Original subtitles

Narrator: TODAY ON "HOW IT'S MADE: DREAM CARS"

THE ALFA ROMEO 4C,

ONE OF THE WORLDS LIGHTEST AND MOST AFFORDABLE SUPERCARS.

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

THE 1967 33 STRADALE

IS THE STYLISTIC ANCESTOR OF THE ALL-NEW 4C,

LONG CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CARS IN THE WORLD,

THE STRADALE EMBODIES THE ALFA ROMEO TRADITION.

FOUNDED IN MILAN IN 1910,

THE COMPANY BECAME INVOLVED IN CAR RACING AS EARLY AS 1911.

IN RACING, FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION AND THIS ETHOS

WAS CENTRAL TO THE DESIGN OF THE STRADALE.

IT'S THE REASON THE CAR REMAINS A TIMELESS CLASSIC

AND IT'S THE REASON IT WAS CHOSEN AS THE INSPIRATION

FOR THE 4C.

THE NEW 4C MAY RECALL THE STRADALE ON THE OUTSIDE,

BUT THE RESEMBLANCE IS ONLY PARTIAL.

ALFA ROMEO HAS DESIGNED

AND ENGINEERED THIS 21st-CENTURY SUPERCAR

TO MEET A COMPLETELY NEW SET OF CRITERIA.

WHEN ALFA ROMEO SET OUT TO CREATE THE 4C,

THEY WANTED TO BUILD A SUPERCAR WITH AN EXTREMELY HIGH

POWER-TO-WEIGHT RATIO.

THIS MEANT THEY COULD EITHER INCREASE THE POWER

OR DECREASE THE WEIGHT.

SINCE THE OTHER PART OF THE MANDATE

WAS TO MAKE THE 4C AFFORDABLE,

IT HAD TO BE AS LIGHTWEIGHT AS POSSIBLE.

AT THE HEART OF THE ALFA ROMEO 4C

IS ITS UNIQUE CHASSIS.

ALFA ROMEO CHOSE TO HAVE THE ADLER GROUP MANUFACTURE

THIS VITAL COMPONENT.

THE ADLER GROUP, LOCATED NEAR TURIN,

HAS SPECIALIZED IN CREATING CAR INTERIORS SINCE 1953.

THEY BUILT THE CHASSIS FROM CARBON FIBER.

THIS MATERIAL PROVIDES THE EXTREME STIFFNESS REQUIRED

IN A SPORTS CAR CHASSIS,

WHILE WEIGHING IN AT ONLY 143 POUNDS.

THE 4C HAS A MONOCOQUE CHASSIS.

MONOCOQUE MEANS SINGLE SHELL.

INSTEAD OF USING A LOAD-BARING FRAMEWORK,

THE SKIN OF THE MONOCOQUE IS THE STRUCTURE.

TO CREATE THIS SINGLE-SHELL STRUCTURE,

TECHNICIANS CAREFULLY LAYER SHEETS, OR PLIES,

OF CARBON FIBER ON A FORM CALLED A DIE.

THIS PROCESS IS CALLED LAMINATION.

TO REMOVE ANY BUBBLES FROM BETWEEN THE LAYERS

THE TECHNICIANS USE A SPECIAL HAND TOOL CALLED A CUNEO.

AS WITH PLYWOOD, THE LAYER INTO MATERIAL

GREATLY INCREASES ITS STRENGTH AND STIFFNESS.

THEY NOW ADD THE CORE OF THE CHASSIS.

THIS MATERIAL IS CALLED HONEYCOMB

BECAUSE IT MIMICS THE STRUCTURE OF BEEHIVES.

ONCE THEY'VE ADDED THE HONEYCOMB CORE,

THE WORKERS LAYER MORE CARBON FIBER OVER IT.

WHEN THE LAMINATION PROCESS IS COMPLETE,

TECHNICIANS PREPARE TO CURE THE MONOCOQUE IN A GIANT OVEN.

