Alfa Romeo has returned to form after the challenging launch of the Junior after aggravating the Italian government. Now though, the focus has shifted from the compact SUV the future of the brand is pinned upon, to the model that helped put Alfa Romeo back on the radars of petrolheads a few years ago. That car is the Giulia Quadrifoglio.

There have been a few special editions based on the gorgeous Giulia saloon since its release in 2015, but the new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Super Sport is the second to be based on the facelifted version with its updated 3x3 LED headlight signature and arrow-shaped tail lights. Visually, the giveaways for the Super Sport are subtle and have to be searched for - especially if the car is painted black; carbon fibre trim is used for the scudetto grille, door mirrors and the surrounds for the four Akrapovic exhaust tips. 

A carbon fibre roof can also be optioned, to compliment the carbon fibre splitter, side skirts, spoiler and prop shaft. The bonnet is also made of carbon fibre, but is painted. Some of the carbon fibre can move as part of the active front splitter; this is electrically adjustable and helps to improve airflow underneath the car. All the lightweight materials help to keep the kerb weight low, with Alfa Romeo quoting just 1,660 kg, making it a featherweight in a world of BMW M4s and AMG C 63s that weigh around two tonnes.

The wheels are 19” Teledial rims finished in dark grey and these house the new black brake callipers that grip the 360 mm front discs and 350 mm rears. Typical of Quadrifoglio model, the four-leaf clover sits proudly on the front wings, but instead of the usual white background, this has been switched to black. It’s a subtle change that fits in very nicely with the dark trim theme, and Alfa Romeo says that this is the first time that the background has been changed in over 100 years. If the predominantly black look isn’t to your tastes or if you’d like the carbon elements to stand out a little more, the car can be specified in Etna red or Alfa white - a colour unavailable for the regular Quadrifoglio.

Under the bonnet, the 2.9 litre biturbo V6 that everyone loves to call a Ferrari engine for some reason. The 690T engine delivers 513 bhp and 6,500 rpm with 443 lb ft (600 Nm) on tap between 2,500 and 5,000 rpm. This is sent exclusively to the rear wheels via the 8-speed automatic transmission so there’s no change from the standard car there. That said, the car will complete the 0-62 mph sprint in 3.9 seconds and go on to reach a top speed of 191 mph, so I think the output is more than adequate! A piece of tweaked hardware is the mechanical limited slip differential that has been retuned to mimic the setup of the hardcore Giulia GTA of 2021, promising a mixture of stability and agility when cornering at high speeds and exploiting the car’s 50/50 weight distribution.

At this point, it’s worth mentioning that the Super Sport takes its name from the first Alfa Romeo to win the Mille Miglia back in 1928: the 6C 1500 Super Sport - a road racer that was powered by a supercharged 1.5 litre in-line 6-cylinder engine that developed 85 horsepower and could reach a top speed of 96 mph. The Zagato-styled streamliner held off competition from a trio of Bugattis to complete the 1,007 mile race in 19 hours, 14 minutes and 5 seconds at an average speed of 52 mph. While the 6C 1500 Super Sport didn’t carry the cloverleaf on its long road to victory, it’s nice to see Alfa Romeo highlighting a less obvious piece of their heritage for their latest special edition, much like what Abarth have done for their Classiche 1300 OT that you can read about here.

The interior follows the same ethos of the exterior with subtle touches, mostly finished in carbon fibre. My favourite addition has to be the trim found on the centre console, dashboard and door cards that is made of carbon fibre with red highlights weaved in, although the Super Sport script with “1 of 275” being added to the headrests is another brilliant touch. The leather, alcantara and carbon fibre-clad steering wheel sits ahead of the column-mounted shift paddles and a 12.3” customisable driver’s display that features four display styles, including a Quadrifoglio-specific Race style. 

This prioritises key information with shift lights for manual shifting and the option to add live performance data to the screen. Otherwise, the cabin retains the same mixture of fabulous design and usable space with room for five occupants and a split-folding rear bench that can expand the 480 litre boot to accommodate a cello if required.

Every model will come handsomely equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated electric front seats, a heated steering wheel, 14-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, active cruise control, adjustable suspension, matrix headlights and more as standard, along with the Akrapovic exhaust and all the additional carbon fibre trim that would amount to an extra £5,023 on a “regular” model. I expect the cost for the optional carbon fibre roof to remain the same at £2,000. Pricing begins at £82,815 for the new Giulia Quadrifoglio Super Sport in the UK. 

There is also a Super Sport version of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio SUV that features the same exterior and interior touches and starts from £91,835 in the UK, but myself and RUSH Magazine founder, editor and commander-in-chief Craig Toone have agreed not to write about SUVs for a while after our double-take article about the Alfa Romeo Junior that you can read here.

So it may be one of the more subtle special editions as far as the Giulia is concerned, but the new Quadrifoglio Super Sport comes with one important feature guaranteed: exclusivity. There will only be 275 made worldwide, with the model also serving as the final petrol-powered Quadrifoglio to go to the USA. I have a feeling that numbers for the UK and Europe will be exceptionally limited as a result. 

Alfa Romeo has already announced plans to shift to an all-electric line-up which will include hot Quadrifoglio models, and we'll see the replacement for the Giulia arrive in 2026. That leaves us two years with the shape that still makes me look twice after 9 years on the roads and while I do expect there to be more special editions between now and the end of production, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Super Sport is the first hint of the sun starting to set on the much loved V6-powered super saloon.