“this is the most powerful production frontwheel drivecar ever made”

“this is the most powerful production frontwheel drivecar ever made”

www.maxpowersa.co.za
AUTODELTA 147 GTA3.7
That’s a rear end you can never scrutineer enough
disappears behind us.
The speedo is approaching 200
before John kicks the brake pedal
through the bulkhead. Up front the
Brembo callipers do their best to
push the pads onto the massive
330mm discs. Heel-and-toeing this
beast is tantamount to kicking a
caracal – every time you do the
triple-pedal dance, you get
rewarded with a satisfying snarl.
Back on the power before turning
in. The front pushes wide - just a
little - but then this is the most
powerful production front wheel
drive car ever made. Turn one is a
closing radius right-hander, surely
having been designed to catch out
heavy front-drivers such as this one.
After all, this is Opel and VW’s
sacred testing ground, so any
understeer will be detected and
punished with brutal efficiency.
With only a drive-by-wire throttle
separating the driver’s foot from the
260kW that the stroked 3.7 litre
generates, an offline excursion is
only a throttle-tickle away. A lone
Noble that’s glued to the inside
rumble strip slices past us at light
speed – that’s Mr Price’s personal
example, driven by Michael
Stephen, the Audi Production Car
race driver.
It’s a visceral feeling the Alfa
being flung around the circuit, but
it’s over all too soon. After another
lap we crawl into the pits and pull
into a garage. Like a supermodel
that’s just graced the catwalk and
now backstage, the car is checked
over. But there is little to worry
about. The Autodelta performance
package is accredited by Alfa
Romeo, so it carries the full backing
from the factory and promises
reliable power. Against an E46 M3,
that reliable power translates this
GTA into being quicker around the
Top Gear test track by 1.8 seconds,
faster than a Subaru Impreza STI
and faster than a Porsche 911 Turbo.
But ultimately it’s not the power
that makes the 147 GTA the brute
that it is. It’s the flexibility of its
character. The car was originally
bought as a shopping car for John’s
wife Nicky and has managed to
retain its drivability, despite the
Autodelta extras. Once you’re past
the rough idle of the high-lift cams,
this car is as easy to drive as any
other, thanks mainly to the fact that
it’s normally aspirated and displaces
3.7 litres.
Very few modified cars today can
be used as daily drivers during the
week, but at the same time still put
in a thrilling performance around
the track over the weekend. This 147
GTA embodies that all-roundedness
that people look for, but give up so
easily on when tuning a car.
The GTA is the complete car. It’s
got stunning looks, awesome
sounds and mind-blowing
performance. It may be a monster,
but it’s magnificent.
“this is the most powerful production front wheel
drive car ever made”
John’s example is the only Digione Blue GTA in the country
126