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Are You Trying to Seduce Me? The 2010 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider
The Alfa's loud exhaust literally provided the movie's soundtrack cutting through the harmonious sounds of Simon and Garfunkel as it rushed-off to the hotel to meet Mrs. Robinson or up to Berkley to see Elaine. Both Alfa Romeo and the Spider had risen, crashed and burned in America since, after all, nothing last forever; but some fifteen years since Alfa Romeo has pulled-out of the American domestic marketplace, the 2010 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider will make its very limited release to a very few car aficionados with a taste for Italian exotica and $300,000 to spend- providing a taste, an appetizer to a host of entrees the Fiat Group is hoping to implement through its Chrysler dealer network endeavors.
The Alfa Has Graduated
In 2003, Alfa Romeo, now a part of the Fiat Group, debuted the eight-cylinder, carbon-fiber-clad Alfa Competizione; a few years later in 2006 released the limited series production versions for the European market- we're talking a run of 500 cars- just enough to maybe homologate the model for racing, and just enough to ensure its exclusivity in a market segment that thrives on having something different that no one else has at any price. The car got great accolades for looks, driving dynamics and tantalizing, almost raw, race-car-like performance. Ironically, a car with Competizione "competition" in its name, from a company rooted in racing- has never seen official racing campaigning by the factory- but it just sounds and looks the part. In this exotic market segment- that's all that really counts.
The 8C Competizione Coupe
The Competizione's recipe is simple- put in a high-performance, Ferrari-derived aluminum V8 in the front-end, add two Italian leather seats and enough room for a weekender set of luggage, a healthy presence of aluminum and a high-strength, low weight carbon fiber skin- and you have an Alfa Romeo 8C. The 8C is for otto cilindri- eight cylinders and its dramatic lines and name, Competizione, evoke the legendary racing Alfas of the 1930s- the very same cars raced and tuned by Enzo Ferrari- founder of the mark that is the patriarch of engineering and racing heritage in the Fiat Group- Ferrari. Just four standard colors were offered in the 8C Competizione- two different shades of red, black and yellow.
With under a hundred, just 85 examples of the 8C Competiziones to be found in North America, it's a rarer than rare sight. For 2010 Alfa is promising to export an even rarer 35 of the planned 500 8C Spider convertibles to be built under the direction and Modena factory roof of Fiat sibling Maserati.
The 8C Spider Convertible
The platform of the 8C Spider is derived off a Maserati Quattroporte, albeit modified in shape and size to suit the sportier, smaller Alfa. The engine, a Ferrari-derived Maserati engine, has been punched-out to 4.7 liters and massaged a bit with unique Alfa heads for 450 horses and 354 pound-feet of torque. The standard and only transmission is the same six-speed semi-automatic, paddle actuated Cambiocorsa transaxle made famous on the Maserati too.
Exclusive to the cabriolet Spider version are the carbon-composite brakes, and a fiber-composite windshield frame which helps the 200 pound heavier Spider keep a near perfect 50/50 weight distribution.
The interior is all leather, real carbon fiber and fine bits of milled, brushed and finished aluminum, and gives the effect of a racecar cockpit of the 1950s- no non-sense and Spartan in comparison to what else is out there in say a more expensive. $300,000 exotic car.
Performance is very good, but not record breaking, no, not by any means in a high-performance world where a less exotic Porsche Turbo could now reach sixty in under four seconds and nearly every Ferrari made today, not to mention a high-end Corvette could flirt with well over 180 miles-per-hour or more at wide-open-throttle. The 8C will still reach sixty a little under, or around five seconds, corners at about .94 g but promises a more raw, less refined yet easily attainable racing inspired driving experience than in a bigger, heavier, more luxurious or sportier Ferrari or Maserati- if a Ferrari could ever be considered luxurious- the Alfa is the "raw dog" of the Italian wolf pack.
The Alfa rewards the driver at much lower levels of sheer driving force- meaning- even a bad driver will feel like a better one driving an 8C at any speed. It's technology and performance may not be the latest and greatest Ferrari and company may have to offer, but do keep in mind- the Alfa is still very much the proverbial pony to Ferrari's (prancing) horse. The Alfa 8C is all about feeling good while driving, even if you're not breaking the sound barrier or setting any records at the local track.
The Spider is available in limited numbers Stateside, again, just 35- but unlike the coupe- it can be had in nearly any color you could want, along with custom interiors colors, wheel finishes, interior stitching, etc, etc. No two 8C Spiders will be seen alike, if seen at all.
