SPY PICS: Alfa Romeo 4C QV

New clues as to the nature of Alfa Romeo's high-performance 4C have emerged in four spy shots of the car in Europe, which confirm an updated model is almost ready to rumble.

These spy images clearly show four new air inlets in the car's bodywork, two tiny ones in the front fascia above the front wheels, and two larger openings near the trailing edge of the side skirts.

The latter air ducts will almost double the amount of oxygen the engine can gulp down, perhaps indicating the company is making use of a more powerful engine – were it not for the fact they've been taped over (which seems draw attention to, rather than away from, the secret new ports).

However with its hastily attached rear number plate and city driving
route, another possible scenario is that Alfa Romeo was testing the
thermal dynamics of a more powerful engine tune in the 4C.

Although the exact power output and performance potential of the new 4C, likely to carry the Quadrifoglio Verde (QV) badge, is not yet known, the car's current 1.7-litre turbo-petrol engine could be boosted from 177kW/350Nm to 185kW or perhaps more.

That would enable the lightweight 895kg exotic to blast from 0-100km/h in almost 4.0 seconds flat, down from the existing 4.5 second time, as its power-to-weight ratio dramatically improves.

In mid-2014 Alfa Romeo CEO Harald Wester revealed that Alfa Romeo was serious about developing a more powerful version of the 4C, and would look at beefing up the chassis too with a focus on more powerful brakes.

Scheduled to arrive in Australia during October 2014, the mid-engine sports car has a top speed of 250km/h, but that could rise with the QV version.

Pricing for the local market has not been confirmed, although Alfa Romeo recently told motoring.com.au to expect a price tag of between $80K-$100K, while 'Launch Edition' models will be around $100K-$120K benefitting from carbon-fibre extras, a sports exhaust and other premium features.