2008 Alfa Romeo Spider Photos, engines & full specs

Alfa Romeo enchanted its fans in 2006 when it introduced the production version of the 8C Competizione and then again in 2008 at the Geneva Motor Show when it unveiled the open-top version of it, the 8C Spider.

The Italian automaker had a long and glorious motorsport history, including the 1931 8C, which won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans four times back-to-back between 1931 and 1934. Those were not the only reasons why the Italian automaker revived the glorious but forgotten nameplate. It considered that it was the right moment to boost the image of the brand’s name in a market that started to focus more on mundane vehicles. Which Alfa Romeo never was. The Italian car manufacturer relied on a platform developed by Maserati and an engine supplied by Ferrari. Unfortunately, the world financial crisis hit the 500 units targeted sales, and as a result, the 8C Spider was produced in merely 329 units.

At the front, any hard-core Alfa Romeo enthusiast could see the resemblance between the 8C Spider and the 33 Stradale designed by Franco Scaglione in the ‘60s. Its three-headlamp layout of each headlight, covered by a clear lens that sported a triangular shape, was the same as in the 8C Competizione. Between them, the automaker fit the classic tri-lobo grille where the vertical triangle was flanked by broad scoops that hosted the fog lamps. On the lower side of the apron, the automaker added a lip spoiler.

The 8C Spider’s profile revealed the flowing, organic shapes of the bodywork. On the front fenders, the automaker placed an extracting vent behind the wheel arches. Above it, the design team created a sloped-down line that crossed the doors toward the rear quarter panels. The car’s waistline had risen above the rear fenders, resembling the coke-bottle styling of the muscle car era of the ‘60s. With its top down, the car revealed the safety arches neatly concealed behind the headrests. Behind the cabin, the car’s short deck sported a small duck tail. Finally, at the back, a pair of round taillights adorned the rear fascia, while below the bumper, on the sides, two pairs of exhausts peaked through the diffuser.

Inside the cabin, Alfa Romeo installed a set of carbon-fiber seats made by Sparco and covered in leather supplied by the Italian furniture manufacturer Poltrona Frau. The driver fronted a two-hump instrument cluster filled with two large dials for the speedometer and tachometer that flanked a monochrome (red and white) LCD that showed additional data from the car’s onboard computer. On the center stack, the automaker installed aluminum trims, the controls for the HVAC, and the sound system. A set of buttons that controlled the transaxle automatic gearbox were housed on the center console.

However, the most significant part of the vehicle was found under the hood, where Alfa Romeo installed the Ferrari-supplied F136 engine. The 90-degree V8 naturally aspirated powerplant delivered 80% of its maximum torque at around 2,000 rpm. That helped the open-top roadster rocket from zero to 100 kph (0-62 mph) in less than five seconds on its way to a top speed of 290 kph (180 mph).