily use. For the replica Alfaholics used a Alfa Romeo Giulia TI 1967, found in California and left hand drive.
The equipment includes, sporty 6-pot brakes, FIA homologated aluminium dampers, lightweight components and a host of other changes to give a mean machine on the track. In the front under the bonnet we will find a modern 2.0 Twin Spark engine which will produce an acceptable 220 hp.
The car weights 940 kg, that's pretty light.
Interview with Alfaholics
“No-one has really done a saloon properly, like we have with the GTs. So it was a nice exercise to show what is ultimately possible with a four-door saloon. We’re already getting interest from it, because people are saying: ‘Before, I never really got them, but seeing this, I get it as an amazing thing’.”
What have been the differences in the build process? “It’s got twice as many doors, there are more complicated bits inside it and parts availability is poorer. So when we found that there were a few bits missing from the donor car, it’s been difficult and we’ve had to make the stuff. Stuff like, silly little brackets and trim bits.”
The process of finding a suitable car did take the company two years, because there wasn’t anything suitable in England. In the end though, this car – a genuine Californian black-plate Giulia – surfaced and was converted to right-hand drive. Yes, it was rust-free and a rolling shell, but it wasn’t all there.
“It has shown us that it is more important to start with a complete Giulia, whereas with a GT, you can afford to start with a shell. Far more Giulias have been scrapped, not properly broken for parts, so there are far less parts available,” says Max.
What about the problems associated with modifying a Giulia? One issue has been fitting larger rubber to the car, because of its squared off rear-wheel arches and the body’s slim-hipped straight lines.
“We now use Yokohamas, which we use on the GTs, and even in the same 195 width they seem to be a little bit bigger than the traditional Michelins,” says Andrew. “So we had to do a little bit of work to ensure that we can still get the car as low as the GTs without getting any arch clearance problems. So we soon got around that…”
Max adds: “You were also adamant that you didn’t want the bodywork (from the outside) looking modified at all. So it couldn’t be like a racing car, were you’d flare the aches. Andrew said, ‘No, there’s that straight line down the side of the car.’ So we had to find all the space inside…
“When we first prep’d the shell for paint, it was on Michelins – which is all we were using on the cars – and we had all the clearance we wanted. However, after Andrew drove my car on Yokohamas and saw how good they were, he had to have them on the Giulia. Being a competition style of tyre they are a little bit bigger… So where we had space before, we then didn’t have space! And had to do a little bit of work with wheel offset, etc.”
Underneath the bonnet of this Alfaholics Giulia TI Super R (the Giulia TI Super was the homologated berlina), is as Andrew reveals, a familiar powerhouse and running gear from the GT: “The engine is our top-spec big-valve Twin Spark engine which is producing 220 hp at 7000 rpm, so it should go well.
“Coupled with its weight of about 940 kg, the car is pretty light, but it’s not as light as the GTs. We’re going to work on that and get the weight down, but then right at the outset it was my decision that this car would be more of a touring car than a stripped-out racer.
“I was keen that we should have sound-deadening, proper carpets, plus use leather and Alcantara. So it’s fair to say that a few kilos are attributable to that – but I don’t regret it! The end result not only looks fantastic, but it should have a few creature comforts.”
Whereas the GTA-R features GRP bonnet and boot lids, Andrew – for the sake of appearance – has retained the steel panels; however, in the name of weight control, the rear seat is both thinner and lighter than the factory original.
Max adds: “Regarding the weight, I think we’ve actually done very well, considering it is a heavier car to start with and everything has been trimmed. To get it within 40 kg of a GT, with all the original heavy steel stuff, is good going. Fit a GRP boot and bonnet and it would probably be down to just 25 kg.”
When unveiled at Race Retro, Andrew had yet to get the chance to drive this phenomenal Giulia, but by the time this goes live – especially following the decent weather – this will have been rectified.
“People’s reactions to the car have absolutely blown us away,” says Andrew, with some surprise. “We have charted the build on our website and once we publicised the finished result, the reaction was unbelievable. So it shows that there are a lot of saloon lovers out there and hopefully, it will catch on in people’s imagination.”
Which is hardly surprising, and it’s almost enough to make this feature breakout into an uncontrollable burst of eccitato italic Italian phrases.
Hmmm – but, the downside to this firing of the imagination is that it gives us an idea.
Story by Alfaholics
HERE ARE THE OTHER ALFAS:
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