The first unforgettable encounter with Alfa Romeo in the American consciousness came not on a winding road but a winding reel: the iconic pairing of Dustin Hoffman and his Duetto Spider in 1967's The Graduate, in the race to save Elaine from a loveless and emphatically roadster-free marriage.
The national outpouring of desire the romantic ragtop sparked was long familiar to Alfisti, as the Italian marque's fanatical followers are known. But when the company waved arrivederci to America in 1995, there was little left but nostalgia: the racing victories, including four straight at Le Mans in the early thirties; the legendary drivers, such as Juan Manuel Fangio and Enzo Ferrari; and the heart-fluttering designs.
Ever since, the Alfisti have awaited a resurrection. The wait is over. The 8C Competizione, which won the Car Design of 2006 award for best production car and will go on sale in late 2007, is a long-limbed GranTurismo that recalls the company's victorious past. Under its carbon-fiber skin, the rear-wheel-drive 8C features modern mechanics, sharing the now-defunct Maserati GranSport's chassis and six-speed automated manual transmission. Most important, the 4.7-liter, 450-horsepower V-8, built at Ferrari's engine plant in Maranello, should spur the 8C from zero to 60 in less than four seconds and up to about 185 mph.
