The Alfa Romeo 4C Is Coming Back As A One-Off ‘Designer’s Cut’

Yes, it really has been 10 years since Alfa Romeo brought out the 4C sports car. Flawed though it may have been, the carbon-tubbed, mid-engined machine has become something of an icon in the intervening decade, so the Italian manufacturer has decided to make a new one. And we really mean that - there will only be one.

FCA Heritage is delivering the project with the help of Alessandro Maccolini, who worked on the original 4C design project at Alfa Romeo Centro Stile. The cool part is that Alfa fans can have their say the direction Maccolini will take.

To kick things off, Maccolini has created three concept renders, each with a theme that’s tied to a colour. 4C Leggenda, for instance, “is the most intimate vein of Alfa Romeo as it combines sportiness with the history of the Alfa Romeo,” the company said (translated from Italian). It does this by using pastel colours, including a light blue for the bodywork.

Then there’s 4C Tributo, which is all about red, because this is the hue “that most identifies Alfa Romeo cars”. Finally, 4C Corsa is the racey one with a matte grey finish “which highlights the muscular shapes of the car and, at the same time, emphasizes the technical features devoted to performance.”

From the sounds of it, whichever proves to be the most popular with whoever fancies voicing their opinion will be the one that gets made. And it won’t then be tucked away in the FCA Heritage Hub - Alfa is actually going to sell the thing.

What we’re not sure about is whether or not it’ll remain the same mechanically as the original. As a reminder, the 4C uses a mid, transverse-mounted 1.75-litre turbocharged inline-four which powers the rear wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The engine’s good for 237bhp, which doesn’t sound much, but thanks partly to the car’s carbon tub, the 4C is light, so 0-62mph takes just 4.5 seconds.