Alfa Romeo unveils latest open top

THE latest open top Alfa Romeo Spider has been revealed.

The production version of the 4C Spider features a unique carbon fibre windscreen frame and to save weight in the ultra-light model.

New design points feature an Akrapovic dual-mode exhaust system, new alloy wheel designs and a new colour, with the car due to be released onto the European market this summer. Prices have not been announced yet.

Like its Coupé sibling, the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is built around an exotic, ultra-lightweight mono-coque chassis using layered carbon fibre that is three times stronger and seven times lighter than steel. Because of its inherent rigidity, Alfa Romeo engineers were able to minimise structural differences between the 4C Spider and 4C Coupé.

As with the Coupé, the bodywork is made entirely from SMC (sheet moulded compound), a low-density, high-strength composite material that is 20 per cent lighter and dimensionally more rigid than steel, and even the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider’s windscreen and side windows have been optimised for lightness, using 10 per cent thinner glass to reduce weight by up to 15 per cent.

While European specifications for the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider have yet to be announced, the weight difference between the Coupé and Spider versions of the US-market models is just 10kg.

The Alfa Romeo 4C Spider shares much of its exterior design with its award-winning Coupé sibling – the changes are focused purely on the metamorphosis from fixed- to open-top. The Coupé’s glazed engine cover and flowing coupé shape gives way to a more traditional spider form, with pronounced buttresses and a body-coloured engine deck-lid with three functional heat extractors and an aerodynamically tuned spoiler.

The rollover structure is housed in a black (or optional carbon fibre) ‘halo’, creating visual harmony with the carbon fibre windscreen frame, where the attachment points for the removable, stowable cloth roof (or optional carbon fibre hard-top) can also be found.

Other new features to debut on the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Concept include an all-new, titanium exhaust system, mounted centrally with switchable modes which can be altered depending on the driving environment and driver’s mood.

Developed by world-renowned exhaust specialists Akrapovic, this beautifully crafted system consists of two centrally-mounted tailpipes and computer-optimised asymmetrical mufflers with a dual-mode exhaust valve system and link pipe with resonator to eliminate in-cabin droning.

This optional system is finished with carbon fibre bezels on the exhaust tips. Like the 4C Coupe, the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider will also be available with the standard and the Racing exhaust system.

In addition to the existing colours available on the Alfa Romeo 4C a new Giallo (yellow) paint scheme is also offered (with matching accent stitching for the seating, steering wheel and doors available), while a new Tobacco leather interior option is also planned for later in the year.

Powered by the same, all-aluminium, 240hp, 258 lb.-ft., 1750 TBi engine as the Coupé, performance for the US model is on a par with the hardtop model, with a top speed of 160mph and a 0-to-60mph time estimated at 4.1-seconds.

For the North American market, the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is designed with stiffer springs, larger front- and rear-anti-roll bars, and retuned shock absorbers.

The technical specification of European models will be announced closer to its launch later in the year.accent stitching for the seating, steering wheel and doors available), while a new Tobacco leather interior option is also planned for later in the year.

Powered by the same, all-aluminium, 240hp, 258 lb.-ft., 1750 TBi engine as the Coupé, performance for the US model is on a par with the hardtop model, with a top speed of 160 MPH and a 0-to-60 MPH time estimated at 4.1-seconds.

For the North American market, the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is designed with stiffer springs, larger front- and rear-anti-roll bars, and retuned shock absorbers.

The technical specification of European models will be announced closer to its launch later in the year.