Alfa Romeo has unveiled the first car to come from its Bottegafuorisere bespoke division, a wild Giulia Quadrifoglio with a low-drag bodykit and split rear spoiler.
Named Luna Rossa after an Italian sailing team, the new limited-run model – that was unveiled at the Brussels motor show – is pitched as the most extreme Quadrifoglio model yet.
Chief among the changes made for the Luna Rossa is the new aerodynamics package. Up front, it gains a pair of canards, while carbonfibre skirts are mounted along its flanks. At the rear is the aggressive wing, inspired by the hydrofoils on the Luna Rossa sailboat but inverted to generate downforce rather than lift.
The package combines to produce 140kg of downforce at 186mph – five times more than the regular Giulia Quadrifoglio.
Under the bonnet is the standard 513bhp twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 engine, to which a louder Akrapovič exhaust has been fitted.
Inside, the Giulia’s Sparco bucket seats are inspired by the lifejackets worn by the Luna Rossa crew, upholstered in grey with a central red stripe.
That red-on-grey motif is mirrored in the Luna Rossa car’s optional livery.
A total of 10 examples will be built, and it remains to be seen whether any will make it to the UK. Prices, too, have yet to be confirmed – although it’s likely to represent a significant premium over the regular Giulia Quadrifoglio.
Alfa Romeo’s launch of an in-house customisation arm (together with sibling brand Maserati) follows in the footsteps of several luxury car makers, including Aston Martin, Bentley and Porsche.
Such enterprises have been remarkably lucrative for their manufacturers, which could prove instrumental in securing the future of Stellantis’s ailing Italian premium marques.
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