But any 8C Spider you do see will be a rare and spoken-for specimen, yes, just like the elder Mrs. Robinson herself. And if you do care to turn-off the sport mode, and silence the magnificent exhaust system that would prefer doing the noise making, you just may hear yourself hum the "Sounds of Silence" of The Graduate and relish what is really, the first and most lavish Alfa Spider seen since the 1967 film.
Clearly, the Fiat and Chrysler executives are whetting our appetites for what will surely be more mundane, less exciting and more practical offerings; but at least they have their "halo" offering in the Alfa 8C, enticing any Italian-American concoctions they can stir-up. Anything, and I do mean anything is better than a Chrysler Sebring sedan. The Alfa, no matter how elder Americans remember their temperamental electrical systems, and their propensity for rust; it's a better (if not just sexier) legacy than the Chrysler K platform. I guaranty it.
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I can never forget my first look at an Alfa Romeo. I was following one on a country road on my way home from a business trip in 1965. A year later, at a dealer's, I got my first chance to test drive one. I loved it but couldn't afford the payments so owing an Alfa has remained a not-quite-attainable fantasy ever since. But we're talking about the Spider, aren't we, and they make less expensive compacts also, I believe. If so, before I pass away, I may still get a shot at owning one of these splendid cars, albeit a lesser version.
Yikes! Give me the Autobahn--
Seems off topic for this blog IMHO.
Travis writes about cars and such for those of us that haven't lost our jobs YET.
Nah, we're all about the stock market, sex and fast cars here.
Not really... Travis makes guest appearances from time to time; I look forward to his articles. It's good Sunday reading.
Meh, no so much. Too Z3-ish. I'm keeping my mule.
http://i50.tinypic.com/29lbhbo.jpg
So when did ZH start to advertise in the articles? I thought I was going to read a financial analysis of the company or something related to finance. Is this part of a new monetization plan?
If Robo can post nothing but charts and boobs, then what's wrong with a little auto porno?
Ok, it is typical Italian sexy and yes Fiat-like, with the company owning Alfa, Ferrari and of course Maserati...
Sadly... Just wait until owners realize the TCO (total cost of ownership) due to Ferrari-priced servicing cost like the Maserati. New Alfa owners better hope the depreciation is not Maserati-like at 50% off MSRP after only 2 years and 20k miles of ownership.
PS: the engine specs are nice, yet with such low torque it will take some doing going out of the corners. Why is it Ferrari chooses to make an engine with such low torque values as compared to Mercedes and others? HP is an American thing, sure, yet everyone who is a true enthusiast knows that high torque wins races.
Heh. Any car loses 20% of it's value when it first hits the street off of the dealers' lot.
I'd strongly recommend buying a slightly used Italian car, and learning how to work on it. It's a lot of fun. Otherwise maintainance costs will kill you in a few years. But my, that Alfa is worth it.
Alfa's are great fun! And I'm drooling over that one.
But an automatic!?!? C'mon. Get real.
Any car may lose 20%, yet the Maserati loses about 50%(!) and the Alfa might not be far behind in that. Agree to buy used yet good luck working on the new Ferrari/Maserati/Alfa cars with parts cost being typical 'Italian' (read: astronomical). Other than the brakes and small bits, you can forget trying to work on the major parts of these modern italian cars. As for being an automatic, just wait until that tranny needs to be serviced and the costs in that... and CF brakes like on the Ferrari or Maserati will set you back big time.
No apologies offered, just call it real world experience and data. Smart buyers should know these things before they make a decision. Call Maserati dealers and ask about servicing costs... then ask real world owners their actual servicing costs.
It is all moot anyway when you can easily get Aston Martins at less than $70k used and Bentleys at under $110k used.
yum yum and yum. OMG the sound of that exhaust gets me hard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ8xDia5RNY
Wow! I wasnt expecting that kind of rumble from an AR. The Vette still beats it though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8E81IFmJvY&feature=related
Any decent American Slab of Beef with a big block can match those horses and pulls.
And you can still repair American Beef with a fistful of NAPA Parts and a 20 dollar engine manual that contains the firing order, points gapping data and other important numbers to work with.
Save the money. Go buy a house or something.
Agreed. $300,000 for this prissy toy? What a joke.
Ultima GTR "kitcar" = Best of both worlds. Supercar styling, Chevy V8 power, Porsche transaxle and can be built for around $50,000 -- the price of a tarted-up Mustang GT500 or a base-model Corvette without any options.
The Corvette ZR1 starts at $110,000 and would still be an embarrassment on the track next to a GTR, the fastest car Top Gear has ever driven on their track. Ever. From any manufacturer, at any price.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKX2KZruc3E
Mons veneris for a hood and, just below it....well, you figure it out.
I guess this is for the female target-market? Giant in-your-face power-vagina racing around town.
