If you’re not pleased about Alfa’s move to give their first relatively affordable mid-engine sports car a 4-cylinder engine, then perhaps you should hear what Lazzarini Design has to propose for the 4C.
Place the emphasis on “propose” because this car exists only in the minds of the Italians.
The Rome-based design studio has come up with an idea straight from John Hennessey’s playbook to toss out the 237hp 1.75-liter turbo-four and replace it with a 4.3-liter V8 engine from the Ferrari 458.
To make things more interesting, Lazzarini says it would refine the V8 with a pair of turbochargers from Hennessey and pair it with the same transmission found in the 458.
In theory, the 4C would have 738hp at 8,400 rpm and 532 lb-ft of peak torque at 5,600 rpm, all while keeping its curb weight under 1 ton at 955kg or 2,100 lbs, allowing for a 0-60mph (96km/h) time of 2.5 seconds and a 1/4 mile run in 9.3 seconds at 137mph (220 km/h).
It’s only an exercise on paper for now, but Lazzarini says it could build a running prototype for some €250,000 or about $312,000.
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