2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA and GTAm pricing and specs detailed for Australia! Hardcore Italian BMW M3, Mercedes-AMG C63 and Audi RS5 beater won't come cheap

Alfa Romeo Australia will bring in 18 examples of its Giulia GTA and GTAm flagship performance sedans late this year, priced at an eye-watering $268,000 and $288,000 before on-road costs respectively.

This puts the GTA $129,050 upstream of the Quadrifoglio grade ($138,950), and well above rivals like the BMW M3 Competition ($154,900), Audi RS5 Sportback ($150,900) and Mercedes-AMG 63 S ($168,300).

In fact, the Giulia GTA and GTAm compete in price against large performance models like the BMW M5 Competition ($246,900) and Mercedes-AMG E63 S ($253,900).

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For the extra spend though, buyers do get a more potent 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, outputting 397kW/600Nm, which is an increase of 22kW from the standard Quadrifologio.

Overseas versions of the Giulia GTA and GTAm make 402kW of power, but it is understood Australian versions are detuned to accommodate for poorer fuel standards.

To extract the extra performance, Alfa Romeo has increased the boost pressure of the turbos and added new pistons, while the centre-exit Akrapovic exhaust also helps evaluate waste gasses.

Standard equipment includes sports bucket seats, bespoke suede dashbaord with model-specific stitching, fabric door handle pulls, a numbered centre console and bespoke bodykit.

Tipping the scales at around 1485 kilograms, the GTA is 100kg lighter than the Quadrifoglio, largely thanks to a carbon-fibre bonnet, roof, front bumper and wheelarches.

With drive sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission, the Giulia GTA will accelerate from zero to 100km/h in just 3.6 seconds – 0.3 quicker than its Quadrfoglio sibling.

It isn’t all about straight line performance though, as the GTA also scores retuned suspension, wider front and rear tracks, as well as new aero components, to better handle itself in the corners.

The GTAm meanwhile, kicks things up another notch with the removal of the rear seats, and swapping out the side and rear glass for lightweight polycarbonate.

The GTAm also scores a massive rear wing and racing harnesses for the front bucket seats, but whether the extra weight saving has improved performance is still unknown.

Built to celebrate Alfa Romeo's 110th anniversary, only 500 examples of the GTA and GTAm will be produced globally, but it is still unclear how many of each will be coming Down Under.

Carryover equipment includes an 8.8-inch multimedia touchscreen, wireless smartphone charger, Alfa's DNA drive-mode selector, oversized paddle shifters, push-button start and dual-zone climate control.

The GTA and GTAm also comes with an array of active safety systems such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control and traffic sign recognition.

2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia pricing before on-road costs

UPDATED: 21/05/2021