There are reviews that sound sweet, poetic, almost moving, that sometimes would be worth revisiting and reliving. We’re talking about the hugely popular television program Top Gear. A show that was both serious and irreverent at the same time, which made the fortune of three automotive journalists, but above all brought the world of cars to the public like never before. In the 2009 season, there was space for an Italian wonder, the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.
Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione is the soul of motoring, according to Jeremy Clarkson
“Can a car ever be considered a work of art? Experts generally say no, but those same experts probably have never seen Alfa Romeo’s latest creation,” these were Jeremy Clarkson‘s words in his splendid review of one of the most beautiful Alfa Romeos ever, indeed, the 8C Competizione.
The Biscione’s sports car is considered one of the five fastest Alfas of all time. Clarkson explained in that Top Gear episode that the 8C “isn’t flashy, nor revolutionary, and from some angles it’s not even perfect. As Francis Bacon said, there is no beauty without some strangeness in the proportion.”
Beyond its aesthetics, Clarkson was completely fascinated by the unique sound of the 8C: “If it passes within twenty miles, you’ll notice it. Some cars have modified exhausts that sound fake, but the 8C’s is an authentic sound, powerful, simply wonderful.” Clarkson‘s unbridled love for the creature made by Alfa Romeo was an endless list of praise.
For one of Top Gear‘s faces, the 8C Competizione represented the “soul” of world motoring. Clarkson also emphasized the speed of the 8C. According to him, in fact, the automaker “could have made it even faster, but it would have overtaken a Ferrari, and in Italy this would have been like insulting the Pope.”
The Biscione’s supercar, continuing in the review, didn’t have great qualities in terms of steering or suspension, but even on these flaws, Clarkson had tender words for the 8C Competizione. “I don’t care at all, because buying this car for its performance would be like choosing a porn movie for its plot.”