Was it a challenge to work with nontraditional materials?

Ferrari technicians helped us. We are not used to working with carbon fiber. Our only experience was with the Alfa 8C. We also conceived a low-density plastic body. The 4C was an extremely challenging project, both from a business point of view and because of the skills we had to acquire.

How much did you modify the Giulietta engine to use it in the 4C?

It is completely different and 24kg lighter, mainly thanks to a new aluminum block. This is the first of a new family of performance engines dedicated to the Alfa Romeo brand.

Will the 4C for the U.S. be different?

We had to respect different regulations. The car is about 100kg heavier because we had to add some aluminum inserts in the carbon fiber chassis. The U.S. crash test requires a different structure to absorb different impact forces. We also had to comply with rules covering the gasoline tank, the fuel lines and emissions.

Why is annual production of the 4C limited to 3,500?

The carbon fiber chassis is our production bottleneck. This is the maximum that our supplier, Adler Plastic, can build. Otherwise, we would need to double the investment. We chose to use the traditional handcrafted 'pre-preg' process because it is the best. We are building the 4C in Maserati's plant in Modena. One of the 4C's distinctive traits is that it is a unique product, like a hand-made Italian shoe.

Tell us about the 4C's highlights.

We wanted to do something different and we needed to optimize weight. In these headlamps you just have the lighting parts inserted in a shell. It's a simple and cheap solution. It's quite radical, I know, but if I had to design a racecar I would choose this solution.

How does the 4C drive?

It's so fast! We drove the Porsche Cayman to make some comparisons. The Cayman is a very beautiful car, it has a great sound, but if you drive it slowly you could imagine you're sitting in a VW Golf. The 4C is completely different. You feel you are in a racecar. We also drove the 4C on our Balocco track with some Ferraris. In the straight line, the 4C only reaches a top speed of 260kph, but on the handling track its performances can be assimilated with those of a Ferrari. And thanks to the launch control, any driver could accelerate from 0 to 100kph in just 4.5 seconds.