Petrolicious’s Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione on TheSmokingTire
MR. Farah drives a rare new Alfa through the Malibu canyons in search of the perfect grand tourer.
In the latest video from TheSmokingTire, Matt Farah takes a 2007 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione for a spin on a foggy day in the endless winding roads of Malibu. This isn't his first escapade in an Alfa, and is the final episode of the three-part video series on Petrolicious founder Afshin Behnia's Alfa Romeo collection. His previous "One Takes" featured Afshin's original 1967 Duetto and modified 1974 GTV, while his newest video moves away from the vintage realm to focus on a modern exotic Alfa. All three videos were shot on the same day, so Matt has definitely quenched his Alfa Romeo thirst by now.
Afshin Behnia's modern Alfa Romeo touring car is quite special, as it's the first Alfa produced for the American market after the company ceased US sales in 2003; the 8C hit US showrooms in 2008. Although Afshin says that these cars are meant to be driven, we understand if this one is his garage queen; only 500 8C Competiziones were built, and only 90 of those made it to the United States.
The car is powered by a 450 horsepower V8 engine and sports a single-clutch paddle shift gearbox and loads of carbon fiber. While Matt and Afshin admit that the gearbox isn't as fun as a manual or as fast as today's lightning quick dual clutch transmissions, the shifts are fairly smooth and the sounds the exhaust creates more than makes up for it.
While the 8C Competizione drives very well, Matt thinks that some fine tuning to the suspension and a better gearbox would make this car infinitely more fun. It seems that this would upset the Alfa purists though, so 8C owners looking to modify their cars should tread carefully.