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Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce: Echo From The Past
ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA VELOCE
ECHO FROM THE PAST
WORDS: Richi Mackie
PHOTOGRAPHY: Ron Morgenstein
It seems like yesterday, but a handful of decades have passed. Doesn’t matter ‘cause if I close my eyes I can still hear the roar of the twin-cam that my father was used to blast day after day. He had an Alfa, that although it did not have an exaggerated cavalry was able to grab ten years of my mother’s life each time they were leaving for a “quiet” Sunday drive, the very moment my dad was closing the vein and start squeezing as if it were vying to win a world rally. The epitome of Alfa Romeo has always been a sporty soul, not too much hidden under a suitable dress able to bring you to church on Sunday morning and to pinch the curbs in the afternoon. But for my father, in those seemingly far years, the road that he was driving every day coming home from work was a racing track and from my room I was able to distinguish that unmistakable sound rushing down the stairs to greet him at the door. With these intentions Alfa Romeo dusts off the Veloce name and sticks it to the sides of the new Giulietta, making some changes and maintaining the 1750 turbocharged engine with 240 horsepower, virtually the same as the beautiful fitted in the underrated 4C.
Then I became an adult and I was lucky enough to drive several cars, ascertaining that many are really fast, but only a few really know what it means to be exciting and in my heart I know that what I look for in a performance car should be the right answer to a simple question I ask myself at the end of the day – did I really enjoyed it? – I have to feel a child again, savoring every corner, every moment spent with it without caring a bit about the stereo or the time I lose by choosing the long way home for the simple fact that it is more winding and perhaps less trafficated. The Giulietta Veloce is the heir to the Quadrifoglio Verde and borrows something from the bigger sister Giulia, such as the front look and the badge fonts on the back and on the sides, while remains faithful to the Giulietta design that we all know. Unlike the basic model that storm the streets of our big cities, we have a red lipstick that contrasts with the black of the central part of the front bumper, lowered suspension, two increased diameter tailpipes and 17 inches alloy wheels (or 18 inches). Personally, unless you’re a die-hard Giulietta fan, it will be difficult to distinguish the standard one to the Veloce, but what matters to me lies under the dress and so I climb on board and start the engine.
Giving life to an Alfa Romeo is a delicate situation, because from that moment you know that all your prejudices will be confirmed or swept away. There are no half-measures, Alfisti like my father are just like this. The gearbox is an automatic with double clutch and 6-speed, fast and fairly accurate, but unfortunately the paddles behind the steering wheel are small and made of cheap plastic. The same is true for some parts of the dashboard and solutions not at all rated to a sports feeling, such as the positioning of the center armrest (cumbersome and impractical) and the huge steering wheel, to be honest, not even suited to a diesel van. Passing over these aspects that we can define secondary, I leave the town behind and I start driving down the road of Malpasso, scenic stretch that Alfa Romeo has used years ago unveiling the MiTo. The succession of curves and straights allows me to select the “Dynamic” mode (the sportiest) through the DNA and push the Giulietta Veloce as fast as my father did. The leather seats are beautiful and comfortable, perhaps the seat is a bit ‘too high, but once you get used you do not think more about it, rather what it’s not something you’re gonna fall in love with is how the gearbox handle your driving efforts, not allowing to upshift too early and handling to downshift when it thinks is the right moment (which in fact it is) – if you try to do the wrong thing, an annoying “beep” will remind you that the car is smarter than you.
The 1750 is another reminder of the glorious past of this 4-cylinder Alfa Romeo and shows how is able to offer a good power of 240hp and a torque of 340 Nm, available at just 2000 rpm. Unfortunately the Veloce accuses an annoying pitching as the nose tends to point right and left as you’re trying to keep down the gas, also struggling to avoid the front tires to lose grip. Certainly, in my case, having winter tires, the phenomenon has been amplified, but I often had to keep a very tight leash to my desire to unleash the power available. Once arrived into some small roads I turned off traction control and I could appreciated the excellent grip and the now reduced understeer, especially coming out of the corners and all thanks to the Electronic Q2, which in effect simulates the action of a limited slip differential. I keep driving and I alternate hard braking to rapid direction changes – the Giulietta is ready, it’s fast, fast just like its name (Veloce means fast, in Italian), but something still does not convince me. Engine vibrations are annoying to the point that sometimes it looks like a diesel, but let it goes up to 4000 rpm and you will go back in time thanks to a sound full of character. Fuel consumption is good and that the sat-navigator is quite accurate, so what’s wrong with this Giulietta? Maybe it’d be better not to call your ancestors or you end up in an unequal competition. The emotions you experience in a modern hatchback are those that respond to the name of speed, acceleration, cornering, but it is very strained, less direct, less experienced from a driver’s point of view. You won’t get out with sweaty hands and shaking legs, it won’t be different from the day before or what the one to come. It is a matter of personality and that’s not an option which you can get in addition to the already substantial € 34,000 needed to put your hands on the Giulietta Veloce. It does not leave a mark in our hearts, it can do so on the asphalt, but when it is all over, the Alfa that takes shape in the heart will be the one that your father had, or the beautiful 4C that does not care about practicality and family and will catapult you in that world where you marry the smell of petrol and experience good old times driving pleasure. At the end of the day they both share the same cuore sportivo.
ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA VELOCE (2017)
Layout – front-engined, front wheel drive
Engine – 4 cylinder 1.742cc – turbo
Transmission – 6-speed automatic gearbox
Power – 240 hp @ 5750 rpm
340 Nm @ 2000 rpm
Weight – 1395 kg
Acceleration – 6 sec.
Top Speed – 245 kph
Price – from € 35.300
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