BEFORE THEY CAN DO THAT, THEY MUST COVER THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE

IN A MATERIAL CALLED RELEASE FILM.

THE OVEN IS CALLED AN AUTOCLAVE.

BEFORE THEY TRANSFER THE MONOCOQUE TO THE AUTOCLAVE,

TECHNICIANS SEAL IT INSIDE A VACUUM BAG,

AND CONNECT IT TO A PUMP TO SUCK OUT RESIDUAL AIR.

WHEN CLOSED, THE CHAMBER WILL PRESSURIZE AND HEAT UP.

THE CARBON FIBER HAS BEEN INFUSED WITH A RESIN.

THE HEAT INSIDE THE AUTOCLAVE CURES THE RESIN

WHILE THE PRESSURE COMPACTS THE LAYERS OF CARBON FIBER.

A BREATHER CLOTH BETWEEN THE RELEASE FILM

AND THE VACUUM BAG ALLOWS AIR TO CIRCULATE

AND ABSORBS ANY EXCESS RESIN.

WHEN THE AUTOCLAVE HAS FINISHED ITS JOB WORKERS

TAKE THE MONOCOQUE OUT AND THEN RELEASE IT FROM THE DYE.

NEXT, A CNC MACHINE GOES TO WORK.

IT DRILLS ALL OF THE NECESSARY HOLES,

WHERE ASSEMBLY TECHNICIANS WILL ATTACH THE MONOCOQUE

TO THE REST OF THE CAR.

IT ALSO USES VARIOUS TOOLS

TO SAND DOWN ANY AREAS THAT REQUIRE FLATTENING.

USING A REMOTE-CONTROLLED PROBE, A TECHNICIAN

CHECKS THE DIMENSIONS OF THE FINISHED MONOCOQUE.

A COMPUTER ENSURES THAT THEY MEET THE DESIGN PERIMETERS.

CARBON FIBER INFUSED WITH RESIN IS CALLED PREPREG.

AMONG OTHER ADVANTAGES, USING PREPREG

ALLOWS ALFA ROMEO DESIGNERS TO INCORPORATE ELEMENTS

LIKE THE DOOR PILLARS INTO THE MONOCOQUE.

Narrator: ALFA ROMEO HAS CREATED A NEW MOTOR FOR THE 4C,

WHICH HAS A MAXIMUM TORQUE OF 258 FOOT-POUNDS.

DESPITE ITS POWER, IT WEIGHS ONLY 295 POUNDS

BECAUSE IT'S MADE ALMOST ENTIRELY OF ALUMINUM.

ALTHOUGH ALFA ROMEO MAKES THE ENGINE BLOCK

OUT OF ALUMINUM,

THE PISTON LINERS ARE FORGED FROM A SPECIAL CAST IRON.

PISTON LINERS MAY START OUT WITH THE THICKNESS OF TWO MILLIMETERS

BUT THE FINISHED MACHINING PROCESS WILL REDUCE THEM BY 50%

TO JUST ONE MILLIMETER.

WHEN INSTALLED AND FINISHED

THEY'RE SO THIN, YOU CAN BARELY TELL THEY'RE THERE.

INSTALLING THE LINERS IS AN EXTREMELY DELICATE OPERATION.

FIRST, A ROBOT REMOVES AN ENGINE BLOCK FROM AN OVEN.

THE ROBOT THEN PLACES THE PISTON LINERS PARTWAY

INSIDE THE OTHER BLOCK.

BECAUSE THIS BLOCK HAS JUST EMERGED FROM THE OVEN,

THE ALUMINUM HAS EXPANDED, ALLOWING THE LINERS

TO SLIDE IN EASILY.

JETS OF COMPRESSED AIR PREVENT THE LINERS FROM TOUCHING

AND POTENTIALLY SCRATCHING THE WALLS OF THE LINER OPENINGS.

