Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione

[karalrs]

urban legend - foax

το μωρό μου...

 

[n_olympios]

Σε κλίμακα 1:1 παρακαλώ...

Αν είναι στατικό μοντέλο δε σε πειράζει ε? Ετσι κι αλλιώς κουλός είσαι.

 

[ak1s]

Φυσικά θα μεταναστεύσεις σε άλλη χώρα για να μπορείς να απολαύσεις τις επιδόσεις της...εδώ μετά τις 2 πρώτες λακκουβάρες, ένα χαντάκι, 2 άχρηστους με παπάκια πιτσαρίας που στην έγδαραν περνώντας, και 3 σαμαράκια το ένα μετά το άλλο στην μέση της λεωφόρου, θα βλαστημήσεις την ώρα και την στιγμή που την πλήρωσες...Άσε που οτιδήποτε πάνω από 200 ίππους, που δεν συνοδεύεται από τετρακίνηση, είναι απλά επικίνδυνο με την χείριστη ποιότητα των ελληνικών ασφάλτων...

Τά'λεγα...δεν τά'λεγα;

Πάμε ένα review:
http://www.channel4.com/4car/rt/alfa+romeo/8c+competizione/2702/2


Overview 4 out of 5

It has been a long wait, 15 years to be precise, since Alfa Romeo's last limited edition supercar, the SZ, disappeared for good. In that time there have been some quick Alfas, some good-looking Alfas but not one that truly deserves the one title that was once the birthright of every product from the Torinese firm: that of the true driver's car. The 8C Competizione is here to change all that.

But before we're consumed by the release of one-and-a-half decades of pent-up frustration and become overwhelmed with enthusiasm for what appears to be one of the most exciting Alfas ever, let alone of the modern era, let's first see what we're dealing with.

The 8C is named after a famed 30s Alfa sports racer and simply means it has eight cylinders. You may see it as cynical brand exploitation or regard it as simply the revival of an evocative name from the past.

What the name does not reveal is just how little Alfa Romeo there actually is in the 8C. Its shape is the work of Fiat's in-house Centro Stile design studio, while the platform it sits on is an abbreviated version of that used by the Maserati Quattroporte. It's built by Maserati, uses a Maserati engine (which is actually assembled by Ferrari), a Maserati paddle-shift gearbox and even Maserati suspension.

Does any of this matter? To the 500 who have already slapped down £30,000 deposits, ensuring this limited-edition supercar sold out long before anyone even drove one, almost certainly not. When the time comes - and deliveries start in early 2008 and last for two years - each will willingly pay around £111,000 for their 8C in exchange for being able to drive one of the most distinctive, evocative and just plain beautiful cars on the road.

It's quick too, not least because its trim 1,585kg shape is cannoned down the road by a 4.7-litre V8 turning 450bhp at 7,000rpm. The engine is a derivation of the 4.2-litre motor used by all current Maseratis and while its use in the Alfa is unique for now, it will soon be popping up under Maserati bonnets too.

Where it differs from the Maserati and, indeed, any production car from the Fiat Group, including Ferrari, is that its svelte, preposterously gorgeous body is made entirely from carbon fibre. Not only does this save an estimated 80kg, it also substantially lowers the car's centre of gravity. The central core of the car is steel and related to that used by Maserati for both the Quattroporte and GranTurismo, but it has been cut and shut to shorten its wheelbase and, in this regard at least, it is unique.

The 8C is a strict two-seater and the combination of siting the gearbox between the rear wheels and an 88-litre fuel tank means boot space is near enough non-existent. There is, however, a substantial ledge behind the seats for which Alfa Romeo will happily sell you some tailored luggage.

The cockpit itself is largely successful. The thin bucket seat holds your body well, all the controls look and operate like quality items and the view down the bonnet to the gently jutting wings is highly evocative. Only the ugly instruments and horrible central electronic readout spoil the sense of occasion.


Reliability and Quality 4 out of 5

It is impossible to guess how well a largely hand-built, limited-edition model like the 8C will withstand the rigours of long term life in the everyday world. Historically standard production Alfa-Romeos have tended to languish towards the bottom of customer satisfaction surveys and it is tempting to tar the 8C with the same brush.

However, the two cars that were available at the launch felt mightily well screwed together, with a complete absence of the creaks and rattles you might think were almost inevitable in such a car. Alfa appears to have realised that while people may accept cars designed down to a standard when paying less than £20,000, when you're asking over five times that amount, this has to be reflected in construction standards.

And the quality of the materials used is simply outstanding. The paintwork is exceptional, while the interior is a sea of leather, milled aluminium and real carbon fibre.


