The waiting is finally over... Alfa Romeo's stunning impression car, the 8C Spider has passed as of dream to develop into certainty, and Auto Express is first behind the wheel.
Launched at this year’s Geneva Motor explain, and star of the 2009 Goodwood fair of swiftness, the 8C Spider look set to be one of this year’s mainly popular cars.
Hot on the heels of the 8C coupé, which also inspired the Alfa Mito, the beginner offer stunning presentation, sensational styling... and a not inconsiderable £120,000 price tag, the Spider offers drivers 450bhp from its Ferrari derived 4.7-litre V8 engine.
And to make certain that this model is every inch a match for its supercar rivals, all of that muscle is channelled to the rear wheels through a six-speed paddle shift gearbox.
A dashboard-mounted button drops the twin-layered fabric roof, which once stowed blends effortlessly with the cars sculpted carcass.
Up front there’s simply no mistaking this car’s rich Italian heritage. large air intakes and jewel resembling headlamps blend style and purpose in near perfect balance. The set up is matched at the rear, where the drama continues with quad exhaust pipes and plain, spherical tail-lights.
But it’s this machine’s classic silhouette - by means of its long bonnet and stocky proportions - that separate it as of its rivals.
It’s been complete probable by a quick aerodynamic under tray which helps keep the model pinned to the road at speed, doing present by means of the need for dreadful wings and spoilers.
But while the devise may build the very nearly all of Alfa’s rich heritage, the cadaver itself represents the very latest technology. Comprised of carbon fibre it’s based on a harden spaceframe chassis which also offers incredible power.
What’s other, the gearbox is mounted on the rear axle helping to offer the 8C wonderful load circulation, while two times wishbone deferment features frontage and rear. Huge vented recording brakes and 20-inch alloys present awesome stopping muscle.
From after the wheel, the cabin is standard Alfa, with carbon fibre trim adding a luxurious, generous touch. Deep bucket spaces proffer the same luxurious leather use by Ferrari, and are hugely relaxed.
And by means of the V8 engine successively, there’s no deficiency of presentation. Alfa says it’ll do 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds and hit a summit tempo of 190mph. As it spins into life it's plain that the engine and exhaust note are at the extremely kindness of the 8C experience. The sound is modelled on the Alfa's past racers, and while it is never bumpy, it's both distinctive and resolute.
The 8C's neutral chassis steadiness plunder smooth driving, offering plenty of mid-corner grip. Turn in is crisp and the car tracks modestly to the apex. Too much throttle on the way out, however, quickly introduces oversteer which is controled with a mix of sharp, responsive steering and the subtle yet reassuring intervention of the traction control.?
The gearbox adds to the experience – switching to manual mode requres the driver to draw on one of the carbon shift levers, while a sport button mounted in the centre console offers swifter gearchanges and and more revs at the redline.
Impressively, there's almost no shake in the chassis, and the car never feels overwhelmed by the huge amouts of lateral grip you can harness. Carbon ceramic brakes present consistent stopping power from very high revs, yet the pedal needs to be pressed tough to experience their full effect.
And if all this sound too fine to be true…that’s probably because it is.
With just a handful of models – all of which will be left hand drive – set to reach the UK, supply will be limited. Lottery winners and millionaire car fans are likely buyers, but we agree that if you have the kind of hard cash you’ll need to take release, we would warn you to leader for the nearest Alfa showroom now! You won’t be disappointed.
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