NEXT, A SECOND MACHINE PICKS THEM UP,

ALIGNS THEM PERFECTLY, AND SYNCS THEM INTO POSITION.

THE ROBOT WILL THEN TRANSFER THE ENGINE BLOCK

BACK TO THE OVEN FOR THE COOLING PROCESS.

AS IT COOLS OFF,

THE ALUMINUM WILL CONTRACT AROUND THE CAST-IRON LINERS.

WHEN THE OVEN DOOR OPENS AGAIN,

THE ROBOT PLACES THE FINISHED BLOCK INSIDE.

IT WILL MOVE THROUGH DIFFERENT ZONES INSIDE THE OVEN,

COOLING OFF SLOWLY AND EVENLY.

THIS IMPORTANT STEP PREVENTS DEFORMATION OR CRACKING.

ONCE THE ENGINE BLOCK IS COOLED

AND CONTRACTED AROUND THE PISTON LINERS,

THEY CAN BE FINISHED.

A DEVICE CALLED THE HONING MACHINE GOES TO WORK.

THE MACHINING DONE HERE IS SO PRECISE

THAT ENGINEERS MEASURE THE TOLERANCE IN MICRONS.

A HORIZONTAL MACHINING TOOL POLISHES THE CRANKSHAFT HOUSING.

WATER MIXED WITH A LIQUID CALLED CUTTING FLUID

HELPS THE FINISHING MACHINES MEET THE PERIMETERS

REQUIRED BY THE ENGINEERS.

THE CRANKSHAFT IS A KEY ELEMENT OF THE NEW 4C ENGINE.

IT HAS EIGHT COUNTERWEIGHTS, ALLOWING THE ENGINE

TO REV UP TO HIGHER RPM WITH FEWER VIBRATIONS.

TECHNICIANS MUST ENSURE THAT THOSE EIGHT COUNTERWEIGHTS

ARE PERFECTLY BALANCED.

THEY USE A COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM TO MONITOR ITS MOVEMENT.

HAVING LOCATED THE IMBALANCES,

TECHNICIANS PROGRAM A SPECIAL TOOL TO DRILL HOLES

IN THE COUNTERWEIGHTS.

THE LOCATION, DEPTH, AND NUMBER OF HOLES

MUST BE DETERMINED WITH PERFECT ACCURACY.

ONCE FULLY BALANCED,

THE CRANKSHAFT THEN MOVES TO A QUALITY-CONTROL STATION

WHERE A SERIES OF INSTRUMENTS MEASURE EVERY ASPECT

OF ITS GEOMETRY.

TECHNICIANS NOW PREPARE TO INSTALL THE CRANKSHAFT

IN THE ENGINE BLOCK.

FIRST, AN AUTOMATED CAMERA

SURVEYS THE CRANKSHAFT TO MAKE SURE ALL THE HALF BEARINGS

AND THRUST BEARINGS ARE IN PLACE.

NEXT, A ROBOTIC ARM RUNS A BEAD OF BLACK SEALANT

AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE BOTTOM PART OF THE BLOCK.

ONCE THE SEALANT IS IN PLACE,

THE TOP PART OF THE ALUMINUM BLOCK GOES ON.

TECHNICIANS WILL THEN BOLT IT IN POSITION.

IT'S NOW TIME TO INSTALL THE PISTONS.

THE ENGINE BLOCK ARRIVES AT THIS STATION

WITH THE CRANKSHAFT ALREADY IN POSITION

AND THE FOUR PISTONS READY TO GO.

A ROBOT PICKS UP THE FIRST TWO PISTONS

AND PLACES THEM INSIDE THE LINERS.

A SECOND ROBOT ROTATES THE CRANKSHAFT

SO THAT IT'S IN THE CORRECT POSITION.

THE ROBOT PICKS UP THE REMAINING PISTONS AND INSTALLS THEM.

