Autoblog

Alfa Romeo is returning to the US market in about a year, offering the zooty 8C Competizione and 8C Spider atop a range of less spectacular offerings. While the top-end 8Cs will probably be Italian emigres, the 149 and 169 sedans could be put together in Mexico. Alfa doesn't have a hard and fast decision yet, and could pick another site, even one in North America. Moving the labor to Mexico for the volume sellers might prove to be a wise move on Alfa's part. The dollar continues to take a beating, pushing up the cost of European items on US sales markets, and building somewhere else would sidestep some of those increased costs. Alfa is trying this idea in China, too, where Chery will assemble automobiles for that market. We're all for it if it gets the keys to some stylish Italians in our hands while holding the prices down. The quality can't be any worse than it was in the bad old days that led to the notorious reputation for unreliability that afflicted Italian marques. Besides, those shop queens were so joyous to drive, they made suckers out of all of us, and we'd do it again, given the chance.

[Source: Inside Line]

Bertone's not officially exhibiting at Geneva this year, as the company is going through some upheaval, but it still made a splash in Switzerland. The B.A.T. 11, paying direct homage to the original B.A.T. concepts, was unveiled in Geneva at the AutoDesignNight event. The car was commissioned by Gary Kaberle, and you'd never know that there's an Alfa Romeo 8C hiding under the sheetmetal that's strongly evocative of the 1955 B.A.T. 5. Tapered fins and faired in wheels follow the design fundamentals laid down 50-plus years ago by Nuccio Bertone and Franco Scaglione, and the unique wheels with two layers of spokes are a 21st-century interpretation of the classic Borrani wires. Surfaces with a mix of soft and crisp forms and details still look futuristic, even while paying homage to the past. Financial woes or not, Bertone is still one of the world's premiere houses of automotive haute couture, and the B.A.T. 11 will hopefully not be the company's last gasp. Click the source to view more photos of the B.A.T. 11 concept at its off-site debut in Geneva yesterday.

[Source: Car Design News, Photo by Brett Patterson]

At long last, Alfa Romeo has confirmed the European pricing for its halo supercar, the achingly gorgeous 8C Competizione, with an MSRP of €159,300.

As Alfa Romeo previously announced, 99 examples of the total production run of 500 will be reserved for customers in the United States, where the 8C will be leading the company's return to the American market. While US Dollar pricing has yet to be announced for those 99, consider for reference that the €159,300 European price tag positions the 8C slightly below its corporate cousin, the Ferrari F430, which retails on the Continent for €175k.

While it was predicted that the 8C Competizione would be priced at closer to €135k, we doubt the higher sticker will keep Alfa Romeo from selling each and every one – and the subsequent run of topless Spider versions – or speculators from demanding significantly more for the privilege of buying what is arguably the most beautiful car ever to grace tarmac.

[Source: PistonHeads]

"We are not developing a cheap Ferrari" is the oft-repeated party line in Maranello. "Just don't look over there," might as well be the next, as spy shots have turned up yet again suggesting that Ferrari is indeed developing an "entry-level" model to slot in the company's line-up below the F430.

The latest photos show a developmental test mule on the dynamometer wearing what appears to be disguised bodywork from the recently launched Maserati GranTurismo. Sources suggest, however, that the baby Ferrari would share more in common with the achingly gorgeous and limited production Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, but with even more power. When that car was being developed, original speculation suggested it was for Ferrari, but that the project was passed over to Alfa Romeo instead.

So has Ferrari been blatantly lying? A few possibilities could explain the discrepancy. First is that the car spotted is not a Dino as speculated by the motoring press, but actually a test mule for the upcoming new Maserati convertible; however, based as closely as it will be on the existing GranTurismo, extensive drivetrain testing would seem unnecessary. It could, however, be testing a new transmission for the Maserati range. Another explanation about the seeming chasm between what we see and what Ferrari says could be drawn from the example of the original Dinos, which were not badged as Ferraris but as a separate brand. If the photos are accurate, the new model could be front-engined like the 599 GTB instead of mid-engined like the F430 as originally thought. One way or another, we look forward to finding out.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Following the initial confirmation from Alfa Romeo that the drop-dead-sell-my-soul-and-both-kidneys-gorgeous 8C Competizione was going into production, however limited, the temporarily satiated hearts and minds of Italian sportscar fans (and really, who isn't a fan of Italian sportscars?) turned to the next obvious question: what about its equally jaw-dropping open-aired sister, the 8C Spider? We've been patiently awaiting any indication from the Milanese automaker, and the latest reports suggest that Alfa will indeed produce a limited run of the rolling piece of alfresco art.

