Alfa Romeo stings Porsche with 8C Spider

Unveiled at the recent Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Monterrey, California, the 8c Spider is derived from the 8c Competizione coupe that starred at the 2003 Frankfurt motor show.

The Italian marque is boldly touting the 8c as a legitimate rival for the 911 Carrera -- and this may seem an absurd notion until you take into account the car's innards.

The curvaceous two-door is built on the Maserati Coupe's rear-drive platform, and uses a supercharged version of the donor car's 4.2-litre V8 -- reportedly belting out 330kW -- mated to a six-speed gearbox.

It was penned in-house by Alfa Romeo Centro Stile, and uses a high-tech aluminium and carbonfibre construction to optimise weight and rigidity. The Spider is tipped to weigh around 1600kg, so its power-to-to-weight ratio should eclipse those of the 911 Carrera S and Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

Alfa claims it can bolt to 100km/h in under five seconds, but equal emphasis has reportedly been placed on tractability and low- and mid-range response to bolster its credentials as an 'everyday' supercar.

There's double-wishbone suspension all-around and the concept car rides on stunning 20-inch 'clover-leaf' alloys, which may or may not be retained for the production version.

Alfa Romeo says it will build 1000 examples of the 8c (split between coupe and Spider variants), but the bad news is that they will all be left hookers. Be that as it may, an insider says half a dozen Aussies have expressed interest in acquiring one -- at an estimated cost of $200K.