THE SECOND ROBOT ENSURES THAT THE PISTONS' CONNECTING RODS

ARE PROPERLY ATTACHED TO THE CRANKSHAFT.

AT THE NEXT STATION ON THE ASSEMBLY LINE

ROBOTIC CRANES SLIDE ALONG AN OVERHEAD TRACK

AND LOWER A COMPONENT

CALLED THE CYLINDER HEAD ON TOP OF THE ENGINE.

THE CYLINDER HEAD CLOSES IN THE PISTONS,

FORMING THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION CHAMBER.

THIS IS THE FINAL STEP IN BUILDING THE 4C ENGINE.

IT'S NOW TIME FOR A THOROUGH QUALITY-CONTROL TEST

OF THE ENGINE.

TECHNICIANS PUT THE 4C MOTOR THROUGH ITS PACES.

AS THE ENGINE RUNS THEY KEEP AN EYE ON THEIR GAGES

AS THEY MEASURE 30 DIFFERENT PERIMETERS

INCLUDING POWER, PRESSURE, AND RPMs.

AS THE ENGINE REVS,

THE TURBO GETS SO HOT IT BEGINS TO GLOW.

ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE ENGINE IS ALUMINUM,

THE TURBOCHARGER IS STEEL.

IT MUST ENDURE TEMPERATURES

AS HIGH AS 1,870 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

Narrator: ALFA ROMEO USES A MATERIAL CALLED SHEET MOLDING COMPOUND

TO MANUFACTURE THE BODY OF THE 4C.

EXTREMELY STABLE AND DENT-RESISTANT,

SMC IS 20% LIGHTER THAN TRADITIONAL STEEL BODY WORK.

A WORKER USES A CUTTING MACHINE TO CHOP A ROLL OF SMC

INTO STRIPS.

SMC EVOLVED FROM SOMETHING CALLED FIBERGLASS HAND LAY-UP.

MADE OF POLYESTER RESIN, GLASS FIBER,

AND CALCIUM CARBONATE,

THE MATERIAL IS ALREADY VERY LIGHT.

BUT TO HIT THE 4C's WEIGHT TARGET,

ALFA ROMEO USES A SPECIAL TYPE CALLED LOW-DENSITY SMC.

THE TECHNICIAN BEGINS SLICING AND STACKING THE STRIPS

TO CREATE A KIND OF LAYER CAKE CALLED A CHARGE PATTERN.

THIS STACKING PROCESS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT ENSURES

OPTIMAL AESTHETIC AND MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE

FOR THE FINAL PRODUCT.

TO ENSURE THAT THE MATERIAL MEETS THE QUALITY STANDARDS

REQUIRED FOR THE 4C,

TECHNICIANS MUST EMPLOY A HIGH DEGREE OF MANUAL SKILL

AND PAY EXTREMELY CLOSE ATTENTION TO DETAILS.

THE GLASS FIBERS ARE AN INCH LONG.

A TECHNICIAN LOADS THE CHARGE PATTERN ONTO A MOLD.

WHEN THE TOP HALF OF THE MOLD DESCENDS,

IT CLAMPS DOWN WITH THE FORCE OF 660 TONS

WHILE HEATING TO 300 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

IN MINUTES THE COMBINATION OF INTENSE HEAT AND PRESSURE

FORCES THE MATERIAL TO TAKE THE SHAPE OF THE MOLD

WHILE CURING IT IN PLACE.

THE TECHNICIAN BRINGS THE NEWLY FORMED COMPONENT

TO A QUALITY-CONTROL STATION.

HERE HE BRUSHES ON A SPECIAL HIGHLIGHTING LIQUID.

THIS LIQUID WILL REVEAL ANY FAULTS

IN THE SURFACE OF THE PART.

THE WORKER GIVES THE SMC A CAREFUL VISUAL INSPECTION

TO ENSURE THERE ARE NO WAVE PATTERNS OR AIR BUBBLES.

