We're big fans of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. With its superb chassis, glorious handling, and a Ferrari-sourced twin-turbo V6 engine generating 505 horsepower, it set a new benchmark for sports sedans. It's a genuine BMW M3 rival.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, Alfa Romeo revealed the more hardcore Giulia GTA and GTAm last year. Limited to just 500 examples, the Giulia GTA and the stripped-out GTAm have more power and less weight than the standard car. To show what it can do, Alfa Romeo enlisted the help of F1 racing driver Kimi Raikkonen, who took the Giulia GTA for a spin to give the sport sedan his seal of approval.

After testing the sports sedan on the track last year with Antonio Giovinazzi, Kimi Raikkonen hooned the Giulia GTA around the Balocco Proving Ground to evaluate the improvements Alfa Romeo made to the driving dynamics since the last test session. "I really like it. We're looking at a car that can be used on an everyday basis, but that can also be taken onto the track, one in which you can really enjoy yourself," said Raikkonen.

During the last session, the F1 racer provided instrumental feedback on the car's aerodynamics, including the new adjustable splitter built into the new front bumper and the manually adjustable rear wing.

In response to his feedback, Alfa Romeo made some refinements to improve the car's balance. After experiencing these changes, Raikkonen found the Giulia GTA was "better at high speeds in terms of balance. It seems the front of the car is lower, making the steering faster. It's fast, easy to drive, and responsive," he said.

Also enhancing the car's aerodynamics is a new rear diffuser that increases the downforce and grip at high speed. The more track-focused Giulia GTAm has double the downforce of the Giulia GTA and three times more downforce than the Giulia Quadrifoglio. Now that the final testing is complete, customers will soon be able to get behind the wheel of the Giulia GTAm when deliveries start in the middle of this year. Sadly, Alfa has no plans to sell the Giulia GTA or GTAm in America.