There's a Maserati chassis under the skin and Maserati-designed engine under the bonnet, but the 8C Competizione sports Alfa Romeo badges.

The 8C shares its name with the eight-cylinder Alfa Romeo sports cars that dominated Europe's racetracks before World War II, and especially with the 8C 2900, which not only clocked up scores of victories but also became one of the great Grand Tourers of its age. It also draws inspiration from other past masters, including the Tipo 33 Stradale and Giulia TZ2, though the modern 8C's design - by Wolfgang Egger at Alfa's own Centro Stile - resists any temptation of falling into the retro trap.



Under the Bonnet of the 8C competizione is a 4,691 cc V8 producing 450 bhp at 7,000 rpm and 470 Nm of torque at 4,750 rpm. It drives the rear wheels via a six-speed electro-hydraulic manual transmission. Operated by paddles behind the steering wheel, the gearbox can be used in manual or automatic modes and in normal and sport modes. The all-independent suspension uses double wishbones, variable gas dampers, coil springs and an anti-roll bar front and rear, while stopping power is provided by massive cross-drilled discs.

Performance is electric: from a standstill, it reaches 60 mph in 4.1 seconds and 100 mph in 9.3 seconds, and has a top speed 181 mph /291 km/h.

---Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, Cars, igloo Books Ltd, 2009, Sywell,UK

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