NEXT, A WORKER BEGINS TO ASSEMBLE THE HOOD OF THE 4C.

HE STARTS BY PLACING THE UPPER PANEL OF THE HOOD

IN A SPECIALLY DESIGNED JIG.

HE THEN CAREFULLY REMOVES ANY DUST WITH COMPRESSED AIR

BEFORE THOROUGHLY SCRUBBING AND DEGREASING THE SURFACE.

MOVING TO THE INNER FRAME OF THE HOOD,

HE BEGINS TO RUN A BEAD OF GLUE AROUND ITS PERIMETER.

THE TECHNICIAN HAS ALREADY APPLIED A SOFTER GLUE

TO THE INNER PERIMETER OF THE FRAME

TO STIFFEN THE STRUCTURE.

THE WORKER THEN LOWERS THE INNER FRAME INTO PLACE

ON TOP OF THE UPPER SECTION OF THE HOOD.

TWO HOLES IN THE FRAME FIT

OVER A PAIR OF PINS DESIGNED TO HOLD IT IN POSITION.

THE TECHNICIAN COMPRESSES THE TWO SECTIONS TOGETHER,

ENSURING A COMPLETE BOND.

FOR THIS PART OF THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS

ALFA ROMEO DESIGNED A SIMPLE LOW-TECH AND FAST PROCESS.

IT RELIES ON MANUAL SKILL AND EXPERTISE,

ALLOWING THE TECHNICIAN TO FINE-TUNE THE PROCESS

AS HE WORKS.

THE TECHNICIAN CLAMPS THE TWO SECTIONS TOGETHER

WITH POWERFUL MAGNETS.

HE SWITCHES ON AN OVERHEAD LAMP THAT EMITS INFRARED LIGHT

TO HELP THE GLUE CURE FASTER.

JUST 30 MINUTES LATER,

THE GLUE IS HARDENED ENOUGH FOR THE TECHNICIAN TO HANDLE IT.

HE QUICKLY REMOVES THE MAGNETS

AND BEGINS TO TRIM OFF THE EXCESS GLUE WITH A KNIFE.

THE TWO PARTS OF THE HOOD ARE NOW FULLY BONDED TOGETHER.

THE OUTER SECTION HELPS DEFINE THE STYLE OF THE 4C.

THE INNER FRAME PROVIDES THE NECESSARY STRUCTURAL SUPPORT

BY ADDING RIGIDITY, STRENGTH, AND ATTACHMENT POINTS.

THE HOOD IS NOW READY FOR THE FINISHING PROCESS.

HERE USING AN ORBITAL SANDER, WORKERS CAREFULLY

SMOOTH DOWN ITS SURFACE BEFORE APPLYING A COAT OF PRIMER PAINT.

THE WORKERS SWITCH THE DIRECTION OF THE LIGHT SOURCE

AND WET THE SURFACE IN ORDER TO GIVE THE HOOD

A THOROUGH VISUAL INSPECTION.

THIS WILL HELP GUARANTEE THE 4C LOOKS AS SMOOTH AS IT RUNS.

IN BETWEEN EACH SANDING, A WORKER SPRAYS THE COMPONENT

WITH A COAT OF PRIMER PAINT.

ONCE IT DRIES IT WILL GO BACK TO THE FINISHING DEPARTMENT

FOR ANOTHER SANDING.

AFTER REPEATING THESE STEPS THREE TIMES,

THE SURFACE BECOMES PERFECTLY SMOOTH AND FLAT,

READY FOR THE FINISH COATS OF PAINT.

Narrator: ONCE ALFA ROMEO HAS BUILT THE PARTS,

IT'S TIME TO BRING THEM ALL TOGETHER,

BUT ASSEMBLING AN UNUSUAL VEHICLE LIKE THE 4C

REQUIRES SKILL CRAFTSMEN

WHO HAVE SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE PUTTING TOGETHER UNIQUE CARS.

