The Alfa Romeo 8C competizione was launched in 2008 as the forerunner of the Italian automaker’s return to the U.S. market. The limited edition Alfa Romeo sports car features a carbon fiber monocoque, 4.7 Liter Ferrari V8 sitting between the front wheels and curves shaped to move air around the vehicle. That power plant is good for a total of 444 HP and 350 lb-ft of torque that can accelerate the car 8C competizione from 0 to 60 MPH in just 4.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 181 MPH make it one of the most desirable Italian sports cars of the modern era.
The Italian automaker, Alfa Romeo is hard at work preparing a factory tuned GTA version for their hottest model at the moment, the carbon fiber constructed 8C. The new car is set to debut sometime next year and will take its inspiration from the classic 1965 Giulia Sprint GTA. The exterior of the Alfa Romeo 8C GTA will feature few race inspired cutouts in the hood like an old Ferrari race car. Up front the nose with be covered in ice-white which makes a beautiful contrast with the rest of the red bodywork as well as a few of the carbon fiber bits, like the front splitter and side skirts. The car will tip the scales at 1,450 kg that is about 150 kg less than the standard 8C Competizione.
Under the vented bonnet, Alfa Romeo will make use of a tuned variant of the high revving 4.7 Liter V8, with this much displacement, the output of the Italian engine will go up to around 500 HP. The additional grunt means that the 8C GTA will be able to make a 0 to 60 MPH sprint in less than 4 seconds, while the top speed will be raised to 200 MPH.
Alfa Romeo is planning to build only 100 units of this particular high performance model, each wearing a price tag of £200,000. That’s about $282,000 here in America, and it’s really not that much when you consider that you a buying a high performance variant of an already outstanding automobile.
The Italian automaker Alfa Romeo has already blessed the earth with 500 examples of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, when the supply dried up and hopeful owners begged to be able to drive this machine that is the epitome of form and function with a little wind in their hair, Alfa offered up 500 more Spider versions of the 450 HP super car. So now all that is left is for the biscinoe badged automaker is to come up with a factory tuned 8C, and they are planning on producing 100 of them.
Only the most powerful of Alfa’s vehicles are fortunate enough to wear the GTA badge, and despite the fact that the 8C GTA version is scheduled to make its official debut will be made sometime in 2011, Alfa’s engineers have started to hit the books early. Even though the 8C is made from a light weight carbon fiber monocoque, the GTA version will be about 300 pounds lighter and will feature a few improved aerodynamic pieces.
Not only will the Alfa Romeo 8C GTA model will be a lightweight machine, but it will have even more power than the standard Competizione. Alfa hasn’t released any official words just yet, but thanks to the FIAT family, the GTA Alfa could end up being powered by the same high revving V8 found under the hood of the all new drop top Ferrari California, think somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 HP. Either way, the question we are asking Alfa at the moment, is whether the $300,000 Spider will also undergo the GTA treatment.
AutoCar recently got behind the wheel of the new Alfa Romeo 8C Spider and had all the fun in the world! The 8C Spider is powered by a 8 cylinder engine derived from the same unit that powers the Ferrari F-430, this time mated to a 5 speed gearbox. The 90°V8 displaces 4.7 Liters and delivers 450 HP and can run through the standing quarter mile in just 12.4 seconds.
$300,000 is a lot of money to splurge on one item. Then again, if that ‘one item’ in particular is an Alfa Romeo 8C Spider, then it might be the best $300 grand purchase you’ll ever make.
Don’t get us wrong. We are by no means advocating anyone to spend their entire life savings on one vehicle. We’re just saying that if you had that kind of money to waste, then an 8C Spider wouldn’t necessarily be a bad tab to put on your credit card.
The 8C Spider – the convertible version of the 8C Competizione – is as expensive as it is rare with only 500 vehicles set to be produced, including only 35 set to hit US soil. Owning one would not only give you instant credibility, but you’ll also be noted as one of the lucky few to purchase Alfa Romeo’s most expensive production car in its 99-year history.
The problem is, with the limited supply, you’ll probably face stringent competition for these bad boys and Maserati North America - which, incidentally is the exclusive dealer for these cars - will know that with the escalating demand for these limited cars, you can bet your bottom dollar that you’ll have to shell out more than $300 K for the 8C Spider.
It seems Jim Glickenhaus has not been hit too hard by the stock market (or possibly movie market,) as he is the first U.S. owner of Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. Glickenhaus is familiar in car circles as a big collector as well as the owner of the one-of-a-kind Enzo-based Pininfarina Ferrari P4/5.
According to Veloce Today’s website, the 8C Competizione was launched last week at Miller Motorcars in Greenwich, Connecticut. There were three 8Cs lined up in their showroom, hidden under red covers with only the famous Alfa shield hinting as to what was underneath.
Although there will only be 500 of these cars in world, Glickenhaus wanted to make sure that his car is even rarer. He wanted the car in a non-factory red paint to match his unique Ferrari. Considering the amount of money and press Glickenhaus has given to the Fiat Group, it’s no surprise they were happy to oblige (likely for a fee, of course.)
