Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio GTAm

The Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm is a car that is more about the past than it is about the future. It's a gas-burning, fender-flared winged beast of a sports sedan whose origins can be traced back to the 1960s.

Back then, Alfa's racing engineers slimmed down the weight of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT, upgraded its engine considerably, and anointed their creation the Giulia GTA. One of the most successful touring cars of its time, the GTA had everyday life and checkered-flag greatness baked in.

Alfa Romeo engineers recently applied the spirit of that GTA, which stands for Gran Turismo Alleggerita, the final word meaning lightened in Italian, to the Giulia Quadrifoglio. The GTA cut a claimed 220 pounds while adding various aerodynamic aids. To drop the pounds, the doors are aluminum and the drive shaft, hood, roof, front bumpers, and wheel-arch extensions at the front and rear are carbon fiber. New engine electronics, higher boost pressure, and an Akrapovic titanium exhaust system tickled out 533 horsepower from the twin-turbo 2.9-liter V-6, 28 horses more than the standard Quadrifoglio. Only 500 of the Giulia GTA will be made, and included in that short run is the even more extreme GTAm, a race-ready and street-legal version that ditches its rear seat to shed another 55 pounds compared to the GTA.

In place of the GTAm's back seat is a roll cage, helmet rack, and fire extinguisher. The rear windows are made of lightweight polycarbonate. The carbon-fiber racing bucket seats only move fore and aft, but there's plenty of Alcantara trim and carbon-fiber bits to take in. Fabric loops replace the interior door handles, a very Porsche touch.