2018 marks 108 years since Alfa Romeo came into being and to celebrate, the iconic Italian brand has thrown together two limited edition models.
With production suitably capped at 108 units, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio Nring and Giulia Quadrifoglio Nring recently made their debut at the Geneva Motor Show and they come packed with plenty of cool kit and snazzy extras.
Using the standard Quadrifoglio models as a starting point, the Nring special editions bolt on carbon-ceramic brakes, Sparco racing seats with red stitching and carbon shell structure, Mopar automatic transmission knob with carbon insert, leather and Alcantara steering wheel with carbon inserts.
The front badge and the mirror caps are made of carbon fibre and you’ll also get tinted windows, active cruise control, a Harman Kardon premium audio package and Alfa’s Connect 3D Nav infotainment system with 8.8-inch screen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and DAB.
Brighter days
It’s heartening to see Alfa Romeo finally letting its hair down after some very worrying moments in recent years.
There was serious concern that Alfa wouldn’t be a thing for much longer after its model range depleted to just two cars in 2013. Those two cars weren’t particularly good either and with the MiTo and Giulietta’s respective rivals outperforming them in virtually every area, it was easy to understand why sales were poor with numbers plummeting every month.
Fast forward to 2018 though and the future looks decidedly rosy for Alfa. The 3 Series-rivalling Giulia and Stelvio SUV are significantly more competent cars and people are once again taking notice of Alfa for the right reasons. Hurray!
Nurburgring records
It’s not just the critics that have been impressed by the Stelvio and Giulia; both cars have set new record times in their respective segments for racing around the Nurburgring.
With a 2.9-litre V6 Bi-Turbo petrol engine under its bonnet, the 504bhp Stelvio is currently the fastest SUV around the world famous track, completing a lap in seven minutes and 51.7 seconds.
Meanwhile, the Giulia Quadrifoglio is the record-holder for standard production four-door saloons, with a lap time of seven minutes and 32 seconds.
Watch both cars do their thing at the ‘Ring:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrU00xoUy8A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gEdJmIVqLY
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