The Alfa 8C Competizione made its United States debut yesterday at the Meadow Brook Concours in the Rochester Hills yesterday ahead of the North American arrival of around 100 examples of the exciting sports car next year. This is the first time the Alfa Romeo brand has held an official event in the US since its enforced withdrawal due to falling sales back in 1995.

Designed entirely in-house, the 4.7-litre V8 engined Alfa 8C Competizione was presented in full production format at last September's Paris Mondial de l'Automobile, almost exactly three years after its debut in concept form. First European customer deliveries will commence late next month, with the keys to the first car being symbolically handed over during the Frankfurt IAA. Buyers include Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne.

However, while frenzied demand has far outstripped availability, slightly less than 100 Alfa 8Cs out of a total production run of 500 are being reserved for US customers, with the price tag expected to be around US$200,000. And for the first time US buyers will be able to see the dramatic car in the flesh this week at Meadow Bank Hall. The derivative Alfa 8C Spider concept sports car made its debut at Pebble Beach a couple of years ago - but this is the first time that the closed roof Coupé has gone stateside.

During an official preview of this weekend's Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance yesterday Maserati North America President Jim Selwa confirmed that the Alfa 8C Competizione would go on sale in the US in 2008, and be distributed exclusively through selected Maserati dealers. Maserati currently has around 50 dealers and these are expected to form the base of a new Alfa Romeo dealership network when the brand is re-launched in the US in 2009.

The Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance is also being re-launched this year, after a major overhaul of the event and the arrival of a new management team. One of the US automotive calendar's most prestigious events, it has slipped down the pecking order in recent years but new features and an impressive line-up of cars is set to put it back in the limelight. "This is going to be a spectacular remaking of Meadow Brook and for us to do the debut of an Alfa Romeo in Detroit is a pretty significant action on our part," Selwa told the press yesterday. Attracting contemporary sports cars is one part of the new strategy and - as well as the Alfa 8C Competizione - also at Meadow Brook Hall this week is the new Maserati GranTurismo which goes on sale later this year. Other highlights will include the three famous 'BAT' series of Alfa Romeo concepts.

The Concours d'Elegance and Meadow Brook Hall

In the 1920’s the first Concours d’Elegance was staged as an elegant marketing effort in France. The custom automobile coachbuilders and fashion couturiers of Paris were making luxury products of important design and wanted a new and different way to reach their markets. In an effort to create a unique way to reach the market, an idea was developed of a grand exhibition combining both automobiles and fashion.
 

Fashion models dressed in the latest Paris creations would drive new automobiles up to a reviewing stand. The automobiles tended to be luxury cars decked-out with custom coachwork. In many cases they were one-of-a-kind. The models would step out of the cars and fashion to the crowd. The cars and fashions were judged and awards given. The awards were based on beauty, design and style.

Before World War II, the Concours d’Elegance format was popular and became a premiere social event. The underlying objective was for manufacturers to reach the market for these beautiful high design products. Concours d’Elegance was one of the most elegant methods of selling products. The Concours d’Elegance was meant not only as a car show, but also as a total extravaganza of style.

The Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance has a different objective then historical Concours D’Elegance’s. The purpose of the event is to celebrate automotive history and heritage. Fashion and unique cars are still on display without the marketing purpose. The Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance collector car show and its art auction raise money to help with the preservation efforts at Meadow Brook Hall. Over the years, the Concours d’Elegance has raised and contributed more than $5,000,000 to the preservation of the mansion; the former home of Matilda Dodge Wilson, the widow of John Dodge and wife of lumber baron Alfred Wilson, which has been a trademark of American automotive history.

The Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance is in its 29th year, and is the single largest fundraising event supporting the preservation of Oakland University’s Meadow Brook Hall. Concours d’Elegance, literally translated, means “parade of elegance.” Since its inception, the term referred to a very special type of carriage or automobile show.

Meadow Brook Hall

Meadow Brook Hall is the fourth largest historic house in the U.S. and renowned for its craftsmanship, architectural detailing and grand scale. The mansion was built in the1920s as the residence of Matilda Dodge Wilson (widow of auto baron John Dodge) and her second husband, lumber broker, Alfred G. Wilson. The 80,000 square-foot Tudor-revival style mansion has 110 rooms and is complete with the vast collections of original art and furnishings. Meadow Brook Hall is listed on the national and state registers of historic properties and strives to preserve and interpret its architecture, landscape and fine and decorative art. Throughout the year, Meadow Brook hall is open to the public and offers daily tours, special exhibitions, programs and lectures, educational activities, lunches, tea programs, dinners and much more.

Photos courtesy of Jalopnik