If you think about an F1 inspired car, brought out in a quantity of 10 units, there’s a big chance you’re thinking about a cutting edge hypercar. One car that ticks all the boxes is an Alfa Romeo saloon. Here’s the story of my Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Alfa Romeo Racing Edition.
What is it?
The ARR Edition is a crossover episode between two quite significant events. Let’s start with the canvas upon which – almost literally – the paint was applied. The Alfa Romeo Giulia came out in 2016. After a bit of an absence in the segment since the 159 got taken out of production, it was a completely redesigned car. The Giulia is a direct answer to the slightly more upscale midsize saloons, like the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class. A thing it then shared with all three of these cars: a high performance top version. Alfa Romeo used their performance label Quadrifoglio Verde (green four-leaf clover in Italian), dropped ‘Verde’, and the Giulia Quadrifoglio was born. The engine is a 2.9 liter V6 which is literally the Ferrari 3.9 liter V8 minus two cylinders. Mated to an eight speed automatic or an option more sport saloons should offer: a six speed manual. It produces 510 horsepower and 600 Nm of torque on a RWD platform, it will do 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds.
Sounds like a pretty special car, but the Giulia Quadrifoglio is mass produced. For 2019, the ARR came into play. It’s all got to do with racing. Formula 1, to be precise. Alfa Romeo used to be part of quite an early period of Formula 1. They were active in 1950 and 1951, then retired and resurfaced in 1979. A less successful period, even though they stood active for six years this time, until 1985. Then in 2018, they resurfaced again, this time as part of the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 team. However, the name Sauber got dropped in 2019 and this time Alfa Romeo was back on the grid as Alfa Romeo Racing. To celebrate this renaissance of Alfa Romeo as an independent brand in the Formula 1, they brought out a limited edition variant of both the Giulia and Stelvio (SUV) Quadrifoglio. The hardware is largely unchanged, only extra alcantara and optionally semi-slicks and canards can be ordered. However, every Giulia Alfa Romeo Racing Edition gets a distinctive livery, based on the Formula 1 livery. None of this is the most impressive about the car: that would be the fact that for both the Stelvio and Giulia, only 10 special ARR Editions are being made. Worldwide. No excuses.
How and why did I get it?
So what does one need to do to get himself a Giulia ARR. In my case, it was a combination of right place right time and liking what I see. It all started when my brother-in-law, also a car guy, roadtripped to Scotland with his brand new standard Giulia Quadrifoglio. Obviously I had the chance to drive it and experience it. Back then I sort of ‘forgot’ about the Giulia. In a sense that it would actually fit right in to my, back then not that big, garage. So after my brother-in-law left, I made a B-line straight run for the local Alfa Romeo dealer. Because I had money to spend, I literally asked them: what is the most highly specced Giulia Quadrifoglio you have at the moment. Alfa Romeo of London took delivery of one of the ten ARR Editions. It was expensive for a Giulia Q. But as I said, I had money to spend and wanted a Giulia. So I decided to get it.
What did I do to it?
Absolutely nothing. This car is special and I want to cherish that. Some people mistakenly thought the stickers were done by myself, but they’re a factory option. One slight modification that happened very early in the process is that it got delivered on winter wheels, which were black. When I ordered the regular wheels, I got gold rims. They’re OEM and if desired these exact wheels can be ordered on any ARR, but in the very beginning, the rims were black. I decided I liked the gold more. An option I didn’t select is the tire lettering: I don’t like it.
What don’t I like about it?
It’s very little, but there are some niggles. First: the fact that although it’s very special, it’s still quite a regular Giulia. What I mean by that is that it wouldn’t be so special if you remove the stickers – they are regular vinyls. Another thing is that the interior is very, very racing orientated, with rough bucket seats. That doesn’t make it an ideal daily. The fact that I don’t daily drive it is enforced by the special status, resulting in not wanting to put the mileage that high up.
What does the future hold?
The car is on a bit of a non-active status, but that’s because as said, I want to keep the mileage low. Until then, it’s displayed at the Alfa Romeo dealership in Edinburgh. It will definitely be taken out, but not a lot. Will I sell it? Probably not. It’s very unique to have and for that reason I want to keep it.
Conclusion
Extremely special and still a regular Alfa Romeo Giulia. It’s like a work of art: you prefer looking at it and not use it. It’s still very much a great addition to the collection, even in a non-active status.
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