The Alfa Romeo 4C hasn't even gone on sale and yet Alfa is reportedly already considered building a version with more power than the 240-hp the standard 4C puts out.
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According to Alfa Romeo CEO Harald Webster, the 4C's carbon fiber chassis is a prime candidate for added power,Automotive Newsreports. "The stiffness is very high. The first adjustment would be the brakes," Webster told the outlet. The Alfa 4C's 1.7-liter turbocharged I-4 currently makes 240 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, and can apparently make much more power. "We are only at 134 horsepower per liter, so there is space [for more power]," says Webster.
With news that the Alfa Romeo 4C could handle more power, Webster also shed some light on changes the automaker made to the U.S.-spec 4C.The biggest changes in transition from Europe to America are suspension related; Alfa swapped out the front and rear frames of the North American 4C for more robust units, and reinforced and retuned the suspension. Other changes include the more normal-looking headlights first seen on the Alfa 4C Spider concept, and more standard equipment. "The base car in the U.S. has richer equipment," Webster toldAuto News, "Europeans are more willing to have a naked driving machine."
Europeans do love their nudity. The non-nude Alfa Romeo 4C is expected to finally hit the Fiat and standalone Alfa Romeo dealers in the U.S. this summer.
Source:Automotive News (subscription required)
I generally like writing—especially when it’s about cars—but I hate writing about myself. So instead of blathering on about where I was born (New York City, in case you were wondering) or what type of cars I like (all of ’em, as long as it has a certain sense of soul or purpose), I’ll answer the one question I probably get most, right after what’s your favorite car (see above): How’d you get that job? Luck. Well, mostly. Hard work, too. Lots of it. I sort of fell into my major of journalism/mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and generally liked it a lot. In order to complete my degree senior year, we had to spend our last two semesters on some sort of project. Seeing as I loved cars and already spent a good portion of my time reading about cars on sites such as Motor Trend, I opted to create a car blog. I started a Tumblr, came up with a car-related name (The Stig’s American Cousin), signed up for media access on a bunch of manufacturer’s websites, and started writing. I did everything from cover new trim levels to reviewing my friends’ cars. I even wrote a really bad April Fool’s Day post about the next Subaru Impreza WRX being Toyota-Corolla-based. It was fun, and because it was fun, it never felt like work. Sometime after my blog had gotten off the ground, I noticed that Motor Trend was hiring for what’s now our Daily News Team. I sent in my résumé and a link to my blog. I got the job, and two weeks after graduation I made the move from New York to California. I’ve been happily plugging away at a keyboard—and driving some seriously awesome hardware—ever since.
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