Monday, February 23, 2009
The Alfa Romeo Competizione is a sports car produced by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo. It was first presented as a concept car at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show and later released for sale for the 2007 model year.
The car uses a modified Maserati platform and powertrain (Maserati 4200, GranTurismo) and features a Ferrari/Maserati derived 90 degree cross-plane dry-sump lubricated 4.7-litre V8 assembled by Ferrari.
The top engine performance figures may be summarized as a maximum power of 331 kilowatts (450 PS) at 7000 revolutions per minute, a peak torque of 480 newton metres (354 lbf·ft) at 4750 rpm (80% at 2500 rpm) with an engine redline of 7500 rpm and rev limiter of 7600 rpm.[7] The V8 engine has variable timing in intake valves and compression ratio of 11.3
The six–speed transaxle gearbox has computerized gear selection by means of levers behind the steering wheel and may be used in Manual-Normal; Manual-Sport; Automatic-Normal; Automatic-Sport and Ice modes. The gearbox can shift in 175 milliseconds when using Sport mode. The 8C also has a limited slip differential.
It is fitted with specially developed 20 inch tyres: 245/35 at the front and 285/35 at the rear, fitted on perforated rims in fluid moulded aluminium. The 8C brakes have been called "phenomenal" by Road & Track magazine, with a stopping distance of 32 metres (105.0 ft), when travelling at an initial speed of 97 kilometres per hour (60 mph).
The official top speed is announced to be 292 kilometres per hour (181 mph) but it might be higher, with estimations that it could be around 306 kilometres per hour (190 mph) according to the Road & Track magazine. An Alfa Romeo engineer also stated that it is faster than announced top speed.