Ha! I wondered why I was drawn to that hood.
Looks like a fast Edsel.
Hey Travis. Were have you been? Couldn't make bail? LOL. Glad you're back so I can read about things I can't afford. Nice to read about it and dream.
ZH:
Although this is a great little write up its way too off topic for my taste. Theres so much daily content related to finance on this blog I don't have enough time to sift through it all as it is. This is just one more thing I will have to fileter out on my daily quest for truth.
rgs
anon
Well, maybe the Tinman would have to read it, but you certainly don't. Filter my man filter.
Yet you had plenty of time to post an off-topic comment.
Feh.
Feed the beast, buy an Alfa, feed the beast.
Panzers meine Damen und Herren, Panzers. Mehr Panzers auf Wall Street.
To stray even more off topic from typical ZH stuff...
I recently watched The Graduate for the first time in ten years or so.
Amazing movie.
Bit of trivia - at the time it was released, Dustin Hoffman was 30 years old, and Katherine Ross (Elaine) was 27 years old. Anne Bancroft, who played Mrs. Robinson, was only 36 years old.
Bancroft seemed so much older than Hoffman. This was not exactly a cougar situation as we know it today.
Madonna, 51, and Jesus Luz, 22, do it right. They look so hot together. Good for her.
http://brideuniverse.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/jesus-luz-and-madonna.jpg
http://www.staunchusa.com/wp-content/gallery/images/madonna-and-jesus-luz.jpg
http://dashus.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451739969e2010536dc1cc7970c-800wi
Careless is fun...Pretty boy. I just love those lines that run from the hips to the...
Now you have shown me a chassis I can get behind...
Or in front of, on top of, underneath, you know.
Cept he is sooo young. Give him a ZH anon poster bag. Think he is out of school yet? More power to Madonna. I can look, but when I think about it too much, no. Beautiful older man, I am free to exploit as I see fit. They can have beautiful lines too. :-)
There is a difference between a young'uns ring of the bell for recess and incorporating recess into everything. Although there is something to be said for teaching, I think that ends up like work over time. The semblance of control or the pack of cigarettes vs a good battle of wine discussion. Better to have a real trainable HB on the job. After all, dessert is for whenever it is wanted.
- Predator 93
A pefect example of the excessive ways in this materialistic world. I'll take one.
I'd rather save up and get something else. Can your Italian masterpiece do this?:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2985157094843665962#
Looks like a mini Enzo.
For performance buy a Mitsubishi Evo and a bigger turbo. Italian cars scream wallet and sex. Ferrari has been on a multi-year campaign to improve reliability; it couldn't get any worse, right?
Anyone looking for at anything made by Ferrari should look at the 308(the Magnum P.I. one). A good example costs around $30k, and you will get all the same gawks that a $130k model will fetch.
Ummm... Black burgundy and chrome... is this the new pimpsmobile?
W
You mean this is what GS is going to do with those bonuses? I'd have to say, I'd look at these cars real different.
Custom paint job on the car? How bout this?
http://lenovoblogs.com/designmatters/files/2009/02/rifle-target.jpg
Seriously there's no adrenalin rush like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY8F4h-wQAE&feature=youtube_gdata
Cars just don't cut it for me anymore.
..
Agreee, normal road cars are boring. Uless one gets a purpose0built Formula car capable of over 3G...
As for boating... That is still 2D yet agree it can be fun. Try over 10G and full '3D' racing (hint: might be my next 'hobby').
Red Bull Air Racing
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUcGsHBl5Dc
Gotta be careful how quickly you get into the throttle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfF1Fzx8tmA&feature=related
Speed Zone near Puente Hills mall. $10 buys a 0 to 70 mph in three seconds.
It looks like a Corvette. Round tail lights and a nice phat ass plus the dual exhaust
I drove a '67 Spider for years - a very fun car:
http://bringatrailer.com/2008/09/21/nicest-weve-seen-1967-alfa-romeo-due...
But I'm also a bit of a gearhead and enjoyed rebuilding the engine and suspension (lowered it back to European specs).
The 8C is cute, but way too expensive for my taste. I'd get a pumped up MiTo:
http://www.alfaromeo.com/cgi-bin/pbrand.dll/NEWALFA_COM/controller/home....
I had a "Fix It Again Tony"...happy day when I sold it...
When I was a teenager I owned a 1963 Austin-Healey 3000 MKII-BJ7 like the one below. I'd sure like to see a modern recreation of that car. Ah, Britannia. Your sun, I guess, has set forever.
http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-1960-1969/1963-Austin-Healey-3000-MK2-...
One of the favorite props of my favorite date from '78.
http://www.sportscarrentals.com/html/alfaromeo78.htm