Alfa Romeo blew the proverbial roof from the Frankfurt Motor Show exhibition hall when the 8C concept was first teased in 2003. That glimpse of the future was framed as the 8C Competizione, an eight-cylinder coupé with styling reminiscent of the Italian marque’s most celebrated competition cars of old. The new sports car came after a prolonged spell of relatively practical and workaday designs by Alfa Romeo’s own standards—provoking an even greater reaction from marque devotees.

Customer deliveries of the road-going coupé began in 2007, and the open-top 8C Spider followed one year later. Both versions were underpinned by a front-engine platform built around a 4.7-litre V-8 working with a six-speed, “flappy paddle” gearshift. This impressive configuration gave a factory-rated top speed of 290 km/h, reaching 100 km/h from a standstill in just 4.4 seconds. Both the 8C Competizione and 8C Spider were limited to just 500 examples each and final assembly took place in the factory of Alfa Romeo’s sister brand, Maserati. At the time of launch, then-Alfa Romeo CEO Luca de Meo lauded the convertible as “probably the world’s most beautiful Spider in production today”.

The 8C Spider offered for sale here was completed by the Modena production line in June 2010, finished in the unique configuration of Blu Celeste over a contrasting red soft-top hood with a black-and-red interior. This Alfa Romeo has been used sparingly throughout its life, showing only 828 kilometres on the odometer at the time of cataloguing. The car is offered for sale with a battery charger, commemorative book, dealer-supplied 8C Spider manuals, framed picture, pair of garment bags, production sheet from Museo Storico Alfa Romeo, and selected accessories for the soft-top roof. This attractive 8C Spider is sure to attract the attention of countless Alfa Romeo enthusiasts, from those seeking a nearly new sports car to preserve as it is, or to enjoy regularly in the true spirit of Alfa Romeo’s greatest cars.