While it’s true that Alfa Romeo’s 8C has never quite lived up to its styling in the driving department, it never wanted for character. Those concept car lines, barely altered from the 2003 design preview, and that bored and stroked Maserati V8 make for a special car. One enchanting enough to leave the model’s foibles – namely a harsh ride – easy to forgive. It’s why the UK’s 40-car run sold out immediately in 2007 – with each said to have commanded a significant premium over the initial £112,000 list.
The heavily re-engineered version of the Ferrari-developed quad-cam V8, displaces 4.7 litres (500cc more than the GranTurismo with which the 8C shares some underpinnings) and sports re-shaped combustion chambers with a new head. It outputs 450hp at 7,000rpm and 354lb ft of torque at 4,750rpm, which in a car weighing just shy of 1.6-tonnes, means it hits 62mph in 4.2 seconds and goes onto 181mph. Fast, but not ballistic. As it should be.
Around that mid-mounted motor the 8C gets even more exotic, with a semi-monocoque body and chassis made partly from carbon fibre. It was fine-tuned in the wind tunnel of race car manufacturer, Dallara and while the swooping lines if its body are clearly shaped with aero in mind, much of the 8C’s slipperiness comes thanks to its flat floor. With help from Dallara, Alfa achieved a near perfect 49:51 weight distribution, which coupled to a fairly compact wheelbase (at least by 2020 standards), makes it delightfully agile.
Yet with all that promise, it's always been thought too tightly damped to work particularly well on British roads. Conversely, the 8C was claimed to never really hunker down at high speed either, making it difficult to categorise; not being razor sharp enough to feel like an out-and-out performance car, nor comfortable enough to take on the likes of Aston Martin’s DB9 as a grand tourer.
But who cares about such trivialities when you could simply stop at the side of the road and pass the time staring at the thing? Little wonder the four-pot 4C, which borrowed much from the design, received a similar amount of adulation. The 8C also appeared when Alfa wasn't building cars of the Giulia Quadrifoglio's calibre. It did not persuade anyone that the company could attain automotive perfection - but it reminded everyone with eyes and ears that Alfa could do 'special' as well as any manufacturer on the planet.
To some, though, it can be made even more so – as today’s Spotted, a Touring Superleggera altered 8C Spider, demonstrates. Chassis number 50050 has received a few cabin additions inspired by ST’s Disco Volante, including Rosso Stratosfero paint around the air vents, which contrast anodised black sections, namely the dash top, centre console and door sill. There’s a “One of One by Touring Superleggera” plaque to confirm this car’s unique status – and the former buyer also requested the brake calipers be painted yellow to inject a little raciness to that elegant exterior. Small changes on the grand scheme of things, sure, but still an additional notch on rarity scale. For someone who can reach the seller’s £210,000 asking price, it's the sort of car which stands out from virtually any collection.
ALFA ROMEO 8C SPIDER | SPECIFICATION
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
CO2: 377g/km
First registered: 2012
Recorded mileage: 3,000
Price new: £174,000
Yours for: £210,000
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