t’s rare that a car company follows up an electric vehicle project with one powered by internal combustion, but the restomod game isn’t constrained by the same rules as the one played by major manufacturers, aptly demonstrated by this carbon-bodied twin-turbo V6-equipped Alfa Romeo concept from Totem Automobili in Italy.
Virtually identical in appearance to the brand’s GT Electric model revealed in 2020, the GT Super is slated to be both lighter and (in its top spec) more powerful than its EV sibling. Using a modified version of the 2.9L twin-turbo V6 found in the modern Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA—a potent motor, and a cool thematic bridge between the Giulia of past and present—Totem Automobili will offer the GT Super with three degrees of power when production begins next year: 565hp and 516ft-lb in stage one, 575hp and 531lb-ft in stage two, and in its most absurd configuration, 620hp and 575lb-ft of torque. The top speed for all three specs is listed at 313km/h (~194mph), and the weight of the body is claimed to be 1140kg (~2513lbs), 150kg (~331lbs) lighter than the GT Electric, which has a max output of ~582hp, but does beat the GT Super in the torque department with 811lb-ft to melt the rear tires with.
The double-wishbone front and rear suspension setup will carry over from the GT Electric, as will the 345mm front and 330mm rear Brembos, the 18” wheels styled after the original Campagnolos, and most importantly the reinforced steel chassis (both cars use Alfa Romeo GT Juniors as starting points), and the carbon fiber bodywork encompassing the roof, doors, hood, trunk, bumpers, and arches—basically this is a carbon fiber wide body shell fitted over an original but strengthened steel chassis with a full roll cage integrated with the interior.
Given the limited production of 20 units, the interiors of the GT Supers will vary from customer to customer, with Totem advertising that “every single detail is studied together (material and shape).” The concept car, shown here at Imola, blends eras by mixing polished carbon fiber with leather and fabric elements to create a striking but cohesive impact when you pop open the lightweight door. Although adjustable seats are available, we can’t see a good reason for checking that box if it means replacing the beautiful fixed-back carbon buckets fitted to the concept model.
Company founder and car designer Riccardo Quaggio took a lot of his inspiration from the original Autodelta-developed Giulias—the lightweight and motorsport-focused GTAs—and although the GT Super hangs from a very distant branch on the family tree, this restomod is a clever and overall pretty faithful vision. Just like the first GTAs developed by Carlo Chiti and co. at Autodelta in the 1960s, the GT Super is couched in the concept of alleggerita (“lightweight”), but achieved through carbon fiber rather than light and thin alloys. There’s also the obvious connection from the modern side of the story in the engine bay, where the latest GTA power plants will reside.
Those aspects alone make for a compelling restomod story, and the fact that the Totem team is looking to develop a manual transmission option for the GT Super makes us all the more excited for this car’s full debut next year. Exact pricing hasn’t been announced and will vary car to car based on customization, but the company mentioned a starting point of €460,000 (~$533,480). Thankfully that is said to include the price of the donor vehicle, which makes the half-a-million outlay slightly easier to swallow.
