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" The name sounds good; it was used for those wonderful Vittorio Jano-designed racing and sports cars from the 1930s that won the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio and many other famous races. It also brings up memories of twin-overhead camshafts, superchargers and straight-8 engines of the pre-World War II era.   The new 8C Competizione 2-passenger coupe was first exhibited as a concept car at the Frankfurt motor show in 2003, and Alfa Romeo developed and nursed it for more than four tantalizing years before initiating production. Why so long? Probably for commercial and marketing reasons, as the 8C Competizione&amp;#039;s beautiful and exciting coupe body, born in Alfa&amp;#039;s own styling studio, hides what is for all intents and purposes a further developed Maserati Coupe.   It is, however, notably more compact, measuring 5.7 in. less in overall length compared to the Maserati. It is based on the same platform and same powertrain as the Maserati, including an evolution of its engine, but with an increased displacement and more power and torque. Only its model name &amp;quot;Competizione&amp;quot; is misleading, as the 8C has not been designed or developed for racing. It is a road car, fast and furious, but purely a road car.   A rigid structure is essential for a fast sports car because sensitive, agile and safe handling largely depends on the interaction of the front and rear running gear. This is why the 8C uses the Maserati&amp;#039;s strongly built steel platform with a steel upper structure designed to achieve a very high torsional rigidity. It also forms the structural base for its carbon-fiber body, this combination having been chosen for its light weight, ensuring a low center of gravity and an excellent compatibility with the car&amp;#039;s limited production.   Its lines are smooth and elegant, the result of cooperation between stylists and aerodynamicists. The flat underpan, whose rear part smoothly rises to form a diffuser, is said to create little drag while generating some downforce. This helps the car&amp;#039;s stability at high speeds and through fast bends, though no precise downforce figures are given.   The wheelbase is identical with the Maserati&amp;#039;s, but the 62.6-in. front and rear tracks are slightly different, presumably because of the different offset of the larger and wider light alloy wheels (20 x 9J front and 20 x 10\u00BDJ rear), carrying specially developed 245/35 and 285/35 tires, respectively.   As befits a true sports car, the front and rear suspensions are aluminum double wishbones with an anti-roll bar, the rear suspension completed by a track-control link providing some bump toe-in to avoid oversteer in the transient phase of cornering. Aluminum wheel carriers also contribute to reducing unsprung weight in the interest of both handling and ride comfort. ABS and ESP are naturally standard equipment, but the shock absorbers are devoid of any electronic control. Braking is by generous vented front and rear steel discs of 14.2-in. and 13.0-in. diameters, respectively, and steering is by a hydraulically assisted rack-and-pinion system. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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