This conversion boosting the standard GT to 341bhp @ 6450rpm

The World Wide Web, for all its shortcomings, has been a fantastic showcase for new talent. Something that might have once taken years to catch on through simple word of mouth can now take minutes over the net. Musicians, for example, have been signed to major labels literally overnight, while blogs and universal portal party homepages have shot some local groups to number one without even printing, pressing or releasing a record. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that modified cars are making a similar impact. The Alfadelta Super GT Evo from Dubai is a perfect example; plastered all over the internet as one of the most talked about cars of current time. And we got to drive it.

So why has it caught the public's imagination? Is it because it's the only known example of the insane Autodelta conversion in the Middle East for the Alfa Romeo 3.2 V6 GT Coupe? Or something to do with the owner flying to the UK to meet the team, test driving their company demonstrator and then insisting that the mechanics fly back to Dubai with him to build a Super GT Evo in the UAE?

It could even be due to the fact that this conversion was undertaken pretty much ten years to the day since Jano Djelalian, a gifted young engineer with a love for Alfa Romeo, set up shop near Wembley football stadium in north-west London to cater for his cherished marque. Then there is the fact that the name Autodelta, was also the title given to the eminent Alfa works racing team of the 1960s.

What is known is that Jano has gained a reputation for going that extra mile, for paying extreme attention to detail. It is this more than anything else that has helped spread word of Autodelta far beyond north-west London. Conversions are now shipped all over the world - necessitating the appointment of official Autodelta agents throughout Europe and the Far East.

Wissam Shihabi is one of many Alfadelta customers, a growing band of loyal and enthusiastic followers that share Jano's passion for modifying. Like most crazy about sifting the last strain of power from their chosen car, Wissam spent hours upon hours on the internet prowling Alfa-specific websites. It wasn't long before he stumbled upon Autodelta.

Wissam and his brother Wallid were soon on a plane to London to test-drive Autodelta's GT Super Evo demonstrator, ordering the conversion on the spot. The next step was getting the conversion done. This was a rather large stumbling block as there is no localised distribution network in place for the Middle East. As this was a one-off, Autodelta used the workshop area of Gargash Motors LLC - the UAE's official importer and distributor of Alfa Romeo - for the transplant.

The next step was shipping the bespoke parts from one part of the world to the other. Autodelta carefully air-freighted the consignment of Super Evo Creative tudio body panels, required for the conversion to the UAE, including the bumpers, subtle boot spoiler and rear diffuser. Two Autodelta engineers flew to Dubai a few days later to carry out the conversion, each one carrying, as hand luggage, a limited slip differential in one bag and the core of the power increase, the specially developed Rotrex supercharger, in another. The rest of the chassis, transmission, electronics and braking were shipped along with the body parts.

In addition to the price of the conversion, the Dubai brothers paid a further $ 2700 in plane tickets, accommodation, food, drink, taxis and general entertainment - just in order to have the Super Evo conversion done properly, by the professionals themselves.

The bespoke version of this conversion was first unveiled by Autodelta in December 2004 - showboating an even more extreme version a year later. Touted as the 3.2 Super Evo, this Autodelta conversion has proved hugely popular with GT owners the world over, with a steady stream of orders being fulfilled over the past 18 months. The Evolution model of the GT Super builds upon the success of the non-Evo model, pushing the performance envelope out even further with an increase to 287 lb ft of torque at 4800rpm, up from the standard 221lb ft. The massive gain is the result of Autodelta's bespoke Rotrex C30-94 supercharger, the product of two and a half years of durability and reliability testing of the unit in a wide range of Autodelta Alfa Romeo models.

The space-efficient centrifugal charger runs its own electric oil pump and additional oil cooler independent from the engine, with an intercooler. This is mated to a totally in-house developed compact cooling and lubrication system, requiring no internal upgrades for the engine to produce the impressive hike of 101bhp. The compression ratio, 10.5:1, therefore remains untouched, although the GT Super Evo now employs higher-flow rate injectors and an evolutionary engine re-mapping programme of the factory Bosch Motronic ME7.3.1 electronic multi-point injection ecu. This allows the boost to be raised from 0.45 (as with the 2004-model) to 0.55 bar, for the 2005-premiered Super Evo. The speed limiter may have been removed, but Alfadelta has installed a number of ecu safety features that help keep boost levels safe. This bolt-on conversion boosting the standard GT to 341bhp, produced at a peak of 6450rpm.

There was an air of reservation around the Dubai Autodrome's Technical Bay as we watched Dubai's very own Autodelta GT grumble in through the shutter doors out of the blazing heat. Knowing we would soon have to orchestrate it around the track only increased the feeling.

It looked great, sounded great - gaining much admiration from the on-sight construction workers and their mobile phones and a few folks from race control. But no matter how much praise it received from passers by, it is still effectively a modified car. Translation: it should be lowered within an inch of its life, the company responsible for the kit singing of race car-engineered adjustment for height and rebound, but in most cases resulting in riding around on the bump stops at every spec of dust. The ride, as a consequence, will be fun for two seconds and a headache for the remainder of the time, as the back kangaroos 100 yards on after you've negotiated a mild speed bump.

The bodykit, however aggressive - by definition - should scrape across the tarmac, the front-splitter jamming against the kerb. But fear nothing of the sort with the Autodelta conversion. There were no kerbs as such to avoid out on the track anyway, but the harsh rate of spring usually used to so-called improve modified cars painted an image of the Alfa thundering down the straight, either drivingstraight into a wall or violently oversteer. The second, and equally important debate, as to whether the Super GT Evo was underbraked or overbraked remained divided.

