Bercella carbon fiber bodywork meets aesthetics, aerodynamics and performance

Bercella s.l.r. (Parma, Italy) an advanced composite materials company, reported on Nov. 16 that it was chosen by Romeo Ferraris, a Milan-based manufacturer, for the design and production of the carbon fiber bodywork, as well as the complementary structures of the electric powertrain, for the new, all-electric Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR car. 

The prototype was presented by Romeo Ferraris last Saturday in Spain, at the Aragón MotorLand, and will compete in the Pure ETCR (Electric Touring Car Racing), which is said to be the first world touring championship dedicated to electric cars scheduled for 2021. This car, says Bercella, brings the Giulia brand back to racing after more than fifty years. 

"Romeo Ferraris has renewed its trust in Bercella, relying on the capacity of our teams to provide high-level performance, to process high-quality materials and to accept the challenge of an even more important and more complex project, given its unprecedented nature," says Bercella's CEO Massimo Bercella.

Two novelties mark the project. First, the Pure ETCR category —the new category for electric touring cars — aims at becoming the reference category for the research and development on electric technologies for road cars, additionally opening up the field to the electric mobility market beyond
motorsport enthusiasts.

Second, racing, a given for an Alfa Romeo Giulia, has become even more so in a special all-electric version. "The electric Giulia represents a huge step forward compared to the latest racing cars we built, in terms of
the staff involved in the project, their skills and the technologies used,” says Michela Cerruti, manager of Operations of Romeo Ferraris. “An all-electric project required bringing in added value all along the construction chain. Therefore, we needed suppliers who could give us maximum support. Bercella was able to respond, with a beautiful, aesthetic result involving the aerodynamic precision associated with the company’s work.”

Bercella says it designed all components starting from 3D models of the chassis and the aerodynamic surfaces, working to balance aerodynamic needs with safety in structural performance, for instance, through Kevlar anti-intrusion bars inside the bumpers. Further, Bercella’s approach achieved rapid construction times. 

Bercella and Romeo Ferraris are now currently engaged in the development of the support structures for the electric powertrain, in order to boost the Giulia's performance and to give it a competitive advantage for the beginning of the 2021 championship.