Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
Alfa Romeo 8C is a ‘limited edition’ car with only 500 models made and distributed around the world: France, UK, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zeeland, USA and others.
The lines of the twin seater 8C are meant to echo the styling of Alfas of the 1930s and 1940s, and the “Competizione” name is a reference to the 1948 6C 2500 Competizione, which competed in the 1949 and 1950 Mille Miglia race and came third both times.
The design of this car was developed by the Alpha Romeo Style Centre, with an elegant line around the wheels and with a powerful muscular side. The cabin is characterized by carbon fiber and leather. The upholstery is made of the most exclusive leathers, hand-stitched with intricate braiding in the colors of red, titanium, tan and black. Moreover, on the central tunel there’s a customized 500 limited edition plaque made of silver and with the owner’s name, the flag of their country of origin. Besides, the hi-tech modernity of carbon fiber and aluminium combines with the traditional elegance of leather and natural fibers to create a dashing and unique interior.
The luxury sports car uses a modified Maserati platform and powertrain (Maserati 4200, GranTurismo) and features a Ferrari/Maserati derived 90 degree cross-plane dry-sump lubricated 4.7-litre V8 assembled by Ferrari. The top engine performance figures may be summarized as a maximum power of 331 kilowatts (450 PS) at 7000 revolutions per minute, a peak torque of 480 newton metres (354 lbf ft) at 4750 rpm (80% at 2500 rpm) with an engine redline of 7500 rpm and rev limiter of 7600 rpm. The V8 engine has variable timing in intake valves and compression ratio of 11.3. Moreover, the six–speed transaxle gearbox has computerized gear selection by means of levers behind the steering wheel and may be used in Manual-Normal; Manual-Sport; Automatic-Normal; Automatic-Sport and Ice modes. The gearbox can shift in 175 milliseconds when using Sport mode.
The muscular car is fitted with specially developed 20 inch tyres: 245/35 at the front and 285/35 at the rear. The innovative ‘P Zero Corsa’ racing tires are mounted on aluminium fluoformed perforated rims and a feature treads and structures created for extreme sporting use.
The 8C brakes have been called “phenomenal” by Road & Track magazine, with a stopping distance of 32 metres (105.0 ft), when travelling at an initial speed of 97 kilometres per hour (60 mph). The car features aluminium 6-piston fixed-calliper brakes at the front and 4-pistong brakes at the rear the perforated ventilated discs are big enough to ensure effective braking even in the most difficult situations. The official top speed is announced to be 292 kilometres per hour (181 mph) but it might be higher, with estimations that it could be around 306 kilometres per hour (190 mph) according to the Road & Track magazine. Besides, an Alfa Romeo engineer also stated that it is faster than announced top speed.
Source: motortrend.com; automobilemag.com.