It'd be hard to ask for more than what the spectacular Alfa 8C Competizione already offers, but Alfa Romeo intends to do just that. So after announcing the initial run of 500 coupes, Alfa will begin production of 500 roadsters. But in case that weren't enough, reports have been circulating of two new 8Cs to follow. On the one hand we have the 8C's successor, which Alfa's PR people hope will be based on the Ferrari California. On the other we have the more focused GTA version of the current coupe.
While earlier reports suggested that the new second-generation Ferrari-based 8C could arrive in time for Alfa Romeo's 100 year anniversary in 2010, sources now suggest that it will be the 8C GTA that will arrive for the big celebration. Applying the magic formula of less weight and more power, the GTA is tipped to shed some 150 kg (330 lbs), while power from the 4.7-liter V8 is anticipated to climb from its current 450hp to a nice round 500. (If you remember writing your SATs, think GTA is to 8C as Scuderia is to F430 and you're a shoe-in for your top choice.) Only 100 examples are reportedly on the table, and you can bet they'll sell out faster than a "waste management consultant" with priors.
When Alfa Romeo announced it was actually building the 8C Competizione, we had but to applaud. The automaker slashed its own marketing budget to finance the car's manufacturing, justifying that the halo supercar would do more for the brand's image than any television ad ever could. (Then they did it again with the Spider version.) Right they were, and we wish more automakers would think that way. The latest reports indicate that Alfa Romeo is following its own example, so while CEO Luca de Meo campaigns within the Fiat hierarchy for an even more hard-core version to wear the vaunted GTA badge, some of his subordinates are thinking a step ahead towards the 8C's successor.
The current 8C is based on an aging Maserati platform – not unlike the resuscitating Aston Martin DB7 that was based on old Jaguar underpinnings. However, strategists within Alfa Romeo want to see its successor based on the new Ferrari California, trading in the input of one sister company for another. While they realize it will be an uphill battle – one which could come down to Fiat chairman and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemelo's decision – to get Ferrari to agree to the proposal, Alfa Romeo is reportedly keen to get the project off the ground and get the second-generation sportscar ready within the next two years to celebrate Alfa's centennial in 2010.
When I was a little kid I wanted to be like my big brother. I would dress the same as him, go to the same places as him, do the same things as him... It never really worked because, at the end of the day, I never looked anything like him. So while I doubt I was the only one, I had one eyebrow raised when Alfa Romeo set out to mimic the design of its show-stoppin', range-toppin' 8C Competizione with a new entry-level model. A mass-market hatchback designed to look like an ultra-exclusive supercar? Well Alfa arguably achieved just that with the new MiTo, and to prove that point it's graced us with a whole gallery of new images of the two siblings side by side. The kid brother may look that much more junior in juxtaposition, but the resemblance is uncanny. See for yourself in the gallery by clicking the thumbnails below.
Having built only built 500 examples, the achingly luscious Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione is bound to become a collectors' item. Unfortunately, they've all been spoken for, but if you missed your chance and cost is no object, Italian auction site AutoScout24 has one listed that may be of interest.
On top of the clout and rarity of the standard 8C, this model stands out as one of only a handful produced in black. That alone isn't enough to justify the huge premium being charged for this example: the asking price is €380,000, over twice its original retail price of €160k. The power boost may come close, however: through unspecified means, the output on this 8C is quoted as having been boosted to 590 hp, a 140-hp bonus over the stock 450.
