RE: Alfa 8C Competizione: Showpiece of the Week
Discussion
anonymous said:
[redacted]
To name few from memory that were limited to less than 1,000997 4.0 RS
997 GT2 RS
675 LT
675 LTS
680 HS (or something similar)
911 R
F12 TDF
458 SAperta
599 GTO
599 Aperta
A couple of BMWs (M4 GTS, M4 CRT or some such names)
Aventador SV and SV Spider
I love the 8c - one of the prettiest, possibly the prettiest, car of the last 20 odd years.
Would love to own one, but out of my price range
Classic Alfa Ltd said:
They are way better to drive than a certain Mr Clarkson led people to believe (after he "tested" it in torrential rain!). The owner of that car (a certain Mr Nick Mason) still has it - he likes it so much! Check out the reviews at the time by Evo, Autocar, Car magazine, Road and Track etc. (all available on line) - don't believe second hand repeated tales by people who've never driven one! They're not just a pretty face!!
Not just that, but the 8C, 4C etc place Alfa Romeo just that little bit above the German manufacturers. If they continue to release cars as good as the Giulia, I think in 10 years Alfa could be the left field informed choice that gets the nod from those who really like cars. As BMW, Audi etc release increasingly boring samey cars, I always notice a Giulia and think 'that's bloody lovely. I'd like one of those'.The Germans could never make an 8C. They don't have it in them.
Classic Alfa Ltd said:
They are way better to drive than a certain Mr Clarkson led people to believe (after he "tested" it in torrential rain!). The owner of that car (a certain Mr Nick Mason) still has it - he likes it so much! Check out the reviews at the time by Evo, Autocar, Car magazine, Road and Track etc. (all available on line) - don't believe second hand repeated tales by people who've never driven one! They're not just a pretty face!!
Yeah, I remember that review and he stated the Stig thought it was awful! Then again, he slated the Ferrari F50's handling whereas everyone else commended it.thegreenhell said:
sr.guiri said:
20K on a suspension upgrade - Mug!!! There's a man who doesn't know how to turn a spanner 
Or is it more a case of a man paying a top suspension company to design, develop and manufacture a bespoke set of springs and dampers because there are no off-the-shelf options for this car? You can't just bolt on a set of £500 Chinese coilovers bought off ebay.Harry's video is right in that it was still very stiff at the end, with a very unyielding primary ride. However, the big change was how flat it stayed in the corners and how composed it was when oversteering. As standard the car was under sprung and over damped meaning it rode very stiffly but rolled in the corners. When gathering up tail slides, it could sometimes take a further bite as the springs could not handle the weight transfer as the car came back into line. With the custom set up, you really could just choose an angle of attack and hang it out. It was phenomenally biddable. With the 50/50 weight distribution, it always turned in well and, after the work, it then just begged to be oversteered. The only caveat to that is that it is quite a wide car (its larger than you would think from the photos), so needed space when prodded. the slightly lower ride height also removed that slightly "on stilts" look of the standard car. One thing that Harry didn't mention is that I always found the traction control to be incredibly over zealous, so the first thing to do when starting it up was turn it off.
I loved the car, warts and all, and feel lucky to have been it's first custodian. It always felt super exciting to be in it. One aspect that I loved is that most cars, even supercars of the 8C's era leave you with a feeling of "it's great, but imagine how much better it would be with another 50hp." You never felt that in the 8C - it felt like it had everything it could handle. In the wet it felt comically over engined.
GF Williams took some lovely photos of it down near Goodwood which I have framed up.
ReaperCushions said:
Doofus said:
I've never got the looks of these. Like the later 4C, they look stunted, as if they were photographed side-on, from the front and from the back) and the photos were then resized to 100% high and 80% wide.
Agree completely. I used to think they were the best looking car ever made. I don't think they have aged well at all and look oddly out of proportion.1781cc said:
Plug Life said:
SZ gorgeous? Is it you Stevie Wonder?
I think it is, in a unique way, I agree it’s not traditionally pretty or sleek but there wasn’t anything else like it at the time either and it just blew me away when I saw it. It has its own charm and appeal.Anyone know who did the work?
WTFWT said:
It wasn't £20k, it wasn't even half that. The cost included custom adjustable dampers, multiple sets of springs, 3 full days at Bruntingthorpe with Rob Wilson leading the development and a mechanic in attendance. I also got some driving lessons thrown in by Rob (now that is an experience).
Harry's video is right in that it was still very stiff at the end, with a very unyielding primary ride. However, the big change was how flat it stayed in the corners and how composed it was when oversteering. As standard the car was under sprung and over damped meaning it rode very stiffly but rolled in the corners. When gathering up tail slides, it could sometimes take a further bite as the springs could not handle the weight transfer as the car came back into line. With the custom set up, you really could just choose an angle of attack and hang it out. It was phenomenally biddable. With the 50/50 weight distribution, it always turned in well and, after the work, it then just begged to be oversteered. The only caveat to that is that it is quite a wide car (its larger than you would think from the photos), so needed space when prodded. the slightly lower ride height also removed that slightly "on stilts" look of the standard car. One thing that Harry didn't mention is that I always found the traction control to be incredibly over zealous, so the first thing to do when starting it up was turn it off.
I loved the car, warts and all, and feel lucky to have been it's first custodian. It always felt super exciting to be in it. One aspect that I loved is that most cars, even supercars of the 8C's era leave you with a feeling of "it's great, but imagine how much better it would be with another 50hp." You never felt that in the 8C - it felt like it had everything it could handle. In the wet it felt comically over engined.
GF Williams took some lovely photos of it down near Goodwood which I have framed up.
Harry's video is right in that it was still very stiff at the end, with a very unyielding primary ride. However, the big change was how flat it stayed in the corners and how composed it was when oversteering. As standard the car was under sprung and over damped meaning it rode very stiffly but rolled in the corners. When gathering up tail slides, it could sometimes take a further bite as the springs could not handle the weight transfer as the car came back into line. With the custom set up, you really could just choose an angle of attack and hang it out. It was phenomenally biddable. With the 50/50 weight distribution, it always turned in well and, after the work, it then just begged to be oversteered. The only caveat to that is that it is quite a wide car (its larger than you would think from the photos), so needed space when prodded. the slightly lower ride height also removed that slightly "on stilts" look of the standard car. One thing that Harry didn't mention is that I always found the traction control to be incredibly over zealous, so the first thing to do when starting it up was turn it off.
I loved the car, warts and all, and feel lucky to have been it's first custodian. It always felt super exciting to be in it. One aspect that I loved is that most cars, even supercars of the 8C's era leave you with a feeling of "it's great, but imagine how much better it would be with another 50hp." You never felt that in the 8C - it felt like it had everything it could handle. In the wet it felt comically over engined.
GF Williams took some lovely photos of it down near Goodwood which I have framed up.
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