Logic has no place here, so try to swallow your indignation or disbelief. Because the world of restomod ignores the rational, embraces the madness of true enthusiasm and offers pure fantasy. It addresses titanium, carbon fiber and race-spec engine management, but also handcrafted aluminum panels, stunningly executed old-fashioned interiors and modified engines, balanced to perfection, with meticulously polished cylinder heads and high performance camshafts. The old and the new in harmony. You don’t think it’s cheap, do you?
Let’s start with Alfa Romeo and a company that hasn’t quite jumped on the restomod bandwagon. This is the Alfaholics Giulia Super-R 270. Without wanting to spoil the surprise, it is simply fantastic. So who are Alfaholics and what is this creation? Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind about Alfaholics is that its heritage runs deep. Founder Richard Banks has been racing Alfa Romeos in all manner of racing series since the late 1970s and, around the same time, he got into restoration and parts supply, particularly the much-loved and now iconic Giulia of the 105 series. In 1999, he founded Alfaholics, and the new company offered a full range of parts for Giulia models from 1963 to 1978, with performance upgrades offered alongside the standard material. Racing has also been a constant for Alfaholics.
Alfaholics became a global business, focusing on parts and upgrades, but including full restorations. When Richard’s sons Max and Andrew joined the business in 2004 and 2006 respectively, The purchase of a new building with a large workshop in Bristol, England, allowed Alfaholics to build the ultimate expression of a Giulia coupe: the GTA-R 290 with a carbon fiber body. If Pagani and Dallara collaborated on a 1970s Alfa Romeo racing car, it could end up looking a bit like the GTA-R 290. The price could also be similar: a GTA-R 290 costs around half a million euros.
This four-door model based on the Giulia Super has the same 2.1 liter engine with double overhead camshafts, forged pistons and aluminum block. It produces 240 hp and is mated to a close ratio GTA gearbox. The car also features its own titanium axles, limited slip differential, Ultraleggera adjustable titanium suspension and much more. It’s a sort of GTA-R for the family man and, as such, comes with an equally high price tag. However, the car itself is light. The Super-R stops the scale at just 890 kilos. On the pit lane of the picturesque Anglesey circuit in Wales, with the Irish Sea rippling below the horizon, it looks tiny and absolutely beautiful. Walk around it and the quality oozes from every detail, but there is also a clear sense of purpose. Drawing the line between race car and automotive art is tricky, but the Super-R does it.
So much so that, while I really enjoy looking at the Super-R, it seems entirely appropriate to exit pit road and onto the circuit. The car’s low stance, the barely hidden oil coolers, the way the interior headlights are now mesh-covered air intakes, the sound and feel provided by the highly modified engine, and the whole vibe almost implores you to drive the car to the limit of its possibilities. So, that’s what I’m going to do. Automotive art has its place, but it must also be kinetic. For this price, the Super-R should offer a truly mind-blowing driving experience.
It takes less than one spin to realize that the Super-R’s deep-seated quality extends directly to the car’s dynamic structure. The long, crooked gear selector rod looks archaic, but the aforementioned five-speed gearbox with its exotic internals is fantastic. The throttle is very precise and you feel like you can move through the different ratios at lightning speed. You’ll want to hang on to every gear, because the intake roar of the 2.1-liter engine is outrageously addictiveand 240 HP with less than 900 kilos offer surprising performance. The “270” has 270 hp per ton, which surpasses a BMW M2 and is not far behind a 718 Cayman GT4. In such a small, narrow car with a large wood-rimmed steering wheel (this car retains the standard factory element), the acceleration is really a shock.
However, it’s very clear that the Super-R’s focus isn’t on taking an old car and making it feel like a modern one. Instead, Alfaholics has improved and purified the fundamental qualities of the Giulia. Moving the performance curve while intensifying the feedback, sensations and pure joy of the original car is the real trick here.. Fitting the Super-R with Michelin Primacy 185/65 R15 tires says a lot about Alfaholics’ approach. It is a car focused on behavior, not grip. On a cold and partly wet track, the Super-R is absolutely in its element.
The key here is the steering, which at first feels heavy and a little uncomfortable for hands accustomed to modern electrical systems. There is a lot of information whizzing through the large diameter hoop. Through a particularly fast right-hander marked by small rivulets of water, weight and response change with available grip. It’s easy to make the Super-R dance even up to fourth gear. In a modern supercar with lots of mechanical grip, this would be a nightmare (the tires oscillate wildly between grip and slip), but the Alfa ignores it. Small flashes of revs indicate wheelspin, but the car is so light that you can hold the accelerator without fear..
Perhaps the Super-R’s elasticity of limits is its truly defining feature. I love the steering feel, the solid brake pedal and the race car style gearbox. I could listen to that engine revving above 7,000 rpm forever, but when you underpin all that motorsport-infused tactile sensitivity with a chassis that loves to go sideways, things start to get inspiring. Hit the brakes, and because this car is so light, there’s no feeling that the rear wants to overtake the front. It simply changes the balance enough to allow you accelerate hard, spin the rear wheels and then exit the corners with the differential locked, the intake gargling at full noise and this furious little car absolutely in its sweet spot.
On the tight roads around the track, the Super-R feels even more impressive. Its small dimensions create more breathing room than you’d find in any modern sports car, except perhaps the MX-5. The skinny tires provide plenty of grip and response, and the damping and body control are excellent. For some, the ride may be a little uncomfortable (although you can play with the settings, of course), but for me, the added advantage of a firm ride suits the wonderfully gruff engine and the car’s innate agility. He just wants to entertain.
On the motorway there is, of course, a little more time to appreciate the beautifully appointed interior, the incredible view offered by the web-thin pillars and the simple, evocative dashboard with Veglia dials. In fact, it’s this car’s multi-dimensional appeal that’s really at the center of the entire restomod phenomenon. In a world of ubiquitous turbochargers, dual-clutch gearboxes, monstrous mechanical grip and ever-increasing downforce, the Alfaholics formula is practically irresistible..
You do not believe me? Well, despite the high entry price, the queue for a “full build” of Alfaholics stretches until 2030. Yes, really. Luckily, the company’s bread and butter continues to be the supply of parts. So if you have an old Giulia, you can buy a full engine package, the adjustable shocks, the six-piston brake upgrade, and the Ultraleggera titanium arms, knuckles, and front hubs. It may take a lifetime, but ticking off these parts one by one and bringing your own car to something close to this specification could be considered a pretty good legacy. These high-end, headline-grabbing items aren’t cheap (for example, a full GTA-R-spec titanium suspension package costs around €60,000), but there are many more affordable, race-proven parts that will make a tangible difference. for whom the Super-R 270 is always out of reach. The results, well, are spectacular. ¿At what price perfection? It turns out that around 540,000 euros.