Our killjoy approach was beginning to bore even the most sceptical of evo staffers, forcing on the helmets, serious faces and the Alfa's A/C. Once the 3.2 V6 was fired up again our doubts became a distant memory as the cellular-crazed construction workers returned.
No matter which way you look at it, this car is blisteringly quick - and for someone who loves Alfa Romeos, worth every cent. Compared with a factory GT the Alfadelta Evo is a lot faster and very linear; the 0-100kph timeframe narrowed down to 5.2 seconds, with substantial improvement in mid and high-range acceleration, pulling cleanly all the way through the rev range. Then there's the considerable top end gain. The acoustics emitted by the revised exhaust system at this range on the rev counter is also something to aspire to - even if you are protected from any exterior noise in the factory-cosseted cabin; more so when you're wearing a snug racing helmet. From outside though, the Autodelta GT Super Evo is a close blend of F1 pitch meets Slipknot sound-check, especially as it harpooned down the pit straight, echoing around the empty grandstand.ÔWith the longer 6th gear the Super Evo is actually capable of 284kph'Charging through the first full pass of the Autodrome Club Circuit, the GT made good use of the available power, managing just under 196kph, which would not be bettered by any of the further runs. Accompanied by the optional longer 6th gear the Alfadelta Super Evo is claimed to reach 284kph.

The owner insisted that he has seen 200kph on the same stretch of track, with the air-conditioning switched off. First, the A/C was appalling so we weren't about to test this theory and second, braking even later than we already were would be putting too much faith in the upgraded brakes. Even so, the four-pot calliper 330mm ventilated cross-drilled Brembo brakes stood up very well to the session, not at all twitchy, allowing the car to be hauled up in a straight line and remain that way. This allowed us to brake really deep into the corners, the ABS working very well, giving us the confidence to brake later and later with each pass. Our mixed views in the brake prowess, before we had set foot on the track, was now tilted to the favour of, I guess, neutral - the brakes neither over or under-powered.

The coil-over suspension was just as impressive. Damping was good, no camber issues or serious tugging at the steering, instead turning in instantly. However, you do have to put a lot of lock on to get the rest of the steering. I imagine it had too much toe-in, possibly the result of the car not being fully set-up on the track. The front suspension could easily be set better for a sharper steering response.

Understeer did force us to take the widest line possible, skirting the runoff on the first turn at the end of the pit straight. We were therefore not expecting this first lap to be that quick, nor the quickest. But it was.

Overall handling-wise, the Alfa was very complete and composed. We were aware that this was - essentially - a modified car and needed some adjusting to get on with the upgrades. But straight out of the box it was a complimentary piece of engineering. Unlike many aftermarket tuning jobs, the Autodelta Evo does not feature mismatched spring rates, brakes that don't suit the power and weight of the car, or a torque flow that is out of sorts with the two front wheels. You wouldn't really want any more power going through these two front wheels mind you, as it's already scrabbling around, pulling away from time to time looking for grip. But as of now, it is a very complimentary package that works well.

So neither the track-tuned suspension or monster brake demon reared its ugly head. Both the Autodelta upgrades performed perfectly - the suspension feel, out on the road, just as bearable, negotiating speed bumps and potholes well. In some respects the aftermarket kit performed better than the original factory set-up, which was already firm, but was prone to bottoming out on occasions. It begs the question, is this really a modified car?

This car really could be a factory special. If anything, Autodelta has managed to turn the V6 GT into what this Alfa Romeo should have been from the factory, getting the maximum performance possible out of the GT, without any compromises. This logical step up, which doesn't compromise the GT's distinctive qualities, is borne out of Alfadelta's eye being kept on the imperative roots of the GT.

One thing that has skipped alteration, unfortunately, is the seating positioning. The oh so typical Alfa approach is perfectly suited to the laidback lazy-dog approach, as someone quite comically pointed out. So it seems the most comfortable way to drive this coupe is with one hand (or should we say one fingertip) barely on top of the steering wheel, the other resting on the gearshift. Try to dial-in a proper seating position to control 341bhp and you'll be faced with some resistance. You are sat quite high up as it is, not helped when you can't wind the seat down low enough to get a good command over the GT.

This isn't helped by the rather limited adjustment in the steering wheel position - completely lacking in reach, the tilt movement not that much better. Changing the seats would go a way to better this issue, , but then you'll be messing with the aesthetics, which to all intent and purpose are beautifully balanced. As they say, you can't have it all. Then you could argue that for the same amount of money you could bag yourself a brand new Cayman S, fully loaded, which sort of makes the Alfa overpriced - and very compromised. But the camp is divided on this too. But I do see the attraction in what $ 21,800 - give or take a few dollars - over a $ 43,000 or so initial purchase can do. It certainly gives you individuality, which in the Middel East is quite a task as I'm sure you'll agree.

Specification
AUTODELTA GT SUPER EVO

Engine:V6
Location: Front, longitudinal
Displacement: 3179cc
Fuel and ignition: Remapped Bosch Motronic ME7.3.1, electronic multi-point injection, speed-limiter removed
Max power: 341bhp @ 6450rpm
Max torque: 287lb ft @ 4800rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual, Autodelta-developed limited slip differential with 30% progressive lock
Front suspension: Aftermarket coil-over suspension and anti-roll bar
Rear suspension: Aftermarket coil-over suspension, anti-roll bar
Brakes: Ventilated and cross-drilled discs front and rear, Brembo four-pot callipers, ABS
Weight (kerb): 1410kg
Power-to-weight: 270bhp/ton
0-100kph: 5.2sec (claimed)
Max speed: 284kph (with longer 6th gear)
Basic price: $ 43,000
Conversion price: $ 21,800
Contact: www.autodelta.co.uk
Evo Rating: 3 & a Half