Production Alfa Romeo 4C revealed

Next month, some people will open the doors to a convention centre in Geneva, and contained within will be some motoring enthusiasts, a few ladies, and this: the production version of the Alfa Romeo 4C.

Pretty young thing, isn't it? This, ladies and gentlemen of the Internet, is the final version of the staggeringly gorgeous concept car we first saw just two years ago at Geneva, designed by Alfa boffins and bolted together in the Maserati plant in Modena. We hear they're quite fond of their supercars in those parts...

And this is it: as you can see, barring a minor alteration to the headlights, it's adhered to that first concept, and nothing should change ahead of its on sale date later this year. As we told you a little while back, there's an Alfa-built carbon-tub underneath, with front and rear frames made from aluminium, skinned in something called SMC, which is a lightweight form of GRP.

It'll get an updated version of the turbocharged 1.8-litre petrol four pot currently doing service in the Alfa Giulietta, with an aluminium block and bespoke intake and exhaust systems better suited to the 4C's premise of being a low-slung, two-seater sports car. We reckon it should be making at least 250bhp. This engine will hook up to Alfa's twin-clutch TCT auto gearbox driving, naturally, the rear wheels. No official word on performance, but with that carbon tub it shouldn't weigh more than 1200kg, so our guess is a 0-62mph time of around 4.5 seconds and a max in the region of 155mph. Hopefully not limited.

As for that low-slung, two seater bit? It measures in at under four metres long, is two metres wide exactly (no word if this includes mirrors or not), and is a scant 1.18m high. To give you some context, a Lotus Elise is 3.8m long, 1.72m wide, and 1.12m high. Alfa reckons such low, wide and squat proportions help "accentuate its agility" and give the car "maximum aerodynamic efficiency levels" with a negative downforce coefficient. That's what you get in race cars.

And speaking of race cars, the name itself is a hark back to Alfa heritage, recalling the old 8C and 6C road and race cars that were famous in the 1930s and 1940s. More specifically, Alfa wants you to pair this new 4C with the simply gorgeous 33 Stradale, a car very similar in layout to this new one. It's in the gallery above. Notice anything familiar?

Vijay Pattni