The prima ballerina
09/23/2022
There is hardly a new car on the market these days that could be described as a prima ballerina. When you think of the latest innovations, you tend to think of elephants or at least well-fed cows or rhinoceroses. But 15 years ago, things were different, at least in part.
On October 24, 2007, Automobil Revue announced the production-ready Alfa Romeo 8C under the title "Prima Ballerina". However, the 8C was no longer new at that time, as Alfa Romeo had already presented the elegant sports car, at that time still with a small "c", in Frankfurt in 2003. But four years later, the "8C Competizione 500 Limited Edition" was also available to drive.
You could buy one of the elegant two-seaters for CHF 237,750, but Alfa Romeo was confident that customers would be happy to invest a further CHF 50,000 in additional options. Want some examples? Forged alloy wheels CHF 6935, Bose CD with Bluetooth CHF 4363, navigation CHF 1891, iPod connection CHF 364, fire extinguisher CHF 582, Quadrifoglio logo on the fenders CHF 1164, special tires CHF 5092, red brake calipers CHF 1309, etc.
Matthias Pfannmüller, who was testing the 8C for Automobil Revue in Italy at the time, was delighted after his test drive.
The year 2007 offered even more interesting innovations, such as the Audi R8. "Too bad it's not called Le Mans," wrote AR at the time. The first annual production run was already sold out, it was announced in January 2007, with a base price of CHF 156,300, around 80,000 francs less than the 8C.
The Maserati Granturismowas also new at the time and was allowed to undergo the complete test procedure straight away. 0-100 km/h was measured in 5.4 seconds and the top speed was 285 km/h according to the factory. It took 36.5 meters to brake from 100 to 0 and 16.5 liters were enough for 100 brisk kilometers.
Incidentally, the retro-trimmed Fiat 500( with front engine/front-wheel drive) was also new in 2007 and the Tesla Roadsterwas also still a newcomer at the time. AR wrote at the time: "The car fans from Silicon Valley who are causing a sensation with their Lotus Elise converted to electric drive may be dreamers who are using their internet millions to buy themselves a toy, but Tesla is planning nothing less than a revolution in car manufacturing for the coming years".
However, 2007 was also a year of looking back. 60 years of Saab, for example, were celebrated and documented, but also 60 years of Ferrari. Makes sense, because we are currently celebrating 75 years of Ferrari, but hardly anyone has thought about 75 years of Saab.
It is definitely worth taking a look at the recently digitized 2007 issue of Automobil Revue . You're always surprised how much you can forget in just 15 years.
