Alfa Romeo 8C Spider in the driving report

W hen an Alfa Romeo engineer for his new model without asking grants more weight, that doesn't bode well. Suddenly the Brera - the secret market leader among the almost two-tonne coupés with four cylinders and four exhaust pipes - and its overweight siblings Spider and 159 rumble into memory.

See the materials in the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider after what they are

At least 90 kilos more than the Competizione should be Alfa Romeo 8C Spider weighs in - despite its carbon fiber body. It also has four exhaust pipes. And then head of development Domenico Bagnasco frankly explains that it took a 100 kilogram aluminum block to turn it into a center console weighing just five kilograms. Efficiency is different. But it works. Everything that looks like aluminum is. Anything that looks like carbon is. Anything that looks like leather - exactly. And the few parts that are made of plastic also look like it. After all, Alfa is consistent.

The weight distribution of the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider remains at 50:50

Well, almost, because despite the button - The keyboard around the electronic parking brake is missing the thumb starter, which can now be found in many large-scale models. The eight-cylinder of the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider is awakened from sleep with a classic turn of the key. Nice. After a short, loud bark, the big, wild dog disappears under the hood back into his hut and waits with a dull growl for a large bowl full of Super Plus. Meanwhile, head tester Domenico Martino promises from the passenger seat that the extra weight resulting from the spider-specific stiffening measures has been so cleverly accommodated in the car that the weight distribution has remained at 50:50. When the Spider hops over an undulating floor covering in the direction of the circuit, Martino fables about a softer suspension than the Coupé. Thank you for pointing this out, otherwise this would have remained hidden.

450 PS growl under the hood of the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider

The question of why the leather the seat feels as soft as on the couch at home, but the spine immediately knocks on the carbon shell underneath when you sit down, remains open. FirstThe Alfa Romeo 8C Spider is a sports car, and secondly, the wild dog is finally allowed out of his hut. He storms off as if it was a matter of retrieving a large bone with a particularly large amount of meat on it. The previously slack hanging needle on the rev counter wipes past the 7,000 mark, now all 450 hp are on the spot. At 7,500 revolutions it is the rev limiter.

The Alfa Romeo 8C Spider should spurt to 100 km /h in 4.4 seconds

The right index finger pulls on the trigger of the automated six-speed gearbox and shoots the next pair of gears into the housing flanged to the rear axle. 100 km /h from a standstill should be reached within 4.4 seconds. Or in 4.5 seconds, the Alfa press kit is not so sure. Whatever. In any case, there is surprisingly no excessive nodding of the head, which this type of gear change usually entails. The passengers nod at most subtly in agreement to their pet that has been let off the leash. It is allowed to continue running immediately. On and on until the first bend. Thanks to the front mid-engine design, the 4.7-liter engine actually doesn't need an accelerator pedal. You could tickle the throttle valve with your big toe, the V8 has crawled so close to the bulkhead. From there, he has the two-seater, which still weighs around 1.7 tonnes, perfectly under control.

The rear of the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider does not move

Although the unit repeatedly demands its freedom, it never has an aggressively provocative effect like a Lamborghini, for example, whose sound is reminiscent of a sawmill at peak activity. The Alfa Romeo 8C Spider shoots through an underpass towards the next combination of curves. If you switch down at the right moment - i.e. directly under the bridge - the wild dog barks loudly at a thunderstorm, which answers immediately with a loud thunder. The V8 can do that without a bridge, don't worry. But if you have a concrete amplifier, you shouldn't ignore it. When turning, the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider on its 20-inch rims with Pirelli sports tires follows the driver's command immediately and without being asked, following the given line neutrally. Even challenging early acceleration does not disturb the rear end. When ESP is switched off, the transition from static to sliding friction is gentle and controllable. So obviously that's true with the weight distribution.

There was no more money for an electronically controlled chassis for the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider

And Martino reveals another secret: After the lavish handling with carbon and the drive train that came from the group, but was by no means cheap, there was no longer any room in the budget for an electronically controlled chassis and steering system. Thank God. The Alfa Romeo 8C Spider is the bestProof that a good sports car can do without legions of bits and bytes. Why a lack of money should be the reason for this remains a mystery in view of the barely discounted base price of over 211,000 euros. Because no savings were made on the brakes either. All around work ceramic discs of a format behind which a complete Tata Nano could easily hide. And they work fabulous - if you have brought the system up to temperature with a brave step. Then the two-seater can be brutally crushed.

Only 500 Alfa Romeo 8C Spiders will be built

As if by itself, the left index finger twitches to put the gearbox, which is working in sport mode, into the to force the next lower gear. The other two modes - automatic and normal - are available, nothing more. As is the convertible top, by the way. It should stay open most of the time. No, it has to stay open. Otherwise you can drive a coupé (to the driving report Alfa Romeo 8C). Oh no, they are already sold out. The Alfa Romeo 8C Spider will certainly soon, because only 500 will be built. So it is hardly likely that there will soon be another opportunity to let the wild dog off the leash. Apparently Domenico Martino sees it the same way. With a surprising “Go, go, go!” He calls for the next round. Not asked.