All language subtitles for Supercar.Superbuild.S02E01.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-RAWR_track4_[eng]

(car zooms)

- [Narrator] It's one of the oldest

automotive marks in Italy.

- Alfa Romeo predates
pretty much every other

major Italian manufacturer
that's around today.

(car zooms)

- [Narrator] A brand
prized by connoisseurs,

but all too often forgotten by consumers.

- There's an entire
generation that has no idea

what the hell Alfa Romeo is.

- [Narrator] After years of struggle,

one of the greatest Italian motoring icons

once again tries to find glory.

- When we decided to completely restart,

the first question, which, how?

- [Narrator] The answer
is a lightweight machine

that blurs the line between
what a sports car is

and what a super car can be.

- We create giant art of the
car and only with the hands.

- It is a stunningly
beautiful, deeply flawed

object of desire that every
car guy and girl wants to own.

- [Narrator] An object of desire
built with a unique recipe

that has the weight of an entire company

and perhaps country on its shoulders.

The Alfa Romeo 4C.

(upbeat music)

It goes zero to 100 kilometers
an hour in just 4.1 seconds.

(car zooms)

Weighs under 1,000 kilograms thanks to

a hypercar style, carbon fiber monocoque.

It seduces the eye with
outrageous Italian flair.

- It's an old school kind of car, right?

It's small and it's light.

It's in all his personality.

- [Narrator] The Alfa Romeo
4C, a supercar with a secret.

- It's definitely the
most affordable super car.

It looks twice as expensive as it is.

- [Narrator] Starting at
just over 50,000 euros,

the 4C is perhaps the most accessible

modern day supercar ever built in Italy.

- Hey, I'm just as cool as a Ferrari,

I'm just as outrageous, but
I'm a third of the price.

- You can save your money and
get a beautiful Italian car

made of exotic space-age materials

that goes incredibly
quickly around a racetrack

and turns heads everywhere you go.

(car zooms)

- [Narrator] Heads spin when a 4C goes by

even in northern Italy,
the home of the supercar.

(Andrea speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] For us, cars
are a very special thing

and we have speed in our blood.

Speed is our daily bread.

- [Narrator] Going fast
isn't just a skill,

but often a daily activity.

- In front of a light, the lights is red.

Someone look you, it's a race.

Because in our blood, there
are the race and the Formula 1.

So anytime you have an old car, a scooter,

or a bicycle, you have to race.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] The epicenter
for this need for speed

is a 50-kilometer region
surrounding Moderna, Italy,

otherwise known as La Terra
dei Motori or Motor Valley.

(upbeat music)

- If you think Moderna,
you think the Motor Valley,

the motor, Pavarotti saw
your heart open to the car,

to the music and to the food.

- [Narrator] Moderna is home
to Ferrari, Lamborghini,

Pagani, Maserati, and now Alfa Romeo.

A hand-built high performance machine.

(Marcello speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] It adds value to the car,

the fact that it is handmade
in an artisanal way.

- [Narrator] Craftspeople in this area

aren't just workers but believers too.

- Or a guy who, you
know, builds Lamborghinis

would never build a Ferrari or vice versa.

It's like sports teams.

You pick one because this is
the company you believe in,

it speaks to you and the other ones don't.

(Giuseppe speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] I was obsessed
from when I was a young boy.

Then the ability to come here and choose

which company to work
for, I chose Alfa Romeo.

- [Narrator] Every day,
the heartfelt passion

is put on display inside
of Fiat's Moderna facility

where they build both
the Maserati Quattroporte

and the Alfa Romeo 4C.

(Adalberto speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] I was so
happy to come work here.

Plants like this, which produce dream cars

and particularly Italian dream
cars are few and far between.

- [Narrator] Over 200 craftspeople

with at least five years of experience

work inside these walls, yet they produce

just 3,500 Alfas per year.

(cheerful music)

- Alfa's a lot older than people realize.

(cheerful music)

This is an old brand.

It predates Ferrari, it's
been around a long time.

- [Narrator] The story starts
on the 24th of June, 1910

when a group of entrepreneurs

buy a defunct Italian car company.

They immediately rechristen it

the Anonima Lombarda Fabrica Automobili

or ALFA for short.

- It was in this Milan area, which today

is most famous potentially
for the fashion industry.

- [Narrator] Two years later
in 1912, the brand goes racing.

- Alfa was a kind of a born winner.

And its race cars have been
always driven by heroes.

- [Narrator] The outbreak of
World War I changes everything.

Alfa falls under the
control of Nicola Romeo.

From this point forward, every machine

will now be called an Alfa Romeo.

