#Mid-mountedEngine

“How can this car be so loud?” I think to myself a split-second before its engine hits redline. Just then the dual-clutch automatic grabs the next ratio in its six-gear stack, dropping the decibels slightly though not enough to make things any less deafening.

One of the most anxiously anticipated vehicles of the past few years is Alfa Romeo’s sultry new 4C sports car. Since the first concept version bowed in 2011 this product has seemingly whipped all of automotive journalism into a froth that’s stiffer than the peaks of a baked meringue. This much-hyped and oft-delayed product is set to launch this fall and we had a brief opportunity to sample it.