2012 Alfa Romeo 8C

The German-based car tuning specialists at Novitec have a long history of tuning Italian cars. The company is divided into a number of branches based on the type of cars they modify. There's Novitec Tridente for Maserati cars, Novitec Rosso for Ferrari, and for the other Italian automakers such as Fiat and Alfa Romeo, there's Novitec.

One of the most celebrated designs to come from an Italian automaker in the past decade has been the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. The car was built to honor the eight-cylinder racing cars at the height of Alfa's motorsport success. The 8C proved to be immensely popular, and from this popularity, spawned a convertible variant. Just in time for the warm summer months, Novitec has introduced a tuning program for the Alfa Romeo 8C Spyder.

Not only does the 4C resemble the 8C, it also uses some technology and materials derived from the Ferrari-powered supercar, such as carbon fiber, aluminium and the rear-wheel drive system. However, the small coupe doesn't get a V8 engine but a more modest 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol borrowed from the Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde. This engine develops 200 horsepower and is mated to a twin dry clutch transmission dubbed “Alfa TCT”.

If you think 200 ponies is a little tame for a sports car, Alfa points out that the 4C has been engineered to weigh less than 850 kilograms (1,874 lbs) for a power to weight ratio of around 4 kg/hp, an impressive figure made possible by the extensive use of carbon. The body is made completely of carbon fiber, while the rear frame structure and the crash boxes use aluminium extensively.