Is the Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce 280 a real sports car?

The new Alfa in its most sporty electric version, 280 Veloce, can it claim the title of Sports Car?

It is not enough to just stick a powerful powertrain into a mainstream car, even if it’s an Alfa Romeo, to make it a genuine sports car. Especially when the idea is to equip a compact SUV with a 100% electric unit! To give its electrified Junior the best chance to shine, Alfa Romeo conducted its dynamic development on the Balocco testing ground, an iconic site completed in 1962 for the brand’s Endurance, Touring, and of course F1 programs.

Alfa Romeo decided to leave no detail overlooked for this Veloce, with two elements that are unique to it. The new electric motor with 280 hp (207 kW) and an unprecedented Torsen mechanical differential. The new model adopts very direct steering, ensuring precision in driving, and 25 mm lower suspension paired with sporty anti-roll bars. All these elements would certainly feature prominently on the wish list of an engineer tasked with developing a sports car! To ensure good ground contact, the Junior Veloce is equipped with 20-inch tires with reinforced sidewalls specific to electric models and attractive 380 mm discs at the front with monoblock calipers with 4 pistons.

Alfa spares no effort

The last positive element, and certainly not the least, of this flattering technical sheet is that the Junior 280 Veloce weighs only 1,560 kg. This is of course double the weight of a Giulia from the 1970s, but it remains very reasonable. A good hundred kilograms lighter than its competitors in this electric sporty compact segment, and believe us, once behind the wheel, it’s a huge difference.

But the positive aspect of this Italian car is undoubtedly its electric powertrain. Sure, there is no roaring noise in response to a firm press on the right pedal, but your neck will appreciate the instantaneous torque of 345 Nm. The motor reaches a peak of 15,200 rpm, and the maximum torque is constant between 250 and 4,875 rpm. It’s essentially like having a constant acceleration from 1st to 3rd gear in a combustion car. And there’s no need to manage acceleration with each gear shift. You keep your foot firmly on the pedal, and the electronic control takes care of optimizing traction. In the end, the Junior Veloce goes from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.9 seconds and boasts a top speed of over 200 km/h.

The true Alfa fans with a heart tattooed with the clover will undoubtedly be reluctant to grant a sports label to this very beautiful car with a washing machine motor. This is understandable and impossible to blame them, as the history of Alfa Romeo has been written in internal combustion mode. But one must acknowledge Alfa Romeo and Stellantis for a sincere approach in developing this sporty variant. The Alfa heart still beats, and that’s great!

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