Sound bites...then body and soul devour
Long before you see the new Alfa Romeo 8C, you'll hear it. The Ferrari-based, 450-horse, 4.7-liter V-8 (a bored-and-stroked version of the 4.2 that serves in the Quattroporte)
revs with a deep, resonant bellow-a guttural offshore powerboat to the
Ferrari F430's high-pitched hydroplane. As it amplifies, the sound will
chomp into your ears and spin your head around. And then you'll
see...those curves.
If
you were going to bail out of the U.S. auto market, taillights between
your legs, and then brazenly reappear a dozen years later, you'd want
the 8C Competizione as your comeback special. Say what you will about
Alfa Romeo's past misfortunes (and what Alfa owner doesn't have a horror
story to tell?), but for a chance to own and drive a sports GT this
luscious, this quick (claimed 0 to 62 is just 4.2 seconds), what
enthusiast wouldn't give the Quadrifoglio brand a second chance?
As
Ferrari has done over the past two decades, of late Alfa Romeo is
reinventing itself, upping its game. The 8C looks and feels like a
premium piece (and, at $265,000, it is). The carbon-fiber bodywork rolls
and creases like a Henry Moore, with cut lines minimal and tight. The
cabin envelopes you in more carbon fiber, milled aluminum, and modish
leather as only the Italians can do it. As couture alone, Alfa will sell
all of the 500 or so 8Cs it intends to build over the next year (about
one-fifth of which are heading stateside). Later, 500 convertible
versions will follow.
But
the 8C is ready to wear and tear. The rear-drive chassis is a shortened
version of the Maserati GranSport's. Large brakes (14.2 inches in
front) lie under 20-inch alloys. The six gears in the rear-mounted
transaxle (which helps balance the weight almost evenly front/rear) are
manipulated via steering-wheel paddles; upshifts are sizzling quick,
downshifts get an automatic engine blip. Hold your right foot down,
flick the right paddle five times in a row, and you'll be navigating the
earth at more than 180 mph.
And, yes, everyone will hear you coming.
0 komentar:
Speak up your mind
Tell us what you're thinking... !