Alfa Romeo revived its GTA badge in 2020 with a pair of hot Giulia sedans limited to 500 units worldwide.
One of those 500 was purchased by Valtteri Bottas, a current driver for the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team.
He naturally went with the more extreme version, the track-focused Giulia GTAm, and on Monday was finally handed the keys at a showroom in Turin, Italy.
“I'm clearly a lifelong car enthusiast but most of all I love the Alfa Romeo brand,” Bottas said in a statement. “It is an honor for me to be an ambassador of the brand and now to become a customer, owner of one of the 500 Giulia GTAs.”
Valtteri Bottas takes delivery of Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm
Bottas only joined Alfa Romeo's F1 team in 2022, after several years at Mercedes-Benz AMG. That means he wasn't there when Alfa Romeo was developing the Giulia GTA and Giulia GTAm. If he was, he would have had the chance to help develop the cars, a privilege his predecessors, Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi, were able to enjoy.
The cars are based on the Giulia Quadrifoglio and take their inspiration from the Alfa Romeo GTA based on the Giulia sold in the 1960s. The initials are short for Gran Turismo Alleggerita, Italian for “Grand Touring Lightened.”
Both cars feature the twin-turbo 2.9-liter V-6 from the Giulia Quadrifoglio, but with output increased from 505 to 532 hp. Those ponies push 220 pounds less weight than in the Quadrifoglio, allowing for a 0-62 mph dash of 3.6 seconds with launch control. The GTAm version is recognized by its bigger rear wing and stripped-out cabin complete with harnesses and a roll bar.
Alfa Romeo may not be in F1 for long as the team is currently partnered with Sauber, which beginning in 2026 will operate as the factory team of Audi. Alfa Romeo's deal with Sauber ends after 2023, and the automaker hasn't said what it plans for its future in F1.
