Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione.....'Authentic Emotions'

[I love pizza]

Hello all:

First post and hopefully 8C owner. I'm curious why I've never heard, seen pictures or video of the 8C testing on the Nurburgring or anywhere for that matter?? You think with production not that far off that we'd maybe see something once, but absolutely nothing has ever come across. No camo pics, no pics of testing equipment hanging off the car..nothing. Either they're very good at hiding it or we're going to get a flourish of testing very, very shortly.

Phil

[alfabeach]

Nice picture on cover of Automotive Engineering this month.

[HenryKrinkle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by I love pizza Hello all: First post and hopefully 8C owner. I'm curious why I've never heard, seen pictures or video of the 8C testing on the Nurburgring or anywhere for that matter?? You think with production not that far off that we'd maybe see something once, but absolutely nothing has ever come across. No camo pics, no pics of testing equipment hanging off the car..nothing. Either they're very good at hiding it or we're going to get a flourish of testing very, very shortly. Phil

[Alfa_Tiv]

Quote:

Originally Posted by I love pizza Hello all: First post and hopefully 8C owner. I'm curious why I've never heard, seen pictures or video of the 8C testing on the Nurburgring or anywhere for that matter?? You think with production not that far off that we'd maybe see something once, but absolutely nothing has ever come across. No camo pics, no pics of testing equipment hanging off the car..nothing. Either they're very good at hiding it or we're going to get a flourish of testing very, very shortly. Phil

[johnei]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alfa_Tiv Don't need to - its a Maserati GranSport underneath with different sheet metal and a sprinkling of Alfa Brera bits inside. Nothing wrong with either of course - at least the SZ/RZ were based on an Alfa. And no, its not a new mill either - its the trusty 4.2L bored and stroked to 4.7L and an extra 50 bhp. You could get there with a chip on the 4.2L or even further with a Ferrari head/chip

[Alfa_Tiv]

Not sure where you are getting your information - I am getting mine from a local Ferrari and Maserati dealership that is going to be selling the cars, and servicing them from Maserati parts. One of the selling points, for an otherwise sparsely supported car, was availability of spares at virtually any Maserati dealer.

Also, George Kacher has a recent article where he actually drives a pre-production car inside a wherehouse and goes in to details about the car's assembly at the Maserati factory. Assembly is the last off the current GranSport line which is due to change for the new coupe for 08. Chassis down to the footprint is off a GranSport.

As nice a car as it is, the 8C is not an Alfa underneath. If anything, Fiat has learned more badge engineering from its failed GM relationship.

[johnei]

I don't doubt that it is largely built by Maserati and that it doesn't use what was at first a Maserati engine. Also, if you watch the hour long program on the building of a 599 you will see many Maseratis in the Ferrari paint shop... Regardless I don't think it is correct to say the 8C is just a GS underneath. I have no illusions about Alfa being some totally autonomous company that creates everything on its own and in their own factories. I don't think they have any of their own factories left.

Still dimensions for the 8C from post #500 of this thread

Quote:

8C # Lenght: 4280 mm # Width: 1900 mm # Height: 1250 mm # Wheelbase: 2595 mm # 1400 kg Ferrari 360 # Lenght: 4477 mm # Width: 1922 mm # Height: 1214 mm # Wheelbase: 2600 mm #1390 kg

[Chi Si Dici]

I think news reaches the west costs much-much later. Have you ever been to a dealer that tells you to wait to purchase a car that very few people will have the opportunity to own? What do you expect them to say. "Johnei" is right on, go back to this same thread and see the many specs provided. Besides, you must realize that the Maserati V8 was not developed by Maserati. When Fiat put Maserati into Ferrari's hands, I bet you couldn't find a Maserati Eng. if you looked down the corridors at Modena. Unlike the almost dead Maserati brand, Alfa Romeo has continued to have it's own development teams of Eng., (with the exception of the lowly merge with GM) no matter what the Fiat heads request have been. An Alfa has always sounded like an Alfa. If only they can just put them on "Jenny Craig".

[Alfa_Tiv]

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.

[87Sprint]

what is this a penis measuring competition? ill show you my stats if you show me yours

its a gorgeous looking car and being based on a Maserati (regardless of the degree) is hardly something to hold against it...

perhaps more pictures are in order

[johnei]

I did not realize that the GS had a transaxle. I assumed it had a front mounted transmission because they have made such a big deal about the other cars (612, 599, Quattroporte) having a transaxle and better weight distribution but I had not seen anything about the Maserati Coupe/Spider.

[I love pizza]

Similarties or not, we should see this car tested soon. I used to own a Maserati GranSport before I purchased a Gallardo and while the Gransport is a great all around car, I'd be disappointed if it felt just like a GranSport with 50 more ponies, I'm expecting the 8C to provide a different heightened experience driving wise. Why would I spend $100,000 more over a GranSport otherwise. Certainly the styling is to die for, but its not $100,000 better. If the finished product car reviews of the car say its just like a GranSport I'll back out of the deal and not buy it.

[Chi Si Dici]

"I love pizza", if you decide to back out of the deal, can I get your spot in line?

[I love pizza]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chi Si Dici "I love pizza", if you decide to back out of the deal, can I get your spot in line?

[DaveC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by I love pizza Well my earlier post says "hopefully" an 8c owner. I'm sure if you have a long term relationship with a Ferrari/Maserati dealer that helps, but it appears at least at the dealer level many are still in the dark on how this whole Alfa in the USA is going to happen. At this point, its just a 2 year waiting game. I love the car and it will be in my garage for a long time if I can get my hands on it, but I'm not assuming in anyway that I'm guaranteed a car.