TO ASSEMBLE THE 4C,

ALFA ROMEO DECIDED TO COLLABORATE WITH MASERATI,

ANOTHER LEGENDARY ITALIAN CAR MANUFACTURER.

HERE AT THE MASERATI HEADQUARTERS IN MODENA,

A TEAM OF EXPERT TECHNICIANS

BEGINS THE PROCESS BY CONSTRUCTING THE UNDERBODY.

THEY BRING TOGETHER THE ALUMINUM FRONT

AND REAR FRAMES WITH THE CARBON FIBER MONOCOQUE.

THEY CLAMP THE THREE PARTS INTO A TOOL CALLED REFERENCE PALLET.

THEY THEN BOLT THE UNDERBODY TOGETHER,

MAKING SURE TO TIGHTEN THE NUTS

TO A TORQUE SPECIFIED BY THE ENGINEERS.

NEXT, THE TECHNICIANS ATTACH THE ALUMINUM ROLL BAR,

FOLLOWED BY THE REAR WINDOW ASSEMBLY.

THEY BOND THE WINDOW

TO THE FRAME OF THE CAR WITH A POWERFUL STRUCTURAL ADHESIVE.

THE TECHNICIANS CLAMP A CUSTOM-BUILT JIG

TO THE MONOCOQUE.

THIS WILL HELP THEM HOLD COMPONENTS

IN THE CORRECT POSITION

AS THEY ATTACH THEM TO THE UNDERBODY.

THE WORKERS NOW PREPARE TO ASSEMBLE THE WINDSHIELD.

ONCE AGAIN, THEY USE STRUCTURAL ADHESIVE FOR THE ATTACHMENTS.

WHERE POSSIBLE, THE 4C DESIGN CALLS FOR ADHESIVE

INSTEAD OF BOLTS, WELDS, OR RIVETS.

THE USE OF ADHESIVE HELPS REDUCE THE OVERALL WEIGHT OF THE CAR.

THE TECHNICIANS INSTALL THE ROOF

AND CLAMP IT IN PLACE FOR 40 MINUTES

TO ALLOW THE ADHESIVE TIME TO CURE.

ONCE THEY'VE ATTACHED THE BODY, OR SKIN OF THE 4C,

IT WILL HEAD OFF TO THE PAINTING DEPARTMENT.

A LARGE OVERHEAD CRANE

MOVES THE PAINTED BODY TO THE ASSEMBLY LINE.

WORKERS REMOVE THE DOORS, HOOD, AND TRUNK LID.

THEN THEY INSTALL FRONT-END COMPONENTS

LIKE THE COOLING UNIT.

THIS IS A STOP-AND-GO ASSEMBLY LINE.

EVERY 40 MINUTES, THE CAR MOVES TO THE NEXT STATION.

NEXT, IT'S TIME TO BRING THE POWER TRAIN

AND THE BODY TOGETHER.

TECHNICIANS USE A HOIST WHICH HOLDS THE ENTIRE WEIGHT

OF THE ENGINE AS THEY INSTALL IT BEHIND THE SEAT.

THE REFERENCE PALLET UNDER THE CAR

PROVIDES A GUIDE SO THEY CAN POSITION THE PART CORRECTLY.

THE BRAKES, WITH BREMBO FIXED FOUR-POSITION CALIPERS

ARE DUAL CAST, PERFORATED, AND SELF-VENTILATED.

IT TAKES THESE HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPONENTS JUST 118 FEET

TO BRING THE 4C FROM 60 MILES PER HOUR

TO A COMPLETE STANDSTILL.

NOW THE FRONT BUMPER GOES ON WITH ITS ALFA ROMEO SHIELD.

THE DOUBLE EXHAUST PIPE

AND MacPHERSON REAR SUSPENSION ARE IN PLACE.

THE FRONT SUSPENSION IS COMPRISED OF

A SUPERIMPOSED WISHBONE SYSTEM.

