Alfa Romeo 4C revealed

Alfa Romeo has finally revealed the full production version of the 4C sports car at the Geneva Motor Show.

The 4C’s exterior styling remains faithful to the original concept, first seen at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011. The roadster is similar in size to a Lotus Elise, at just under four metres long, two metres wide and 1.18 metres high, and is a strict two-seater.

It’s powered by what Alfa calls “an evolution of the engine in the Quadrifoglio Verde version of the Giulietta”. In that car, the 1.75-litre four-cylinder turbo produces 235bhp, but we’re expecting more like 275bhp in the 4C.

This will be sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed TCT dual-clutch box, with steering column-mounted paddles giving manual shifts. Our exclusive spy shot of the interior also reveals the large, silver DNA controller.

This will offer a Race mode, on top of the usual Dynamic, Natural and All-Weather options. The picture shows the all-digital instrument cluster, too. 

Under the skin is a carbon fibre chassis. This helps cut weight, giving the 4C a Porsche Cayman R-rivalling power to weight ratio of over 250bhp per tonne. Prices should also rival the Cayman.

The car's interior is dominated by carbon fibre, which is part of the uncovered chassis. The dashboard and door panels, however, get an asphalt-look. The driver orientated controls are, according to Alfa Romeo, influenced by the world of motorcycle racing and race cars and it comes with lightweight leather sports seats with red stitching and Alfa Romeo badge stitched on the headrest. The 4C also gets steering wheel mounted paddles for manual gear change

The car will be built for Alfa at Maserati’s plant in Modena, Italy.