TODAY ON 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.
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.
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.
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.