Wow! There is a lot of misinformation on what the Alfa 8C actually is.
So to try to set the record straight, here is an article by Georg Kacher who has actually driven a pre-production car. Kacher is a well known euro correspondent for several leading car rags.
http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews...meo_8c_spider/
To quote from the article:
"Compared with its closely related donor car, the Maserati GranSport Spyder, the Alfa Romeo 8C is 176 pounds lighter, 2.4 inches wider, 1.2 inches lower, and 1.6 inches longer. The wheelbase grew by 4.3 inches, and it now exactly matches the footprint of the Maserati GranSport Coupe."
and
"Despite the brand-new synthetic skin, the 8C Spider is, in essence, a Maserati in disguise. The transaxle layout is a straightforward carryover from the GranSport, as is the Cambiocorsa gearbox installed in the coupe. The engine was definitely not conceived in Arese, either. The beautifully detailed V-8 is a 4.7-liter version of the Maserati 4.2-liter unit."
As for the GranSport not being a transaxle car, we must be talking about a different GranSport than the one being sold today.
The 8C is lighter because its body is lighter (GS is steel). And I am not keeping my fingers crossed on the entertaining but flawed GS chassis dynamics being sorted out for the 8C - they've had 3 years to do something about it and have done nothing to date.