Alfa Romeo are planning a hard-core version of the 8C - the Alfa Romeo 8C GTAThe Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione is a beautiful car. But then Alfa Romeo usually make nothing less than a beautiful car. Their cars may have problems in other directions (although nothing like they have had in the past), but they are often achingly beautiful. And the Alfa 8C is. Achingly beautiful, that is. As is its convertible sibling, the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider, which was at Goodwood recently.
But it’s been on the cards for a while that Alfa Romeo will produce and all carbon version of the 8C. And the likely début for that car – The Alfa Romeo 8C GTA – is likely to be 2010, the 100th anniversary of Alfa Romeo.
The carbon fibre Alfa 8C GTA should shed at least 250lbs over the normal 8C. That will give the GTA a distinct edge in performance. But it’s also likely that some severe ECU tweaking will go on to yield more horses and more torque. You can also expect to see some serious suspension fettling to add to the mix.
Which is all probably a good thing, as the Alfa 8C’s Achilles Heel seems to be its ride and handling. It’s one car we haven’t driven, so we can’t comment first-hand, but it seems to be the general consensus. Still, it looks so good you could forgive it almost anything.
So a sharper, better handling and more powerful Alfa 8C GTA should be a treat. And the rendering-happy boys over at Auto Express have had a play with Photoshop and come up with a rendering of how they think the Alfa 8C GTA will look. Hopefully, they’re wrong! It looks like it’s driven in to a tub of whitewash, with its odd white nose. It looks tacky. Still, it’s just speculation.
The Alfa Romeo 8C GTA should make an appearance at the Geneva Motor Show next year, and you can expect just 100 GTAs to be built at a price of at least £200,000.
I’m sure it will look better than this when it arrives.
