Thursday 17 May 2012

Senza-Cromo (Alfa Romeo 8C)

When the 8C was announced in 2003 the world thought Alfa was stepping into the supercar market. A 400+ bhp, two door, carbon fiber-bodied Italian car sure sounds like a supercar.

The 8C moniker is from the 1930's Ferrari badged Grand Prix racer which was dubbed the first true "single seat" race car. Driven by Tazio Nuvolari and managed by, the then young, Enzo Ferrari. The car, it's name and drivers are all heavyweights in the history of the automobile.

To honour such a legend, Alfa surely would have created a light, tight screamer?
Not really.
Alfa had a typically Alfa approach to designing this car. The final power output is 450bhp with a weight of 1450kg. Not the most powerful, not the lightest and, with a big V8 in the nose, not the best setup for track handling. The Germans would laugh, if they had a sense of humor, at such an effort.

What Alfa brought to the world was the ultimate expression of their passion for infusing soul and character into a car, which is fantastic, but leaves room for improvement.

Room which has been filled by the lads from Wheelsandmore, not the classiest name I'll admit. They squeezed some extra power out of the V8 by toying with the electricals and upgraded the suspension. All the shiny bits were blacked out and a neat stripe placed just off-center gives for some contrast.

The results are stunning.

Remember to click on the image for the wallpaper sized picture.





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