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.
A concept car at the Frankfurt show in 2003, the 8C was intended to be an expensive, limited-edition sports car that would promote the resurgence of the Alfa Romeo brand. Struggles within the company nearly killed the 8C, as some deemed its Maserati engine and high price out of step with the rest of the more reasonable Alfa lineup of sporty family sedans and coupes. But now Alfa has promised to build the 8C, in part to establish itself in the U.S. prior to the arrival of the less expensive, more mainstream Brera and Spider that, we last heard, will be sold in U.S. showrooms sometime in 2010.
The 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.
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