WORKERS MOUNT THE REAR FENDER AND REAR BUMPER

AROUND THE TRUNK, WHICH HAS A SMALL LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT.

AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF A CAR'S DESIGN IS ITS FEATURE LINE.

THE FEATURE LINE OF A 4C RUNS FROM THE LATERAL INTAKE FENCE

ACROSS THE SURFACE OF THE DOORS.

THE ALLOY WHEELS ARE NOW IN PLACE.

A TECHNICIAN STARTS THE CAR FOR THE FIRST TIME

AND BEGINS TESTING.

SHE VERIFIES THAT ALL THE 4C's ELECTRONICS ARE IN WORKING ORDER

AND THAT THE DASHBOARD DISPLAY FUNCTIONS PROPERLY.

THE ROLLING WHEEL IN THE FLOOR IS CALLED A RATTLE BENCH.

IT SIMULATES ROUGH DRIVING CONDITIONS.

USING THIS A DRIVER CAN FINE-TUNE THE CAR'S SUSPENSION

TO ELIMINATE ANY SQUEAKS AND RATTLES.

HE STARTS WITH THE FRONT BEFORE SWITCHING AND TUNING

THE REAR SUSPENSION.

ALFA ROMEO USED RACE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE 4C SUSPENSION SYSTEMS.

HERE NOZZLES POSITIONED AT DIFFERENT HEIGHTS

SPRAY THE 4C WITH WATER.

THEY SUBJECT THE CAR

TO DIFFERENT INTENSITIES OF SIMULATED RAINFALL,

INCLUDING SOFT ENGLISH DRIZZLE,

SPRING SHOWERS,

AND TROPICAL DOWNPOUR.

WORKERS CHECK THE INTERIOR FOR SIGNS OF ANY INFILTRATION.

A DRIVER NOW TAKES THE 4C

FOR A SPIN ON A TRACK OUTSIDE MASERATI'S MODENA PLANT.

THE TRACK IS DESIGNED TO BE UNIFORMLY BUMPY.

NEXT, TWO TECHNICIANS SPEND 40 MINUTES EXAMINING

EVERY INCH OF THE CAR'S SURFACE FOR DEFECTS.

AS WITH SOME OTHER SUPERCARS,

ALFA ROMEO OFFERS AN ONLINE CONFIGURATOR

WHICH ALLOWS CUSTOMERS

TO RECONFIGURE THE 4C ACCORDING TO THEIR PERSONAL TASTE.

VIEWERS CAN WATCH A VIDEO CLIP

AND CHANGE ELEMENTS LIKE THE PAINT COLOR

OR WHEEL TYPE OF THE CAR WITHOUT INTERRUPTING THE VIDEO.

THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS IS COMPLETE

AND THIS ALFA ROMEO 4C IS READY FOR ACTION.

UNBELIEVABLY, IT WEIGHS LESS THAN 2,000 POUNDS.

CAPABLE OF REVVING UP TO 6500 RPMs,

THIS SUPERCAR CAN ACCELERATE FROM ZERO TO 60

IN JUST 4.5 SECONDS.

A SIX-SPEED GEARBOX ALLOWS FOR FAST, PRECISE CONTROL.

AND LIKE ALL MODERN ALFA ROMEOS,

IT HAS SOMETHING CALLED A DNA SELECTOR.

THIS GIVES DRIVERS THE CHOICE

OF SEVEN DIFFERENT PERFORMANCE MODES,

INCLUDING NATURAL, ALL-WEATHER, DYNAMIC, AND RACE.

AS FAR BACK AS 1939,

HENRY FORD WAS QUOTED A SAYING,

"WHEN I SEE AN ALFA ROMEO GO BY, I TIP MY HAT."

IF HE WAS ALIVE TODAY, THE WIND FROM A PASSING 4C

MIGHT BLOW HIS HAT OFF BEFORE HE HAD A CHANCE TO TIP IT.