Driving Sports

The first ultra-sexy Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione coupe has been delivered in the United States. At a sticker price of $265,000, it's comparable to the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and other super-duper exotics.

The Alfa 8C Competizione is equipped with a mighty Maserati 4.7-liter V8 engine that develops 450 horsepower and 347 pound-feet of torque, teamed with a 6 speed two-pedal manual gearbox. The rest of the car is similarly groovy.

Alfa says they have 84 more 8C Competizione coupes sold to Americans, and they expect to get them all delivered by the end of the year. Which is good, because how many of those guys will still be rich when the economy finishes its swan dive into the empty pool?

The 8C is a very sexy beast, no doubt about it, but the big win for Americans who dig Italian cars would be to bring in the new Mi.To - Alfa's new Mini Cooper-sized two door hatch. The car makes 155 horsepower from a small four-banger and retails in Italy for under 16,000 Euros. The name stand for Milan-Torino, and Alfa could sell them by the shipload to all the Italian car enthusiasts still nursing their old Alfas and Fiats down the road.