This car is possibly the most Italian thing on the planet; even more Italian than smiling indulgently as your suspiciously black-haired elderly Prime Minister appoints former topless models to the cabinet or attempts to bed an eighteen-year old. So it makes no sense to translate the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider\u2019s name into dull, humble Anglo-Saxon. Even Alfa\u2019s staff with their near-flawless English don\u2019t bother to Anglicize it, and simply refer to it as the otto-chee as one tosses me the keys.<\/p>\n
So otto-chee it is, then. But is the noisy, gorgeous otto-chee Spider actually any good, or are we in danger of being seduced by a La Scala<\/a>-standard tenor in a perfect Brioni<\/a> suit?<\/p>\n If price alone conferred supercar status there\u2019d be no debate. The 8C Competizione coupe, of which 500 were made, cost \u00a3112,000 in the UK. The Spider, of which another 500 were made from 2009 with 35 coming to the UK, cost an eye-watering \u00a3174,000. Objectively, that price was hard to justify. The Ferrari California,<\/a> with its more aristocratic badge and folding hard-top costs a good BMW 3-series less. But the looks, the noise, the name and the rarity are plainly enough; value for money isn\u2019t a consideration, and they both sold out fast. You can still buy them from dealers, of course, but demand means you\u2019ll pay closer to Spider money for a low-mileage coupe now.<\/p>\n So what do you get for your fifth of a million euros? The engine is the same as the coupe\u2019s: a Ferrari-cast, Maserati-derived 4.7-litre V8 making 450bhp and maybe the most extraordinarily exuberant noise of any car on sale. The pulchritudinous looks are as good as the coupe\u2019s too. The best-looking, best-sounding car of recent years? Quite possibly, and for many the debate ends there.<\/p>\n\n\t\t