The addition of computers into computers has made it increasingly easy for manufacturers to control an engine's power output. Most of the time, manufacturers keep engine tunes toned down for reliability and longevity, but other times the same process is used to tone down the engine in one trim while allowing it to be more powerful in another – one prime example of this is the Infiniti Q50 3.0t and the Q50 Red Sport 400. Both use the same 3.0-liter, but the Red Sport 400 delivers an extra 100 ponies. Well, tuning firm Pogea Racing GmbH has unlocked the potential of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and managed to squeeze out a staggering 604 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. That’s an increase of 94 horsepower and 111 pound-feet of pavement-chewing torque.
The best part is that the tuning firm managed to do so without adding on any aftermarket parts – it’s all computer tuning. There’s no word as to reliability issues down the road, but some express concern for the increased output per liter from the 2.9-liter V-6 that motivates this Italian beauty. In stock form, that 2.9-liter manages to pump out 174 horsepower per liter, but with the engine putting out 208 horsepower per liter, there could be a strain on internal components, as they may not have been designed to accommodate quite so much power.
The tuning firm seems to be confident that it could produce as much as 690 horsepower with tuning, but in the Instagram post announcing the 604-pony tune, it said that the 604 horsepower and 553 pound-foot output seems to be the limit of the car's hardware. That means that going any higher would likely require a reworking of the engine heads and lower end, and could potentially be rough on the transmission as well. Either way, one of the hashtags included with the post were #700pssoon (700ps s about 690 ponies), so it’s quite possible the tuning firm will eventually add in some reworked internal components. If so, who knows how much power the 2.9-liter could make if built with strong enough components.
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Why it Matters
This is one of the first tuning setups that we’ve actually seen for the Giulia Quadrifoglio, and I have to say that it’s rather impressive to see such an increase without the addition of any aftermarket parts. It should also be noted that Pagea Racing GmbH claims that all of their tuned cars are and will continue to be 100-percent street legal, so that’s one thing you don’t have to worry about if you want to inquire about having your Quadrifoglio tuned. Either way, we’re curious to see what the next tune brings and what the firm has to do to hit that 690-horsepower figure. How much power do you think can be squeezed out of the 2.9-liter if the internals are reworked? 750 horsepower? Maybe 750? Let us know what you think in the comments area below.
Read our full review on the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio here.