Alfa Romeo 8C: You Know You Want To

An Alfa that's a good investment? Shurely shome mishtake?

By Rusty-C / Monday, 29 November 2010 / Loading comments

This draws its inspiration...

Following the excitement of finding a nice

a fortnight back, Shed has become addicted to that feel-good-factor that only an Alfa can bring.

Fortunately, Shed can break out of its £1k straight-jacket budget for once, because he's come into some money - thank a Qianlong dynasty vase for this. Now he finds himself in rather more rarefied territory, eyeing up a recent Alfa Romeo 8C.

It shares its ethos with the 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900(b), which raced at Le Mans. Its streamlined body gave it a notable advantage over the open-topped competition, before - you guessed it - mechanical problems forced it to retire.

...from this

Cloaked in carbon fibre,

this latest interpretation of the Alfa 8C

has exclusivity (only 500 have been built), good looks and impressive performance figures (0-60mph in 4.5secs and a 181mph top speed) on its side. Oh, and a growling 450bhp 4.7-litre V8.

With its ideally configured running-gear - engine mounted behind the front axle and gearbox at the rear - the 8C should also handle (even though, for some reason, it doesn't really). Still, the 8C's low production run and all that heritage means, remarkably, this is an Alfa that makes sound economic sense, with used cars currently being offered for £130k, £20,000 over the original list price.

Alternatively,

this Ferrari 599 GTB HGTE

has shed more than £60,000 of its value since early 2009. As an investment, then, it's clearly not a great choice, but it's certainly quick, with its 6.0-litre 611bhp V12 lump delivering 205mph potential. The 599's power is controlled via a quick-shifting sequential 'box, sophisticated 'magnetorheological' semi-active dampers, and an HGTE handling pack - the combination of which leaves the 8C seeming rather primitive.

But, if you thought a Ferrari was a quick way to throw away your money, take a look at the Aston Martin DBS.

Aston's mighty 510bhp V12 might make a fine high-speed GT, and purists will love this car's manual gearbox, but the used market has been cruel to

this particular Aston DBS

, and it's lost £50k in a mere 1650 miles. Ouch.

Shed, it seems, has found a modern Alfa Romeo that's a better investment than a Ferrari or an Aston. As to whether it's a better car or not, that would be another question entirely...