Italian automotive publication Quattroroute claims that the 8C Spider will begin rolling out of the factory at the end of next year. Like the instantly sold-out fixed-roof version, only 500 examples will be produced, with a corresponding price increase to €180,000.

So, seriously...anyone interested in buying a kidney?

[Source: Quattroroute via Motorpasion]

Alfa Romeo's voluptuous 8C Competizione is currently undergoing the now obligatory rite of passage for any new performance car - hot-lapping the Nurburgring - and World Car Fans has spy shots of the event.

Artfully camouflaged with duct tape, the test mule carries larger wing mirrors and a front fascia with noticeably larger openings than the show car version.

The limited production coupe is slated to lead Alfa Romeo's return to the U.S. market. Trivia types will recall that the Nurburgring holds a special place in the hearts of Alfa fans as the site of Tazio Nuvolari's epic victory over Mercedes and Auto Union in the 1935 German Grand Prix. (Bonus points if you knew that Nuvolari's Alfa Romeo P3 was campaigned by Scuderia Ferrari.)

More spy shots can be seen here.

[Source: World Car Fans]

There are only 500 examples of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione planned, and 70 have already been scooped up in Japan. Don't worry, though-- Maserati wants America to get a taste of at least a few of them.

The $200,000, carbon-fiber-bodied 8C with its 4.7L, 450+ hp V8 might have trouble with America's emissions and safety laws, so "sometime in 2008" was as specific as Jim Selwa, head of Maserati NA, would get on an arrival date. Incredibly, the article mentioned that ensuring the car is "right for the market could involve details as subtle as cupholders." It will probably be much more important to figure out how to convince Americans weaned on Milanos and staggeringly-beautiful-but-perpetually-broken GTVs and Spyders that slotting an Alfa into the same price bracket as Aston Martin isn't an elaborate Italian jest.

[Source: The Car Connection via eGM CarTech]

The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione is clearly an object of desire, but what if it lived up to its literal name by breeding a competition automobile? Picchio has come up with the answer in the form of its new Daytona prototype.

The car is being created by Europe's only Grand Am-certified manufacturer in order to fill an anticipated demand emerging from new regulations in the race series, which allow for a race car's body to be adapted to match an engine supplier's styling. In other words, if it's running an Alfa powerplant, it can and should look like an Alfa.

In anticipation of Alfa Romeo homologating its new V8 engine for racing, Picchio redesigned its DP2 racing chassis to accommodate the engine and adapted the bodywork to mirror the styling of the roadgoing 8C Competition coupe. The result is a beautiful concept that we hope to see on the race track in the near future. As with Alfa Romeo's own impending re-emergence into the US market, until then this car will just have to keep our hearts racing.

[Source: Picchio via Car Body Design]

The production version of Alfa Romeo's sensuous 8C Competizione coupe made its debut at the Paris Motor Show. While our excitement continues to grow for Alfa's planned re-emergence into the North American market, the celebrated Italian marque has graced us with yet another video of its unspeakably beautiful sports car.

This two-minute video is even more dramatic than the last one, and features artistic shots of the 8C and Alfas past that inspired its lines. See the 8C from every angle, inside and out, each minute detail a work of art unto itself. As if we needed to fall in love with the 8C any more than we already have. Bellisimo!

Autoblog's John Neff just reported in from Paris, and the word is "GORGEOUS." So desirable it's locked in a box surrounded by bodyguards! There aren't many out there who don't love the Alfa 8C, but John is one of the first to see it in the flesh. And this was what he had to say, "Gorgeous car, metallic sex." We have already reported on the 8C a few times, but this being the world premiere, we wanted to share some pics with you. We're quite certain you won't mind. And just in case you've been under a rock for the past few months, click on the related post links for more info about this incredible car that will help Alfa make its long-anticipated return to North America.

Briefly though, this is what we've said about the 8C Competizione so far. The limited edition 8C is based on a shortened Maserati Coupe platform. The car is driven by a Maserati-sourced aluminum 4.7-liter V8 making 450 horsepower and 347 lb-ft of twist. A six-speed gearbox with paddle shifters channels power to the rear wheels and can also be operated in full automatic mode. Like just about everything else on the Alfa, the car's suspension is also from Maserati, which should simplify service and support by the Maserati dealer network. The U.S. will get fully half of the 8c production run, currently planned for 500 coupes and 500 spider models.

(Paris and press pics, press release after the jump.)