Tag Archives: carbon fibre

Alfa Romeo chose Mondello Park to launch three new models this week. The reason for the venue chosen is that one of these cars is very, very special. We’ve been waiting a long time for the arrival of the 4C, a car that has tantalised us at various motor shows seemingly for years. With styling robbed from the exotic 8C Competizione, the 4C could be described as the ultimate modern sportscar, with its emphasis on performance through light weight. With a kerb weight of only 895 kg, it’s lighter than most superminis. How did they achieve that? By building it from carbon fibre, the first time this material has been used in a car anywhere near this price point. Some may lament that the 4C isn’t powered by a sonorous V6, but to keep weight down, a 1750cc turbo four cylinder is used instead. Producing 240 bhp, it’s an engine with a very high specific output and it’s mated as …

Since its launch in 1986, the BMW M3 has been a performance icon. Conceived initially to be what used to be known as a homologation special, it only made production because BMW wanted to go racing in it. That first M3 was quite a raw car, more at home on the rally stage than the Autobahn. A four cylinder 2.3 litre engine, loosely based on BMW’s Formula 1 engine of the era provided 238 bhp, which, in a light bodyshell, proved more than ample. Like many things, the M3 has moved on and become more sophisticated. The last two models were propelled by increasingly more powerful versions of the Bavarian maker’s iconic inline six and the M3 has evolved to encompass saloon and convertible versions, to further broaden its appeal. So far over 150,000 examples have been sold. The launch of a new M3 is always noteworthy, especially when the new car has evolved so much. Not wishing to get …