After a concept version of a convertible 8C Competizione was presented by Alfa Romeo at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance in Monterey, many suspected that one day the car would enter production alongside its coupe sibling. However, until now there’s been no official word of the car being given the green light. Speaking at a presentation to financial investors in New York today, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne finally revealed that the 8C Spider will go on sale in 2009.

Sales of the coupe version kicked off in Europe just this month and should be arriving in U.S. showrooms along with the return of the Alfa Romeo brand in the States by mid next year. The coupe is priced at €165,000 and the convertible is expected to cost around €20,000 more than the coupe, reports Automotive News.

Production numbers for the coupe are confirmed at 500 units and a similar volume is expected for the 8C Spider convertible.