Spider's web nets car nuts

The Alfa Romeo 8C Spider has been described as "perfection" by the Top Gear team.

The Top Gear team of Jeremy Clarkson and Co has named the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider supercar as the most beautiful car of the year.

The panel of TV, magazine and online teams - spanning 24 international editions - described the 8C Spider as "perfection", with good looks that go below the skin.

The Top Gear team will be in Auckland in the New Year with a livelier version of the Live show.

But the 8C is unlikely to be part of the entertainment - production of the limited-edition model has been set at 500 examples, with fewer than 50 destined for right-hand-drive markets.

The soft-top is powered by a 4.7-litre V8 engine producing 335kW and driving the rear wheels via a six-speed Formula One-style paddle shift gearbox.

Alfa Romeo claims a zero to 100km/h sprint time of 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 295km/h.

Meanwhile, a more modest Alfa Romeo that shares some of the 8C Spider's styling cues will go on sale in New Zealand towards the end of next year. The Giulietta is the replacement for the ageing 147 hatchback. It was going to be called the Milano, but Fiat Group workers in the Italian city objected to the name after the carmaker said it would shut down operations in the area where the brand was founded in 1910.

Alfa Romeo will unveil the Giulietta at the Geneva motor show in March. It will be available only as a five-door.

It's the third time Alfa has used the Giulietta name. It first appeared on a sedan and coupe between 1954 and 1965. The second generation, a sedan only, was built between 1977 and 1985.

The Giulietta will be the first Fiat group car to use the company's new C-Evo platform, recently renamed Compact to fall into line with American terminology after Fiat bought a chunk of Chrysler to help the American carmaker avoid bankruptcy.

The Compact platform will also be used in North America for new Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles due to launch in 2012-13.

Fiat says the new platform is a mix of aluminium and steel and has been designed to highlight road holding, agility and safety.