Jalopnik: 8c competizione

How Alfa Romeo Waved Goodbye to Rear-Wheel Drive

Peter Orosz — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:15:00 EDT

Two years before they left the US market in 1995, Alfa Romeo jettisoned rear-wheel drive. Their vehicle of abandonment was a quirky plastic sports car built on a classic transaxle layout: the ES-30.

As far as random street sightings to, the odds of an Alfa Romeo Roadster Zagato—the open top version of the ES-30—are stacked against you. Certainly it’s not something you expect to bump into as you’re ambling down the old streets of Sofia on a hot summer day. The Bulgarian capital has its share of interesting cars on display amidst the sea of Eastern European muck, but the nouveau riche of this corner of the world were yet to become riche when Alfa’s weird study in angular plastic panels was first shown at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show.

Yet there it stands, parked by a trash can on Shishman Street, the V6 ticking in the heat under a psychedelic mural of a poem by the Hungarian revolutionary Sándor Petőfi. It is one of only 284 ever manufactured, which makes it three times as rare as a Lamborghini Miura. And when was the last time you bumped into one of those while nibbling on a piece of banitsa?

The ES-30 was Alfa Romeo’s swan song to rear-wheel drive and independence. It was based on the 75 sedan, the last Alfa conceived before Fiat ownership. As deliciously classic a layout as sports sedans come: Giuseppe Busso’s wonderful 3-liter V6 up front with the transmission in the back in a transaxle layout. Power is sent via a limited-slip differential to rear wheels suspended by a de Dion tube. It was balanced, simple and lithe, with a body mass very much on the near side of 3,000 pounds.

The 75 was weird enough with its angles that defy all logic and an interior more in common with Epcot than with the automobile, but the ES-30 is a whole other ballpark. Perhaps it is the inevitable eccentricity of its French-Italian shared parentage. Robert Opron designed the car, the same man who created the Citroën SM, that gorgeous hybrid of Citroën style and Maserati power. Or was it Citroën unreliability and Maserati…unreliability? In any case, Opron penned the 75’s goodbye and Antonio Castellana finished up his sketches—to be skinned in thermoplastic injection moulded composite body panels. A strange choice for a car, but then plastics and Alfa Romeos have a way of meeting up every once in a while.

You can never quite shake the feeling that the ES-30 is a kit car. It is too angular, too plastic, too downright quirky to be an official product, yet that’s exactly what it it. Alfa Romeo produced 1036 coupés—called SZ for Sprint Zagato—and 284 Roadster Zagatos. You could have any engine you desired, as long as it was Alfa’s ~~mellifluent~~ screaming and bellowing 3-liter V6, the one with all six intake manifold pipes lined up in a regiment of chrome almost too pretty to look at.

Alfa Romeo never made another car quite like it. After production of the ES-30 wrapped up in 1993, there wasn’t a rear-wheel drive Alfa until the 8C Competizione. And that V6 engine is also gone now, replaced with a GM unit using Alfa cylinder heads.

So snag one while you can. It won’t be easy and it won’t be cheap—but at least it won’t rust on you like other Alfas.

Why? Just one word: plastics.

Photo Credit: Zsolt Csikós (Alfa Romeo 75), ChristopherJamesGreen/Flickr (Alfa Romeo V6 engine) and the author (Alfa Romeo RZ)

Alfa Romeo Officially Returns To US Market This Month With 8C Competizione

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:40:00 EDT

Alfa Romeo made it official a year ago when they announced plans to return to the US auto market after a 13-year cooling-off period. But now it's actually here, as the Italian automaker begins to rekindle its romance with the US auto market later this month, when they import 84 copies of its exclusive Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. The lusty — and already spoken-for — sports cars will be made available through the existing Maserati dealer network, with another run of 8C Competizione Spyders and 8C Competizione GTAs planned as well. As we've already told you — this impromptu return may act as the lead for additional models to hit US shores in the late-2009/early-2010 time frame (right about when the DOW will hit 200 and gas will be hovering around $9 a gallon). So that'll work well.

