Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione

Base Price                                 :$265,000 
Vehicle layout                           :Front engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door coupe 
Engine                                        :4.7L/450-hp/354-lb-ft DOHC 32-valve V-8 
Transmission                             :6-speed auto-clutch manual 
Curb weight                                :(dist f/r) 3500 lb (mfr) 
Wheelbase                                  :104.2 in 
Length x width x height           :172.4 x 74.5 x 52.8 in 
0-62 mph                                   :4.2 sec (mfr est) 
EPA city/hwy econ                   :Not yet rated 
On sale in                                    :U.S. Currently

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.

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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.

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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.