The beautiful Alfa Romeo 4C will also be available as a convertible. The drop top edition will arrive a year after the launch of the hard top version, expected to go on sale in early 2014, Autocar reports.
It’s quite some way away, but the 4C should be worth the wait in either guise. The hard top model is expected to weigh in the region of 900kg (that’s roughly one and a half Formula 1 cars) and uses a 1750 TBi four-cylinder turbocharged engine, giving it an estimated 0-60mph time of 4.5 seconds.
Convertible cars tend to be heavier and more unwieldy than their coupe cousins, but Alfa has a few tricks up its sleeve to help keep weight to an acceptable minimum. Its bodywork is a mixture of sheet-moulded composites and carbon fibre, while its engine will be a new-generation model with an aluminium block that helps save 25Kg over previous models, which use cast iron blocks.
With the weight kept low that engine should guarantee the 4C and 4C convertible at least 235hp (that’s how much the 1750 TBi generates in the Alfa Giulietta) which is plenty of grunt for a car in this sort of weight range.
If the 4C convertible doesn’t live up to performance expectations at least it’ll look stunning. The coupe model really does command the attention of onlookers, so we suspect you’ll want to go as slowly as possible so you can give everyone an eyeful.
Fiat estimates the 4C will sell for a starting price of €45,000 (£35,500). Pricing for the drop-top model is, of course, unconfirmed.
Source: Autocar
Image: Ben Griffin
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