Alfa Romeo is certainly a brand that stirs emotion; petrolheads either harbouring an undying love for its products, or avoiding them like the plague. But one Alfa trait tends to unite occupants of both camps: the beauty of its machinery. Think the 33 Stradale, GTAm, 159 Sportwagon and of course, 8C.
The 8C Competizione's design referenced the 6C 2500 Competizione race car that Fangio drove to victory at the 1950 Targa Florio. But despite the Alfa badge adorning the bonnet, there was plenty of trident based trickery underneath. The engine for example, bored and stroked to 4.7-litres, was originally from Maserati - same for the rear-mounted gear box. Only 1,000 were produced, with a perfect 50:50 split between coupe and spider, but the Spider was lumped with an extra 90kg over the coupe thanks to the structural reinforcement necessitated by losing the metal roof. Although standard carbon ceramics did help to offset that somewhat, saving 14kg whilst also increasing stopping power.
The new roof was fabric, with a quick manual release giving driver and passenger instant access to the V8 symphony emitted by the Spider's specially tuned exhaust. It may not be the quickest to change gear with its electronically actuated manual, but with a more compliant ride and softer dampers compared to the coupe, you'd be excused for not driving it too hard. This
particular car
- painted in Rosso Alfa with contrasting black roof and black leather interior - was not originally UK supplied, but that shouldn't really matter as the 8C was only ever produced in left-hand-drive anyway. If it does though, you can pay a £25,000 premium for this
Bianco Madreperla example
with just 2,000 miles on the clock.
A beautiful, rare and highly sought after car no matter how you spec it then. But if Italian still isn't your style, what alternatives would you go for?
ALFA ROMEO 8C SPIDER
Engine: 4,691cc V8
Transmission: Six-speed automated manual, rear-wheel drive limited-slip differential
Power (hp): 450@7,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 354@4,750rpm
MPG: 17.9 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 377g/km
First registered: 2013
Recorded mileage: 5,000miles
Price new: £174,000
Yours for: £184,995
See the original advert here