ALFA ROMEO 8C SPIDER Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Alfa Romeo 8C Spider
Prices: £174,000 - on the road
Insurance Group: 20
Emissions: 379g/km
Performance: 0-60mph 4.5s / Max Speed 182mph
Fuel Consumption: (combined) 17.3mpg
Safety: Twin front & side airbags / ABS
Dimensions: length/width/height 4381/1894/1341mm

AN ELEGANT LIMITED ISSUE

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The Alfa Romeo 8C Spider had a limited release of only 500, so the odds of actually seeing one in person are slim to none. If you are not one of the lucky 500 who has one parked in your driveway, the odds of seeing one are slim to none. Odds are not many of the Alfa Romeo 8C Spiders have ever been driven, with many of them going straight into storage upon delivery. The Alfa Romeo Spider is a dream car that few will ever get to gaze at in person.

The 8C Spider frame is basically the same frame that was used on the 8C Competizone which was based on the frame of the Maserati. The engine is an impressive 4.7 liter V8 with 450bhp and can thrust the Spider to 60 in an amazingly fast 4.5 seconds topping out at an astounding 182mph. The sounds of the engine is as impressive as the power it represents, the Spider has everything any car enthusiast could ask for, beauty and speed all wrapped up in an impressive package.

In comparison to the 8C coupe, the soft top Spider weighs in at only 90kg more which is impressive considering the strengthening that was put into the frame and the improvements made to the engine bay to better accommodate the engine and remove some of the instability that many convertibles tend to experience when the top is down. The suspension has been improved with sturdier springs to improve the ride quality and the steel disc brakes that were used in the 8C have been replaced with a lighter carbon ceramic disc.

The Spider's roof is housed behind the seats, the removal of a few clips releases it and it is then free to be manually attached to the windscreen with a few more clips to hold it in place. The size of the trunk is miniscule, but that doesn't really hurt the Spider. After all, odds are this wouldn't be your everyday work car, so there is no need to have storage space for your briefcase of bag. This car was designed purely for fun and not so much for functionality. The interior of the Spider is almost as impressive as the outside. Finished in black leather and showcasing carbon fiber and aluminum details there is nothing that doesn't look right on this car.

The Spider boasts a perfect 50-50 weight distribution accomplished by placing the engine behind the front wheel and the placement of the gearbox over the rear wheels accomplishes a perfect distribution of weight that few cars have achieved.

The mileage and upkeep costs are of no importance to many of the lucky 500. The chances of any of these cars touching pavement is relatively small. Many of the people lucky enough to have a pink slip to one of these automotive works of art, will immediate place the car in storage and just show it off on rare occasions. But for those who are curious as to what the numbers would be the Spider averages 17.3 mpg and the emissions were measured at 379g.

Alfa Romeo had no problem in selling out the limited edition Spider, which puts to rest the critics who were not impressed by the price of the Spider. Alfa Romeo has designed a car that deserves to bear their name.