The Alfa Romeo 4C has just barely become available to buy here in the States, but the masterminds in Italy are already working on the next big thing. According to Car and Driver that next big thing is squeezing even more power from the car’s 1.8-liter engine. In a conversation with Fiat->ke30’s R&D chief Harald Wester, he told C&D that “We are only at 136 horsepower per liter, so there is space.” But don't look for a manual transmission any time in the future.

With the car’s carbon-fiber tub, Wester doesn’t worry about chassis stiffness, saying the most needed change to handle the increased power would be larger brakes.

While the potential for more power is exciting, Wester did bring some bad news as well; there will basically never be a manual transmission. This is due to the unique design of the car’s carbon-fiber monocoque construction. Wester said, “It messes up the entire architecture, and it would ruin the monocoque.”

Ouch.

Regardless, I have yet to hear anything but raving about the 4C’s performance, and giving just a little extra boost in the horsepower department should make for an even more entertaining ride.

Click past the jump to read more about the Alfa Romeo->ke1386 4C.

Why It Matters

The Alfa Romeo 4C may be a great sports car, but in a field that is occupied by some of the finest cars in the world like the Cayman S and Corvette->ke1280, the Alfa’s 237 horsepower is below par. The 4C may be light enough that it can still keep up with the big boys, but buyers often purchase things based on tangible stats.

If Alfa->ke1386 can boost that number to something closer to 325, it has a much better case on its hands. With that level of power, the speed of the 4C will be incredible and it can use that speed to convince buyers that it is worth their hard-earned cash.

Alfa Romeo 4C

The 4C is a new compact sports car from Alfa Romeo. It marks the return of the Italian brand to American shores, and it has quite a few tricks up its sleeves. Alfa builds it using an all-carbon-fiber monocoque tub like the McLaren P1. Thanks to this, the car has an incredibly low curb weight. Alfa claims it is right around 2,000 pounds, making it weigh about 500 pounds less than a Miata.

Powering this featherweight is a 1.8-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine that produces 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It will hit 60 mph in a bit over four seconds and carry that speed to a maximum velocity of 160 mph.

It is small and nimble like a Lotus, but thanks to that turbocharger it can accelerate like a Porsche Cayman.