At Spa Classic, but not for the oldies…

We got invited to this exclusive testdrive on-track with the new ‘Super Sport’ edition of the Quadrifoglio. Our spirited (and small) Italian Tommy is going to neatly cover it down here. Might be worth a read.

‘Shouty’

Because that’s what it is. From the moment you start it up, to the moment you get out and start missing it. It’s brutally shouty and I love it. And I don’t mean that in a bad way, it’s just a sound I quite missed after not having been able to let myself go completely loose in one of these for a while. Yet today, we (kinda) did. So follow me into the next paragraph for a verdict on how I tried to tame it.

Yes, I had to tame this animal on wheels. Especially on a wet and greasy Spa. Heading through raidillon was a bit of a challenge, especially because I wanted to make it look good to whoever was watching… haha. We drove the Stelvio QV, and it was understeery. Some say it was because of the rubber and wet tarmac, I do believe the guys in the Guilia were having more sideways fun. Either way all of us were sh*tting our pants at some point.

No race!

That’s what they told us as we were heading out onto the track. No race mode allowed in the rain. They could track it if we did, they said…. So being the good citizen I am, I switched it back.

And I was glad they told me to use Dynamic mode only. Because now I was really able to experience the benefit of having aids like traction control and such turned on. It’s a different way of driving, but surprisingly I liked testing this out on track. The systems allowed you to go what seemed like the fastest way around the corner, without ending up in the ditch. I can imagine that if you are an experienced driver, you’d hate this since it does feel like the car is trying to outsmart you. Yet, for someone like me, who could use some help here and there, especially in the rain, it felt just right having these aids turned on for when they were needed.

Any difference?

No. The ‘Super Sport’ edition does not offer any mechanical difference to the ‘regular’ Quadrifoglio. The differences are aesthetically. Such as the QV badge having a black background, which is a first. Inside you’ll find a different trim, special to the Super Sport. It’s a layered red carbon finish, which they call ‘3D touch’. And oh yeah, the cars are numbered, which is embroidered on the headrests. Why would anyone buy these though? Well…

Mille miglia, si

You’d buy one because this car pays tribute to the very first Alfa Romeo that ever won the Mille Miglia. That was the Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Super Sport. You see where they got the ‘Super Sport’ from… Inventive guys, those Italians if I do say so myself. So just for this reason alone, I bet there will be many petrolhead souls attracted to this limited edition.

Junior x2

The first junior being our Italian one, Tommy, and the second one is the now renamed B-segment car from Alfa Romeo. Which was also shown at Spa Classic. I had a look around and loved the funky design. It’s distinct Alfa Romeo design language and that’s how it is supposed to be. However the hefty price tag of 39.000 euros for the Junior Elletrica is quite hefty, especially when being compared to the Fiat 600e which ‘only’ costs 35.990. But then again, a true Alfa client will not mind paying the premium since they know what to expect. We are eagerly waiting to test out this compact car.