Ever since the last remaining new 1995 Alfa Romeo 164 was pushed off of a United States showroom floor, the fabled Italian automaker has announced its intention to return to the world’s most important car market. Later this month, deep-pocketed Alfisti will finally be able to buy a brand new, legal Alfa Romeo from a genuine Alfa Romeo dealership in the U.S.

Perhaps no automaker has been subject to as much speculation as Alfa Romeo and its return to the U.S. Initial rumors first suggested that Alfa Romeo would return to the U.S. with the 156 and 166 sedans in the late 1990s. Then it was the revised 159 that would lead the Milanese automaker’s charge back to the “land of the free.” Finally, Alfa Romeo said it would be the high-performance supercar 8C Competizione.

Cynics questioned when the voluptuous sports car would actually be available, but according to Automotive News Europe, U.S.-certified 8Cs will go on sale through Maserati dealerships in the next couple of weeks. We would imagine this means that the first U.S. 8Cs are in the country now, nearly marking the official end of Alfa Romeo’s absence. We’ll wait until we find out about the first 8C’s delivery, however.

Alfa Romeo and Maserati have long assured the press that the handful of cars – just 84 – allocated to U.S. buyers have already been sold out, so don’t go knocking at your neighborhood Maserati dealer to ask about incentives and financing on the 8C.

The 8C’s arrival represents a massive step towards a complete return to the U.S. for one of the world’s most historical automakers. As we’ve reported before, Alfa Romeo expects to sell a full line of vehicles in the United States within the next two years. By starting with its halo car, Alfa Romeo will ever-so-lightly test the waters and drum up enthusiasm for a return to the U.S. The latest rumors Leftlane was able to glean at last week’s Paris Motor Show from the notoriously tight-lipped Italians (who suddenly forget how to speak English when pressed about touchy subjects) suggest that the 159, the upcoming BMW X3-sized crossover and the upcoming 166 replacement will provide the full lineup. Alfa Romeo will closely watch sales of the premium MiTo hatchback in Europe before making a decision whether it would fit in the automaker’s U.S. lineup.

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