The Alfa Romeo 8c is returning after an eight-year absence, and it’s going to look and perform a lot differently than its limited-run predecessor. Early plans inside Alfa Romeo indicate that the new 8C is being packaged as a 700-horsepower supercar that will be able to compete against the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini. There’s no timetable yet on when the new 8C will arrive, but it should make its way into our lives before 2022, at least if it ends up happening.

2022 Alfa Romeo 8C Exterior

You can’t tell that I’m shaking in my seat, can you? As someone who has professed an unyielding love for all things Alfa Romeo, the 8C Competizione was one of my all-time favorite cars. Sure, only 1,000 units — 500 coupes and 500 convertibles — ended up getting made, but that number is still 1,000 times better than nothing. Semantics, people.

In any case, the return of the 8C is a great thing for the Italian automaker. It already has performance sedan (Giulia) and a performance SUV (Stelvio) spearheading its reinvention. Why not throw in a 700-horsepower supercar into the mix, right?

We still know very little about the new 8C, especially with its design. The only image we can go by is a teaser that Alfa released, and even that doesn’t show us anything beyond a low-slung profile with massive, performance car-like shoulders. The Italian automaker also said that the new 8C is going to come with a mid-engine setup, which explains why the roof slopes down towards the rear way it does. There’s only going to be two seats inside the car because that rear section is going to be occupied by the supercargo’s beating heart.

As far as the front and rear designs go, we’re drawing on the same straws as most of you are. I do think that, given the evolved style of the Giulia and the Stelvio, the new 8C will look less like its own predecessor and more like the new models it’s joining in the coming years. That could mean the new 8C will get dynamic and cutting-edge versions of the lighting setup that the Giulia and Stelvio received. Alfa’s triangular grille should remain in place as it does on all of the company’s models. Expect the supercar, though, to get an aggressive-looking bumper with edgy intakes. Maybe a lip spoiler even makes an appearance.

The rear section should also feature its own dynamic taillight structure, and while the teaser image doesn’t show it, I wouldn’t be surprised if a rear spoiler is added into the car’s design. An aggressive diffuser is likely, too, as do multiple quad exhaust tips.

2022 Alfa Romeo 8C Interior

Interior space isn’t going to be one of the 8C’s strong suits. But that shouldn’t be a problem for those who understand that this thing is a supercar. There should still be enough space for two people, but as with most performance cars, whatever space is given is usually dressed to the nines in a swath of bespoke materials. We already know the kind of materials — standard leather and Alcantara seats — Alfa Romeo used on the Giulia, so I expect the automaker to dial up the use of premium materials on the 8C. I’m not even opposed to carbon fiber because a lot of supercar makers use it already. A generous sprinkling of all three is likely, though I would be more impressed if Alfa also threw in some really exotic materials to give the 8C a totally different interior experience compared to other Alfa models.

On the tech front, a digital display unit is all but certain. The Giulia comes with a standard 8.8-inch display so a similar-sized display should find its way inside the 8C. It’s also possible that a bigger display is eventually developed. I’m not opposed to that, either. The usual array of knob, dials, and buttons are going to make their appearances, too.

The general hope I have is that Alfa Romeo’s going to look back at the interior of the 8C Competizione and strive to make a better one on the new model. As beautiful as the 8C Competizione’s design was, it arguably had one of the cheapest-looking cabins of any car from that era. Here’s to hoping that the interior design on the new 8C is going to be better than its predecessor.

2022 Alfa Romeo 8C Drivetrain

Of all the things that Alfa Romeo has revealed, this is where the details are concrete and specific. The new Alfa Romeo 8C will be powered by a twin-turbo engine and an electric motor on the front axle. The hybrid setup gives the 8C a total of more than 700 horsepower, good enough to help it accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than three seconds.

That’s the headline here, folks. The Alfa Romeo 8C will have more than 700 horsepower at its disposal. That effectively makes it a supercar on part with the likes of the Lamborghini Aventador and the McLaren 720S. This is an Alfa Romeo! Who knew this day would come?

It would’ve been better if Alfa divulged a little bit more details, but don’t let that disappointment drag you down. A 700-horsepower Alfa Romeo with a hybrid setup is going to break the Internet when it arrives.

2022 Alfa Romeo 8C Prices

The Alfa Romeo 8C isn’t expected to arrive for until a few more years so don’t expect the Italian automaker to come up with a price for the supercar anytime soon.

It is worth noting, though, that the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione was sold in the U.S. for a whopping $300,000. And that was a decade ago. Lord knows how much the new 8C is going to cost, but if it’s going to have everything that Alfa Romeo has promised, it’s not going to come cheap.

2022 Alfa Romeo 8C Competition

McLaren 720S

Technically, the McLaren 720S doesn’t have a hybrid system at work. What it does have, on the other hand, is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 unit that produces a staggering 710 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers are what we’re expecting out of the Alfa Romeo 8C so it’s going to be interesting how these two supercars lineup up beside each other and see which one can go faster. For the record, the 720S is capable of sprinting from 0 to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds. If anything, the race between these two cars is going to be razor-thin close. Pricing for the McLaren 720S in the U.S. starts at around $265,500. If the 8C is priced similarly to its predecessor, there’s a chance that it’s going to be a little bit more expensive than the 720S. Think about that for a second: an Alfa Romeo is more expensive than a McLaren. Such strange times we live in.

Read our full review of the 2018 McLaren 720S.

Ferrari 488 GTB

Here’s another ironic twist for all of you. The Ferrari 488 GTB is the automaker’s quintessential supercar. It’s styled like a car that only Ferrari can build. It has a well-appointed interior that fits its stature as a supercar. It even has a 3.9-liter V-8 unit that produces 660 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque. It can do 0 to 62 mph in three seconds, and it has a top speed of 205 mph. It also costs around $242,000 in the U.S., a price that makes it a lot cheaper compared to its rivals. All that said, the Alfa Romeo 8C could be faster, more powerful, and more expensive than the Ferrari 488 GTB. I’m not sure what world that could possibly exist, but if it happens, it’s definitely going to be ours.

Read our full review of the 2018 Ferrari 488 GTB.

Conclusion

It’s not often wherein a company like Alfa Romeo can grab the whole business by its throat. Actually, it hasn’t happened in so long that you’d be forgiven if you don’t remember it happening at all. But that’s what happened when news of the 8C was announced. A 700-horsepower Alfa Romeo shouldn’t exist because we’ve never seen one in production form. But times are changing, and so, too, have automakers. Some manifest this change in other ways.

In Alfa Romeo’s case, it appears that it’s preparing an all-timer in the new 8C. Hopefully, all of its plans come to fruition because an Alfa Romeo supercar is the kind of car we never knew we wanted until it was brought to our attention. Now, it’s the only thing we want.

Further reading

Read our full review on the previous generation 2007 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.

Read more Alfa Romeo news.