Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio: A Farewell to Combustion's Pinnacle

Aficionados of the automotive world are often labelled as nostalgic. "Nothing is like it used to be," they lament, cherishing the memory of the sound of a naturally aspirated V8 engine. Brands, in pursuit of profit margins—and to avoid emission fines, which are somewhat linked—have made their products homogeneous, hybrid, and lacking charisma, despite being much more reliable than decades ago.

"They're no longer daring!" they exclaim, idealising past times through a prism based on a fragile memory. And although the trend of current cars leans towards a hybrid-powered SUV—likely in white—there are still some special cars that excite these enthusiasts when they talk about them.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia is one of them, especially in its most powerful version, the Quadrifoglio. It's easy to recognise: if it's not evident from the widened body, carbon fibre spoilers and diffusers, the hood air intakes, or the four exhaust pipes at the rear, the car features two large emblems on the sides with a four-leaf clover.

There is a story about Alfa Romeo's racing past, a violent death, and a protective talisman, but today, those lucky clovers indicate that a very fortunate driver is inside.

The Giulia was developed in 2015 when Alfa Romeo was part of Fiat Chrysler, and the Italian-American parent company had not yet parted ways with Ferrari in one of the most lucrative financial moves in its history. This means that during its development, the passionate Italian engineers from both companies collaborated together.

Although it's impossible to prove, it's plausible that in the workshop, one of them thought that putting a Ferrari engine inside Alfa Romeo's sports sedan was a good idea. Not just good, Enrico, brilliant. The problem was that FCA couldn't allow a cavallino engine in any car that didn't have the cavallino.

So they took Ferrari's fantastic aluminium twin-turbo V8 engine and, using the same design, removed two cylinders to create a 2.9-litre V6 with over 500 horsepower. It's the cheapest Ferrari you can buy, and although it starts at a not insignificant 107,000 euros, it also comes with five doors and a boot.

Driving it is excellent. The chassis and suspension adjustments prepared the car to handle so much power while keeping the weight light. It is, after all, everything a high-performance sedan should be.

Yes, it's a car developed over 10 years ago. The multimedia system is outdated, and today, a Dacia has higher resolution in the rear camera. However, this also means that the ADAS systems are less intrusive.

Recently, we tested the BMW M5, a modern high-performance sedan. It has 727 horsepower and a Zero label because it's a plug-in hybrid. It also features a high-resolution head-up display, ambient lighting, and a screen larger than a laptop.

The "problem" is that while the BMW is a cannon exceeding five metres, with more technology and power to tame its weight, the Alfa is a reminder of simpler times when a high-performance sedan was only expected to be just that. And here, enthusiasts might not be wrong.