Finally! Alfa Romeo Confirms 4C Production

Nearly a year after the first prototype was unveiled, Alfa Romeo appears to be making progress on the 4C production car. 

It's all been said before. But now, it appears that it's for real. Alfa Romeo has just confirmed to Top Gear that they plan to get the first 4C prototype on the road by the middle of 2012, with the first production car to go on sale within a year after that.Speaking with Fiat's head of engineering for Europe, Top Gear is claiming that the 4C project is being handled by a small, but special team that's working "outside of the main product-development bureaucracy."

Originally debuting last March at the Geneva Motor Show, the mid-engine 4C prototype made use of a carbon tub developed by racecar manufacturer Dallara along with carbon body panels.However, word now is that the production version will also make use of the carbon tub, although it'll be designed in-house by the Alfa team.The production body panels won't be carbon, but will be composed from an advanced lightweight fiber material. Most importantly, the production version will look almost identical to the prototype - both inside and out.Power will likely come from the same 230hp inline-four that's in the Giulietta. In the future, this engine will produce closer to 300hp for the high-performance version. A convertible is also in the works. If all of this is true (and judging by the Fiat rep's comments, it is) then the wait will be well worth it.