The Alfa Romeo 4C still isn't in production, and it's far from fresh as a concept, but it's still winning awards. At the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, the 4C picked up the Design Award for Concept Cars & Prototypes.
Unlike some of the other awards at the show, the Design Award is given by public vote. That the 4C should win over the public at the Villa d'Este is no surprise--it has been winning fans ever since its first showing as a concept at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
While news on the car has been rare of late, the last word on Alfa's small sports car was that it would start production in 2013 at a price around $45,000. Considering the supercar styling, 1,875-pound weight target, and 200-plus horsepower rating, that sounds like a pretty fair deal. Best of all for us, it looks like it will be sold here in the U.S.
Some changes from the concept are expected for the production 4C, including a shift away from carbon fiber body panels. The expense and complexity of mass-producing the carbon panels was simply too great, so Alfa is expected instead to use fiberglass-based sheet composite. Fortunately, the weight gain over the more exotic carbon fiber is expected to be minimal.
For more on the Alfa Romeo 4C, you can find all of our previous coverage here.
_______________________________________