[MotorAuthority]

Alfa Romeo Could Californicate, Build 8C Replacement Off Ferrari California

Mark Arnold — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EDT

In a recent interview, Alfa Romeo's global marketing director, Sergio Cravero, expressed his desire to have an Alfa Romeo model based on the new 2009 Ferrari California. "It would be great if Ferrari let us do it... but they are very hard to convince." The potential model would be a replacement for Alfa's current dragon-bait halo cars, the 8C Competizione and 8C Spider. Of course, the 8C hasn't been a directly profitable model for Alfa, so we're thinking that they're hoping to actually make some money by mooching more from Ferrari for the next car. [autocar]

Alfa Romeo 8C Spider Is So Dreamy

Mark Arnold — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:30:00 EST

Ok, we can't get enough of the Alfa 8C Spider. It's just too beautiful. So why stop at the mere pictures from yesterday? Let's add us some official video of the unveil for you to sink your teeth into. No, the car doesn't move. No, you can't hear the sonorous V8. No, we don't understand what that guy is saying. But do we care? No. We just want to stare at it. Forever. We think we hear it in a dark expo center in Geneva as it cries out to us "I love you!" Or that may have just been us.

Alfa Romeo 8C Spider Production Model Revealed, Coming To Geneva

Mark Arnold — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:20:00 EST

If you're the type that prefers the looks of a drop-top to a coupe, then this should make your day. These are the first shots of a production model spider of the Alfa Romeo 8C that will be shown at Geneva next month and yes, it's the drop-top version of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Wert fell in love with this summer. Hell, even a coupe guy like myself has to admit that it is an achingly beautiful car. I don't even particularly like white as a color, but somehow when you look at an Alfa 8C, you just don't care what hue it's in. Alfa say they plan on making only 500 of the beauties, which means that we probably won't be buying one used on the cheap anytime soon. Which is a damn shame because the 8C's power will come from the same sonorous 450 HP 4.7-liter V8 under the hood of the coupe. And with the top down, we're sure it'll sound even better. Press release after the jump.

Alfa Romeo at Geneva's 78th International Car Show
Alfa Romeo once again unveils its new models onto the world market at the Geneva event. Indeed, following on from the Alfa 159 and Brera in 2005, the 159 Sportwagon and Spider in 2006, and its Personalisation Programme going by the name of "Alfa Unica" in 2007, it is now the turn of the alluring Alfa 8C Spider.
Undisputed centre stage on the stand, this new car inherits its coupe sibling's winning formula that shook the motoring world. Put together by Alfa's Centro Stile and production limited to 500 cars, this new open top immediately entices with that unmistakable "Italian elegance", a unique and inimitable style that hints at its typically sporty Alfa handling.

Under the bonnet is a powerful 8 cylinder 4.7 litre engine producing 450 HP, matched to a 6 speed robotic gearbox, the new Alfa 8C Spider is truly beautiful, powerful and rock solid, where its gracious lines and dimensions gel perfectly with typical Alfa Romeo engineering and drive-ability. Needless to say, alongside this attractive Spider is the Alfa 8C Competizione, the epitome of Alfa Romeo's innovation in the fields of engines and engineering, heightened competitiveness and continuous technological research.

Report: Alfa Coming to US in 2009, Bringing 8C, Brera, Spider

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:22:45 EDT

Oh good — Fiat's so flush, it's sending Alfa to the states earlier than expected. In fact, the UK's Just Auto says we'll start seeing launch activity by the end of 2008. The mag's also making with new details about the lineup. We already knew the 8C Competizione and its Spider sibling will be the halo cars — as if we could get our mitts on one (the first run of 500 each are reportedly accounted for). For us plebes, Alfa will bring the Alfa Romeo Brera and Spider. And in 2010, the new 159 sedan will take on Audi and BMW. Look for the first rumblings midyear '08 as Maserati gears up to ride Alfa in on its back. – Mike Spinelli

Alfa Romeo's US relaunch pegged for spring 2009 [Motor Authority]

