When it comes to building great sports cars, Alfa Romeo have pedigree and something which most car manufacturers are envious of…. they are Italian. Super cars and Italy go together like Berlusconi and a scandal, and it’s easy to see on first impression that the Alfa Romeo 4C isn’t going to do anything to dissuade car lovers around the world, that Italians do it better than anyone else.

Practicality has never been the main concern when it comes to building a super car and the Alfa Romeo 4C, reviewed superbly on Auto Express, is no exception with its lack of luggage space and no seats for the kids. But to be honest, sometimes kids are best left at home so that you can enjoy the Alfa in all of its glory without being asked “are we there yet?” In this car, arriving isn’t the most important thing, enjoying the journey is!

Enjoying the journey isn’t hard too when you’re sat behind the wheel of a mid-engined rear-wheel drive Italian stallion that can hurl you from zero to 60 mph in under 4.3 seconds. The Alfa Romeo manages incredible 0-60 and quarter mile times with its relatively modest 1.7 L direct injected four-cylinder engine. What the Alfa does well, which its bloated German rivals such as the Porsche Cayenne don’t, is keep it light. Depending on the configuration they will weigh between 895 and 995 kg, giving you incredible power to weight ratios.

The car has been slimmed down by the use of modern materials. The chassis of the car weighs a mere 65 kg and like most sports cars and super cars is a single carbon fibre body. The outer skin of the machine is a composite material offering better stability than either aluminium or steel, whilst still being 20% lighter than steel. All that weight saving doesn’t just benefit your 0-60mph time but also means that fuel consumption shouldn’t upset Greenpeace too much either. Obviously it depends how you drive it but the quoted combined fuel consumption is around 6.8 L/100 km or 42 mpg(imp) which is 35 mpg(us). Sure it’s no Toyota hybrid but that’s not really the point. Alfa Romeo have gone back to their sports car heritage by listening to what petrol heads really want.

This Alfa isn’t made for gentle drives through the town, so it doesn’t need the power steering which it doesn’t have! To make the ultimate driving machine it’s better to save weight and increase driver feedback from the road. Rear-wheel drive, rear engined cars evoke memories of the great Ferraris and Italian super cars of the past, but the Alfa Romeo 4C is definitely a car of the future.

With the launch price in Europe of around €50,000- €60,000, affordability has been key in creating a super car which is within the grasp of normal people. The 4C is also the first time the Italian manufacturer has designed a car specifically for the North American market where they hope to gain a new following which they haven’t seen since Dustin Hoffman drove the Alfa Romeo spider in The Graduate.