Alfa 8C Spider named ‘Most Beautiful Car of the Year’

Alfa Romeo’s strange-looking Alfa 8C Spider supercar has been officially named as the Most Beautiful Car of the Year by Top Gear magazine.

Judged by a Top Gear panel consisting of TV, magazine and online teams – spanning 24 international editions – the awards recognise the most innovative and exciting cars to be launched over the past 12 months.

Described as ‘perfection’ by Top Gear, the 8C Spider’s appeal is about more than good lucks, argues the car’s maker. Thank god, because, personally, I’m struggling to see the beauty in it. But thankfully, its performance is something else; a responsive 4.7litre V8 engine produces an awesome 450BHP which is channelled through a sophisticated 6-speed F1-style paddle shift gearbox to the rear wheels, producing enough power to launch its occupants from 0-62mph in just 4.5 seconds, and on to a top speed of 181mph.

UK Brand Communications Manager, Damien Dally, said: “There’s no doubt that the 8C Spider is a sensational supercar but to have the recognition of the Top Gear panel is a perfect way to end the year.”

Limited to a production run of just 500 examples, 35 Alfa 8C Spiders are destined for the UK, with most of them sold before you could say “bellissima”.  Valued at around £174,000 the chance of owning an example remains ultra exclusive, however the latest models in Alfa Romeo’s line up have taken inspiration from the Alfa 8C Competizione and Spider – such as the sporty compact Alfa MiTo and 2010’s Alfa Giulietta.

Personally though I would give the award to the Lotus Evora, although it did win the ‘Sports Car of the Year’ 2009 award from Top Gear, so I guess it is not all bad.

Conor McNicholas, Editor of BBC Top Gear magazine commented “It’s pretty, quintessentially British, fast and handles like a dream. Evora takes Lotus to a new place in terms of quality but more importantly delivers a sports car rush that puts other marques to shame.”

Author: Faye Sunderland, December 11th, 2009
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