On the road 3.5 out of 5

Driving

The simple truth is we don't know, because Alfa Romeo refused to let us drive the car on the road, restricting its activities instead to its Balocco test track. We're always suspicious of car manufacturers that prevent journalists from trying cars in their natural environment, but given that the 8C's ride quality was extremely firm, and bordering on the harsh even on Alfa's ultra-smooth track, we think we know why. Quite how it will cope with a typical British back road remains to be seen.

However you can't accuse Alfa of is pulling its punches with this car: it looks like a hard-edged performance machine and that is exactly how it behaves. This is no cruise-to-the-Med Grand Tourer, but a true supercar that demands a lot of its driver if it is to be driven properly.

Perhaps predictably, the Ferrari/Maserati engine provides the 8C's finest hour. For a start it sounds fabulous: outside it's loud, symphonic and glorious, but from within its voice is a magnificently malevolent snarl as you accelerate and a wonderfully evocative assortment of pops and bangs from the exhaust as you lift off the gas. None of this just happens: it's all been manufactured in sound chambers, but when you hear it, you'd not have it any other way.

Performance

And if you push the Sport button, not only does the engine become louder and the gearshift time halve to 0.2sec, the throttle also becomes more responsive to the touch of your foot. Get it right and it will hit 62mph in 4.2sec and keep going all the way to a claimed 181mph though, if it matters, Alfa says its real top speed is at least 186mph.

The gearchange is a reasonable example of its type. The upshifts are quite smooth if you lift off the gas and it blips the throttle for you on down changes. But while that 0.2sec change time might sound quick, it's light years away from what Alfa's colleagues at Ferrari are achieving with similar hardware: a 599GTB is twice as quick to shift as the 8C, the Scuderia over three times faster... An automatic programme is fitted but, like auto modes on all manual gearboxes with electronic actuation, it's still a less than satisfactory arrangement.

But great Alfa Romeos have never kept their strengths for the straight line. Anyone who has driven anything from an Alfa 75 to an old Giulia Super or GT Junior will know their real magic lies in the way they come alive in the corners. Does the 8C do this? Bluntly, no.

It gets all the basics right: the steering is quick, the tyres grip tenaciously and, so long as you keep the stability systems engaged, it'll never throw you at the scenery. What it lacks is subtlety, those nuances of feel that distinguish a car that's great to drive from one that's merely good. Crucially, the steering offers very little feedback and, if you push the chassis to the limit, you find that while it is quite easy to guide the 8C into a corner, as you start to accelerate away, the nose is too willing to slide wide of your intended line. Aim to bring it back on course with a bootful of throttle and it will kick the tail out with some savagery. You can, of course, always leave the electronics connected and it will look after you, come what may, but this is a meant to be a highly focused driver's car and many owners will want to feel how it behaves when driven in a manner commensurate to that billing.


Safety and Security 3 out of 5

How many airbags would expect in an Alfa-Romeo costing over £100,000? If you answer is more than two, you're in for a disappointment. There is no crash test data available but there's no reason to suspect the 8C with its carbon and steel underpinnings would crash with less than total integrity.

Hopefully however, that scenario will be avoided by the ESP systems that even incorporate a special wet setting for adverse weather conditions.



Comfort and Equipment 3 out of 5

As we've already said, we don't hold out much hope for the ride quality of the 8C, but in all other regards, it's likely to prove an able ground-coverer.

The thin bucket seats are among the best we've come across and the driving position is near enough faultless for drivers of all sizes. There's also head and leg room aplenty.

Best of all, the 8C is also surprisingly civilised when it wants to be: switching off the Sport button reduces exhaust noise to a distant hum while wind and road noise is admirably muted.

Ωχ! Μια Alfa με τιμόνι που δεν 'επικοινωνεί'; Μια Alfa που θέλει τα ηλεκτρονικά για να έχει σωστή συμπεριφορά στις στροφές; Μια Alfa που θέλει έναν ιδανικό δρόμο για να μην σου κάνει δισκοπάθεια;
Πού φτάσαμε κύριοι; Πού πάμε; Πώς τα κάναμε έτσι; wall_1
Φανταστείτε να μην ήταν τόσο όμορφη δηλαδή... :crazy_1:

Έχετε διαβάσει κανα άλλο σοβαρό review για να δούμε; Για να πάρουμε κι άλλες γνώμες.

 

[Dark Side Of The MooN]

Απάντηση: Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione

Σχεδιαστικη διαφορα παντως ειχε μονο στο μουτρακι γιατι απο το παρμπριζ και πισω πολυ Μ4 θυμιζει ρε παιδι μου...