It’s incredibly rare to find a car with no bad angles, but we think that might just be true for the utterly gorgeous Alfa Romeo 8C. What’s really surprising, though, is that the 8C’s design is two decades old this year; it was first launched in concept form way back in 2003 at Geneva. However, if you ask us, Wolfgang Egger’s design hasn’t aged a day.
This example from 2008 has exactly the sort of classical spec we’d choose, after all, this is a grand tourer in the most traditional sense. Powered by a 444hp Ferrari-derived V8 up front and equipped with a cabin simply overflowing with leather, the 8C isn’t lacking in appeal, but it’s not the sort of car you drive at full throttle either. Instead, we recommend you gently squeeze the gas pedal and savour that lovely 8 cylinder symphony. Let’s not forget just how rare it is too; only 500 8C Competizione coupés ever left the factory in Modena, making these grand tourers a much more unusual find than any Ferrari of the era.
This 8C would make a perfect addition to any collection, being finished in the sought-after optional shade of Rosso Competizione. The red theme continues to the woven leather seats inside — perhaps not our first choice of interior colour — but it’s one that we think works perfectly in this application. Another thing you’ll notice is the lack of any form of infotainment screen to date the cabin, which we think will give the 8C the staying power to remain a must-have collectors item long into the future. Sure, the automated manual gearbox might not be as slick as modern DCTs, but as we mentioned earlier, this is a car best enjoyed at a more relaxed pace. So, if you want a car whose exhaust note is only matched by its sheer beauty, look no further.
