Alfisti, rejoice! — the Alfa Romeo 4C is back! Well, basically. Thanks to a special project by Stellantis’ Heritage department, the 4C will soon be revived. However, this time it will be wearing the ‘Abarth’ badge.
A lightweight, mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive two-seater; the Alfa Romeo 4C, when introduced a decade ago, was focused on providing no-frills driving thrills. It was a driver’s car, with its central carbon-fibre tub wrapping around the driver like a well-tailored suit. However, following a lifespan of six years, the Italian marque discontinued the 4C in 2020.
Now, four years after it has been discontinued, a reimagined 4C is in the works (again, Alfisti, rejoice!), thanks to Stellantis Heritage and, most notably, the Abarth brand. Indeed, the new model will don the “Abarth” badge. Colour us interested. However, the Abarth Classiche 1000 OT will be produced in very limited numbers — only five examples will be built, all of which are already available to pre-order.
Mechanically based on the 2009 Abarth Classiche 1000 SP, which, in turn, was derived from the Alfa Romeo 4C, the Classiche 1000 OT’s exterior styling takes on a slightly new design approach. The front fascia and rear end is authentically Abarth and reminiscent (in a contemporary fashion, of course) of the design language of the Classiche 1000 SP and the Fiat-Abarth OT 1300 from the 1960s. The most notable styling changes (compared to the donor car, that is), come in the shape of the redesigned nose, where a duo of small headlamps has been placed on either side the bonnet. However, the most significant change can be found at the rear.
‘Round back, a large rear grille, replete with “Abarth” lettering, spans the rear. Round taillamps are also present. Plexiglass, which is slotted for enhanced engine cooling, covers the engine bay.
As a reminder, the 4C was equipped with a 1.7-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, endowed with 177 kW and 350 Nm of torque, available from 6 000 r/min and 2 200 r/min, respectively. The top speed is rated at 258 km/h.
