Skip to main content

ads1

2009 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione

This gorgeous two-seat coupe turns out to be the latest chapter in the on-again/off-again thriller that centers on the chances that Alfa Romeo will one day soon be reunited with U.S. buyers. The 450-hp 8C Competizione is, we’ve been assured repeatedly, a certainty to reach our shores. We might even say we’re confident that by the end of 2007 Americans will be able to drive away from the local Maserati dealership in an Alfa.

2009 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione2009 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione-22009 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione-3The production 8C, which will meet federal regulations here, is remarkably close to the concept. At a cost of about $175,000, 500 will be built for European consumption and will have to be ordered directly from Alfa’s home office in Italy. Stateside, Maserati will sell a production run of 99 of these cars for about $200,000 apiece. A special facility at Maserati’s headquarters in Modena has been set up to build the 8C. Production is set to start next September. Alfa expects to build 600 of these cars over 18 months and then cease production.

The engine under the long hood of the 8C is a version of Maserati’s V-8. Enlarged to 4.7 liters with an expected output of 450 horsepower, the engine will drive the rear wheels via a rear-mounted six-speed transmission or a sequential-manual gearbox. Under the curvaceous carbon-fiber-composite skin is a steel unibody similar to that of the Maserati Coupé. Alfa toyed around with producing a convertible, but that idea has been abandoned. We’re just hoping Alfa doesn’t abandon the whole idea of selling cars here.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

NAIAS Detroit 2007: Volkswagen continues BLUETEC offensive

Volkswagen is presenting the Concept Tiguan SUV study at the North American International Auto Show. In the first half of next year the series version of the “Touareg’s little brother” will be debuting in the US. The Tiguan is being advanced as a significant component in Volkswagen’s model range in order to expand the market position in the US. Moreover, Volkswagen expects additional US growth starting in 2008 from the market launch of the cleanest TDI of all times. The introduction of the Turbodiesel direct injection engine equipped with a NOx secondary treatment system is taking place as part of the BLUETEC offensive in the latest Jetta– the most successful car in America from a German manufacturer. European injection technologies are increasingly convincing US customers: In 2006 Volkswagen of America had sales 4.9 percent above the previous year. This corresponds to 235,140 vehicles sold in the US. The positive signs for 2007 include the Eos being offered for the first time over an ...

Next NSXext revealed at Detroit show

Honda’s next supercar will not be mid-engined if this show-stealing concept coupe is anything to go by, writes Dave Moore. To get cut-through among the dozen-plus concept coupes on display at Detroit last week, you really did have to come up with something special. It seemed that just about everybody had something close-coupled and muscular on display, but Honda’s US luxury arm, Acura, managed to attract most attention with what it messily labels its Advanced Sports Car Concept , or ASCC for short. While Honda will not confirm that the ASCC is a replacement for the much- loved but slow-selling NSX , it has put on record that the front-engined show car marks a preview of the design direction for that car’s successor. It is expected that the Tokyo Motor Show in October this year will mark the production debut of the actual NSX replacement. The concept is designed to incorporate a powerful front- mounted, V-10 engine and a new high-performance, rear- wheel-drive based version of the H...

The Dangerous Ten

Jeremy Clarkson selected the ten most exciting/fastest cars he has ever thrown around a track... 10: Noble M12 GT0-3R 170mph "In a world obsessed with image, you can’t beat a Porsche. But in a world obsessed with time, a Porsche is a library. A TVR is the internet. And the Noble is broadband" 9: Aston Martin V8 Vantage 175mph. £51,500. "Thanks to heavy steering, heavy brakes and a heavy six-speed manual gearbox, they’ve made the syllabub-light body feel like a meat pie. The 911 is for nancy boy racing drivers. The Aston’s for gentleman thugs" 8: Chevrolet Corvette C6 180mph. £52,595. "This car has a head-up display, just like you get in an F-16 fighter. It’s fantastic. Whole bus queues are hidden behind the digital speed read-out, which is going to make for some wonderful insurance claims" 7: Vauxhall Monaro VXR 185mph. £36,995. "Think of it as an Aussie from the outback. Maybe he can’t quote Shakespeare. Maybe he’s never heard of Terence Conran. ...