To say that Alfa Romeo->ke1386 has already gotten its money's worth with the 2014 4C can be construed as an understatement. The vehicle hasn't even hit the market yet in the U.S. but the attention it's received from all corners of the industry has been more than what Alfa Romeo expected when it gave the green light to the 4C.

Now, Alfa Romeo's future lineup of models may owe its existence to the 4C->ke3773 after the company announced that designs of all future mainstream models will take inspired from the 4C.

That's a pretty big deal for a small, yet agile, sports car->ke506 that has caught everybody's attention since it was introduced as a concept->ke169 a few years ago.

Talking to Autocar, Alfa UK brand manager Damien Dally said that the architecture of the 4C, including its lightweight body and all-aluminum 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, will be used in future mainstream Alfa models. Dally stopped short of divulging more details, but you can definitely take his words with more than just a grain of salt.

The 4C has earned the kind of cache normally reserved for more recent and more esteemed brand models. It just goes to show that Alfa Romeo has, in all likelihood, a certified winner in its hands made more impressive considering that the model has yet to hit US shores.

Click past the jump to read about the Alfa Romeo 4C

2014 Alfa Romeo 4C

The Alfa Romeo 4C is an important car for the Italian automaker, especially after the brand has kept idle in the past few years. It needed something to jump start its business, and that’s what the 4C is set to do once it hits dealerships.

The car takes its name design from the 33 Stradale, "a car that combined extreme mechanical and functional requirements with an essential style.” In other words, Alfa Romeo worked hours on end on this car to ensure that it lives up to its promise of being a dynamic and agile sports car.

That much was accomplished. On top of that, though, the Italian automaker also fitted a 1.8-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine that’s slated to develop 240 horsepower with a 0-to-100 km/h (62 mph) time of less than 5 seconds and a top speed of 155.34 mph.