Yet when the war ends,
it's a 22-year-old racer

that pushes the brand forward.

- This is where Enzo
Ferrari gets his beginning.

You know, Enzo Ferrari raced for Alfa.

- [Narrator] Enzo Ferrari's racing success

leads to more wins with other drivers.

And after World War II,
the success continues.

- Alfa Romeo was the winner of the first

and second Formula 1 championship

With Nino Farina and Manuel Fangio.

- [Narrator] The victories inspire

sports cars for the street.

- So in Italy in the '50s and '60s,

Alfa Romeo was the car for the
effluent sports enthusiast.

- [Narrator] Yet no matter
how sporty Alfa gets,

they can't seem to stay in
the black where it counts.

- The cars, the racing victories,
they're really romantic,

they're really great stories,
but the business side

has never worked out well in their favor.

- [Narrator] By the early '80s,

Alfa Romeo looks destined to fail.

- The company was once again
bankrupt unfortunately.

- [Narrator] In 1986, the
Italian government sells

the brand to Fiat for
over five billion euros.

Sadly, success doesn't follow.

- And then there were
launching beautiful cars

but cars which to a certain extent

neglected the DNA of the
brand, which were coming from

a totally different angle towards cars.

- [Narrator] In the late 2000s,

the brand is once again
fighting the odds to stay alive.

Yet amazingly, it continues to engender

heartfelt passion in
drivers across the globe.

- Alfa should have probably
been dead 75 times.

That's why we root for it.

- [Narrator] To get the
attention of car fans,

and more importantly, customers,

the brand needs a new vehicle,

something bold enough
to bring back the magic

and brave enough to inspire
the next generation.

(car zooms)

- And I think that a very
strong historical brand

like Alfa need to make statement.

- Alfa Romeo needs to make a splash.

It needs to catch people's attention.

And doing that with a minivan, no.

Doing that with a sedan, no.

You have to do that with
a sports car or supercar.

- [Narrator] The result is the 4C,

a machine that owes its existence

to two old friends and a 20-year-old idea.

(upbeat music)

For over 100 years, Alfa Romeo has built

beautifully sporty
machines and nearly gone

out of business doing it.

- A lot of automakers have looked

in the past to actually buying it

because there's a lot of interest in it.

It's a brand that's ripe for
recreation and a rebirth.

- [Narrator] By the late 2000s,

the company is once again
hanging on for dear life.

So the brand taps Harald Wester

to lead its latest resurrection.

- Harald Wester is the CEO of
both Maserati and Alfa Romeo.

- I grew up in the western
part of Germany close to Bonn.

My father was an architect
and I should have

become an architect too, and I tried,

but at the end I decided
to go for my passion

and dedicate totally to engineering.

- [Narrator] Wester's love for engineering

eventually lands him the plum position

as director of development at Ferrari

where he helps create the Enzo.

It is perhaps the most
notable hypercar of its day.

- This is a German, very
rational man who's charged

with taking this brand that
exists for rational reasons

and putting it back on the map.

- [Narrator] It's no small feat to bring

one of the oldest Italian marks back.

So Wester turns to

longtime collaborator, Lorenzo Ramaciotti.

- Lorenzo's an old friend.

Back in 1998, 1999, he
was the chief designer

at Pininfarina, our famous design house.

- [Narrator] Ramaciotti is
one of the most influential

automotive designers in the world.

His work ushers in the hypercar era.

Yet the faster the machines go,

the more he longs to
create something else.

- When you have 1,000 horsepower,
how can you handle that?

(car zooms)

If you're not a professional
driver, it's almost impossible.

- [Narrator] Ramaciotti's recurring dream

is a back-to-basics lightweight sports car

based on supercar tech with a sedan-like

50,000 euro price tag.

- I had the idea of doing a car

that was small, light,
and very fun to drive.

(car zooms)

- Our common dream was to create

a Ferrari Enzo at an affordable price.

- [Narrator] It takes over 20 years

before the technology is
cost-effective enough to use

and an idle Saturday morning conversation

to bring it to life.

- I think it was back in 2010.

We had one of the typical Saturday morning

work meetings and discussions.

- The 4C was born like a toy project.

The idea was to build a car
that was still affordable

while being very, very extreme.

- [Narrator] To realize
their affordable fantasy.

The pair identify four key
targets for the new machine,

a 40-60 weight distribution,
an advanced powertrain,

a distinctive Italian design,
and perhaps most challenging,

a dry weight of less than 900 kilograms.

- Usually projects like
this in big companies

are born like submarines.

