Remember the Alfa Romeo Giulietta? Don't blame
yourself if you've forgotten. It's been in production for nearly eight years
now, and has long since been overshadowed by the newer Giulia sedan and Stelvio
crossover. But it still has some life in it. Or at least one racing team thinks
it does, so it's taking it to the track to compete in the British Touring Car
Championship.
Unveiled this week at the Autosport International
show in the UK, the racer stems from a partnership between Duo Motorsport and
HMS Racing (previously known as Handy Motorsport), with support not from the
manufacturer itself, but from a council of Alfa Romeo dealers.
Exact specifications weren't revealed, but it's been
built to comply with the championship's Next Generation Touring Car
regulations. That means a 2.0-liter turbo four mated to an Xtrac six-speed
sequential gearbox, in this case likely driving the front wheels.
The ECU is furnished by Cosworth, and the clutch,
pedal box, and brakes are supplied by AP Racing. The aero package is tightly
governed, and the whole project is designed to be cost-effective – enough for
an independent team to undertake it.
That's how the BTCC has attracted so many different
entries: the Giulietta will be dicing it on track with NGTC versions of the
Audi S3, BMW 125i, Ford Focus RS, Honda Civic Type R, MG6, Subaru Levorg,
Vauxhall Astra, and Volkswagen CC. That's some varied field, so the Alfa will have
to be mighty quick to make its mark in one of the most competitive racing
series in the world.