Dark, Dark Horse: Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione 8C in Geneva

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 15:09:09 EDT

In Paris, Alfa Romeo hid its comely 8C Competizione from photographers' gaze in a lens-thwarting glass box. In Geneva, the company took a different tack to prevent overexposure: Black paint and wacky lighting. We're not sure if it's a conspiracy by Fiat's mid-luxe brand to keep the 8C as exclusive as possible. But we'd imagine Ansel Adams would have trouble pulling any detail from the 8C on display at the Swiss show. Next year we're bringing more a whole bunch more scrims, whatever they are. – Mike Spinelli

The Glorious Noise of Alfa Romeo

Davey G. Johnson — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 15:15:00 EST

There is a bit of the masochist in every gearhead who doesn't drive a Chevrolet F-Body, '32 Ford or '64-70 and/or Fox-body Mustang. And then there are the self-flagellators who love them some Alfa Romeo action. Go ahead. Take a listen. Now get in your car and drive immediately to the most convenient Cat O' Nine Tails R Us location. – Davey G. Johnson

Yes, Johnny! Alfa Romeos in Burbank [Internal]

24,000 Kisses: Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Video

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 08:27:44 EDT

Yes, we're in love. Music by Carscoop.

Related:
More on the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione [internal]

Finalmente! The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 18:47:30 EDT

A mess of photos and info on the new Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione coupe hit the blogosphere ahead of its unveiling at the Paris show later this month. Is it as spectacular as we've been hoping? Let's see: A 4.7-liter Maserati V8 with 444 hp, a carbon fiber body over steel chassis, negative lift from body shape alone, six-speed robotized gear-box with five settings (manual-normal, manual-sport, automatic-normal, automatic-sport and "ice" — burrrr) and a mechanical limited-slip diff. And holy cats, it's freaking hot. Click though for more.

More at Euro Car Blog

Related:
More on the Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione [internal]

Romeo, Romeo? Wherefore Art Thou, Romeo?

Ray Wert — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 16:40:33 EDT

That's the question we've been screamin' about. And the answer is coming to us from our friends over at Italiaspeed. They're reportin' that the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione concept is fast approaching production. What's the hint? Well...the Alfa Romeo marketing team's put toether an animated video of the concept, a tactic used by the Italian auto company for other soon-to-be-produced vehicles. We kinda wish other manufacturers did something similar. Come to think of it, that might be bad...does anyone really think an animated video of a Ford Freestar is a good idea? Not us.

Gallery courtesy of Ultimate Car Page

Count Down To Paris - The Alfa Romeo 8C Set To Enter Production [Italiaspeed]

(Hat Tip To Damon)

Alfa 8C Not to Be? That Is the Question; Here's the Answer

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 09:25:06 EST

The blogosphere was all abuzz yesterday about Alfa Romeo killing the 8C Competizione (again). Don't panic. Take a deep breath and think of Sienna Miller lounging poolside. Feel better? Turns out someone had gotten a hold of an old article that ran in Autocar indicating production of the prototype had been nixed. Trouble is, that article was from 2004, but had been run as new on fastdrive.org with no attribution or date (hat tip, Eurocar Blog). What was reported earlier this month is still true; the company will build a 500-car production run of the 8C, with a first showing in Paris later in 2006. Now will you all please come down from the ledge. Thanks.

Say It's So!: Alfa to Build the 8C Competizione

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 07:24:34 EST

According to an article in 4Car, Alfa Romeo has (finally) decided to build a production version of the 8C Competizione concept it showed off in 2003. It looks like the Alfa Comp may be the car that was to have been the new, downmarket Ferrari Dino, with a carbon-fiber body and likely the Ferrari/Maserati corporate 4.2-liter V8 under the hood. And the best part? The timeline. 4Car reports a production-ready 8C will debut at this September's Paris show, where the company will "take orders for a 500-car production run." A spider version could show up sometime in the future, if Alfa CEO Antonio Baravalle's "dream" comes true. Ours apparently has.

Alfa 8C Competizione will be built [Left Lane News]