April 15th, 2023 will be a very significant day in the long and illustrious history of Alfa Romeo. It marks 100 years since the Quadrifoglio made its motorsport debut, Ugo Sivocci winning the 14th Targa Florio in an RL with the now-legendary four-leaf clover. And while it’s been found in the century since on a few undeserving Alfas, it currently resides on the Giulia saloon and Stelvio SUV which, despite a few years on sale now, remain about as exciting to drive as sports saloons and SUVs get. Just as Alfa Romeos ought to be.

To mark this momentous occasion, ‘Quadrifoglio 100^th Anniversario’ editions of both cars have been announced. By and large, they follow the anniversary special edition script, with the new commemorative badges revealed earlier this year, gold calipers and gold stitching. However, this is Alfa Romeo, and this is a big birthday, so there’s a little more to this new Stelvio and Giulia than mere party glitter. Both get a power bump for the 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6 to 520hp thanks to a standard Akrapovic exhaust (just 20 less than the GTA) and, perhaps more importantly, both also receive a new mechanical limited-slip differential for the rear axle.

It seemed like this might have been a mistranslation to begin with, but it’s there in black and white: ‘The V6 engine has been enhanced to 520 HP (for Europe, the UK and China) and is combined with the mechanical self-locking differential, a feature that makes its debut on this special launch series.’ Various helmsmen have complained over the years that the standard locking diff doesn’t do as advertised, occasionally leaving one wheel spinning and robbing the Giulia of the last bit of finesse when it comes to handling in extremis. This ought to resolve that, as well as giving additional confidence in the back end at more sensible speeds. And powerslide better, of course.

Alfa says the new unit borrows tuning from the GTA, and contributes to ‘improving the car’s behaviour and traction, optimizing torque transfer, and increasing stability, agility, and speed in bends.’ Very encouraging. Expect a similar if less pronounced effect for the diff on the four-wheel drive Stelvio.

Additional equipment for these Anniversarios includes 3D-printed carbon used inside and out, new look digital instruments and a few golden clovers dotted around. Both Giulia and Stelvio will be offered in Rosso Etna, Verde Montreal, or Nero Vulcano. Gotta go green, right?

As is Alfa tradition with limited versions of these cars – think about the NRING and the Alfa Romeo Racing Edition – there won’t be very many to go around. Just 100 Giulias and the same number of Stelvios will be made in total; some will come to the UK, but an exact number hasn’t yet been announced, and neither has a price. Expect both to nudge £100k, given those previous specials and the tiny number expected. Would fit nicely with the centenary, too…