FAREWELL TO A LEGEND?
The Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio Super Sport Edition
For 9 years now, we have been in the fortunate position to enjoy the presence of one of the most beautiful, powerful and emotional sports saloons in the world. Anyone who has ever driven it cannot help, but get out of the driver's seat with an unmistakable "Quadrifoglio smile" - and this will occur every time, not just the first time. You can probably count on the fingers of your hand the few other vehicles that have generated similar positive reactions over such a long period of time, like the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio did.
In its original form, it is almost like a lady of a certain age in the automotive world. Some car manufacturers manage to release several model launches in such a period of time. However, the Italians age gracefully and still retain their youthful virtues, as has been proven many times in Alfa Romeo's model history. Just think of the 156, 159 or the Giulietta in the last two decades alone. The good thing is that the Giulia Quadrifoglio, as well as its brother the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, have never lost their appeal or their popular timeless appearance thanks to regular subtle but skilful rejuvenation measures and special editions.
In 2018, the limited edition NRING was launched to celebrate Alfa Romeo's 108th birthday, in 2019 the Racing Edition as a Formula 1 team tribute, in 2021 the well done interior facelift with infotainment update and new rear lights. Finally, in 2023, the major exterior facelift with the light signature redesign and fully digital cockpit was presented, and with it the 100 Anniversario Edition for the 100th anniversary of the Quadrifoglio line of Alfa Romeo.
However, even the best and most beautiful masterpieces must eventually come to an end, in this case of course only so, as not to steal too much of the spotlight from new models. Rumour has it, that this year might be the last chance to get your hands on a new Giulia Quadrifoglio in its current form. In the USA, for example, it has not been available to order since May, or has it? Because as the grand finale to this already legendary Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio Type 952 the Super Sport special edition, limited worldwide to 275 Giulia and 175 Stelvio, was recently presented.
The Super Sport pays homage to the victory of the Alfa Romeo 6C Super Sport at the Mille Miglia in 1928. It honours this glorious event with a green cloverleaf on a black triangle on the fender, a combination of colours that has never been seen before in 101 years. In addition to this instantly visible statement, an Akrapovic exhaust system, black brake callipers, Carbon Mirror Caps and a Carbon Scudetto are fitted as standard. In the interior this special model impresses with visual changes, such as red stitching on the dashboard and leather seats, the numeration "1 of 275" stitched onto the headrest and the sophisticated red and black 3D carbon interior trim. The carbon surface has a slightly softer and more refined look almost with a smoother finish, thanks to the red fibers.
In addition to these special features, there is a choice of three exterior colours: Nero Vulcano, Rosso Etna and Bianco Alfa. The overall concept of the Super Sport can therefore be summarised as red, white and black accents with a special focus on carbon. Besides this, there are no special technical or performance-related updates. We still can enjoy the magnificent 520 hp and 650nm torque, coming from the 2.9 l bi-Turbo engine and since 2023 new, the distinguished mechanical differential, which provides slightly higher speeds and a more predictable handling in curves. In addition to the previously mentioned Super Sport standard equipment, our Bianco Alfa test car comes with the large Carbon ceramic brakes and the Drivers Assist 2 Package.
Without a combustion engine powered and intimidatingly roaring Giulia Quadrifoglio, this car world will definitely be missing something unique and special. Because even today, it can still keep up with the really big German competitors in terms of driving performance. According to my research, 11,255 Giulia Type 952s were sold in Germany between 2016 and 2023, of which an estimated one third was a Giulia Quadrifoglio. So there are approximately fewer than 3,750 of these vehicles on my local German roads left. Extrapolating, we are perhaps in the lower five-figure range worldwide. For me, this means that the Giulia Quadrifoglio is already a rarity. And if this really is not the last special edition of this brilliant car, it would be more than deserving of an even more spectacular departure in every aspect, so that it becomes a legend once and for all.
Photos by Daniela Bay.
