Blog of Tushar Phadke

2009 Alfa Romeo 8C

This gorgeous two-seat coupe turns out to be the latest chapter in the on-again/off-again thriller that centers on the chances that Alfa Romeo will one day soon be reunited with U.S. buyers. The 450-hp 8C Competizione is, we’ve been assured repeatedly, a certainty to reach our shores. We might even say we’re confident that by the end of 2007 Americans will be able to drive away from the local Maserati dealership in an Alfa.

A concept car at the Frankfurt show in 2003, the 8C was intended to be an expensive, limited-edition sports car that would promote the resurgence of the Alfa Romeo brand. Struggles within the company nearly killed the 8C, as some deemed its Maserati engine and high price out of step with the rest of the more reasonable Alfa lineup of sporty family sedans and coupes. But now Alfa has promised to build the 8C, in part to establish itself in the U.S. prior to the arrival of the less expensive, more mainstream Brera and Spider that, we last heard, will be sold in U.S. showrooms sometime in 2010.