AP Photo.Indeed, they're all being billed as therapeutic.Īnd none of them are promised for sale to the public anytime soon.īehind the offerings is the growing view among Japanese automakers that more must be done to fight the image of cars as culprits of pollution, global warming and traffic accidents.Īnd it's got scissor-doors! Unbelievably large ones at that. Sporting whimsical names - Rin, Puyo and Pivo 2 - the toylike "concept," or show, cars appear to be inspired more by the iPod, futuristic space capsules and Japanese manga animation than what we are used to associating with vehicles. The swiftness of the gearchanges doesn't defy logic as with the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, but it's still quicker than you'd manage on your own. The engine develops its 450 hp all the way up at 7,000 rpm, and the 8C will fling you past 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.2 seconds on its way to the far side of 180 mph. Hit the Sport button, which sharpens the throttle response, cuts the shift times in half and opens a valve in the exhaust, and the 8C sounds at once gloriously rich, angry and assertive.There are 354 pound-feet of torque at 4,750 rpm, so if you hit the throttle pedal hard enough, this Alfa sits back on its heels, takes a deep breath and then cannons you up the road, with its fat, rear 285/35R20 Pirellis yelping all the way. This 450-horsepower V8 has a similar capacity to a small-block Ford in the classic Mustang, but its voice is not a transatlantic rumble but instead the smooth, sweet melody of the true European aristocrat.
Only the concrete confines of Balocco stop us from doing so.Initial impressions are uniformly good. After waiting so long for an Alfa whose direction of travel can be determined as much by your foot as your fingers, the temptation to streak off into the sunset is overwhelming.
Hard driving is what this car invites more than most, even in the rarefied air of the six-figure supercar.
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