- [Narrator] Keeping the
bold idea below the radar

and out of sight from
company accountants falls on

the shoulders of lead
designer Alessandro Maccolini.

- Many time, when you
make a production car,

the boxer is defined.

For the 4C, the briefing was
different, very different.

- [Narrator] For weeks,
the stealthy group labors

deep inside of the Fiat
Design Center in Turin, Italy.

- It's an important place because here,

the dream can be a real car.

If we are able to transform a simple dream

into something more than that.

- [Narrator] The team decides
to push the affordable edge

of the technological envelope

and use a carbon fiber
tub for the new machine.

- When we start from
zero, the paper was white.

- We had a style meeting with the CEO

and we showed him these models.

And we said, "Well, let's do a concept car

for the Geneva show."

- [Narrator] It's a gamble that pays off

when they meet with Sergio Marchionne,

the big boss of the entire Fiat empire.

(upbeat music)

When the 4C is unveiled
at the Geneva Auto Show,

it wows both car fans and critics.

Some are the very factory workers

who will ultimately build the machine.

Men and women whose appreciation

for high performance cars helps foster

a unique artisanal culture
inside the factory.

- So when I talk to my friend
that says I'm an artist.

it's like a painter, no?

You know, this is a part of art.

- When you put a made in Italy
stamp on it, there's a pride

of craftsmanship that goes
back to the Roman times.

- [Narrator] The pride in northern Italy

transcends the products.

What they do in this region

speaks to something much greater.

- The Alfa 4C say a
few things about Italy.

We are little, we are
smarter, we are faster,

especially, we are beautiful.

- It is sort of an
ambassador to the world,

so it is a bit of national fabric.

It's also the brand itself.

(Emanuele speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] It gives
me immense satisfaction.

I'm proud of the work we do every day

and to be part of a company that is

so important to my country.

- [Narrator] The massive
nationalistic pride

and tremendous response to the concept car

compels Alfa Romeo to put
the 4C into production.

- After we showed the car in Geneva,

the comments were so positive that

we immediately decided to
take the car to production.

- [Narrator] Just one small problem.

Alfa has no idea if they
can actually build the car.

- When you make a concept,
maybe you don't care

about something necessary
for the production car.

It was an incredible
challenge for the team

because it was not only
a problem of design,

it was a problem of technology.

(tense music)

- [Narrator] Part of the challenge is born

from fiscal responsibility.

To keep the finished machine affordable,

the team needs to stay
within their budget.

- When you transform a concept
car into production car,

you have to mix the different ingredients.

You cannot expand a lot for
a big, big power engine.

It was an incredible challenge

with the carbon fiber
chassis inside the car.

- [Narrator] Until now,
carbon fiber monocoques

only existed in ultra-exotic
and expensive sports cars.

Using one in a machine that's intended

to be affordable soaks
up most of the budget,

but it also shaves weight, and weight

is the enemy of high performance.

(car zooms)

- We are absolutely obsessed
about weight reduction.

We are constantly on a diet.

(car zooms)

- [Narrator] To keep the machine svelte,

the team foregoes a luxury interior,

heavy, sound-deadening material,

and even a traditional glove box.

- So in every part of the car
it was important to reduce,

to remove kilogram or
gram to respect this data

fixed from the beginning.

- [Narrator] When they're finally below

the 900-kilogram target, it's time to face

the next major challenge, wind.

- For me it's very important is because

the wind of tunnel is the moment

where you check your work.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] To conquer
what you can't see,

the team takes the prototype to

the Fiat Research and Development Center

located in Orbassano, Italy.

- We are here in the
aerodynamic wind tunnel.

- [Narrator] Built in 1975,
the massive wind tunnel

has continually been updated to stay

at the forefront of aerodynamics.

- Imagine you have a turbine
which generates a stream

of wind up to speeds of over
250 kilometers per hour.

- [Narrator] At top speed, the tunnel uses

two megawatts of electricity.

That's enough energy to power
over 1,300 average homes.

(upbeat music)

Amazingly, they need all that power

to identify mere millimeters
of potential alterations.

- We discuss about three
or four millimeters.

Sometimes millimeters
can change completely

the performance in terms of lift and drag.

(car zooms)

- [Narrator] Drag is the
amount of air resistance

an object faces while in motion.

The lower it gets, the more fuel-efficient

a machine becomes, and
the faster it can go.

- With styling people typically

is a very bloody discussion because

they like a lot this kind
of body shape, but we don't.

- [Narrator] Aerodynamicists
try to find an optimal balance

between the design department's sexy shape

and the engineering team's
technical requirements.

- So we try to compromise with them

from styling people from one side

and from aerodynamic
people from the other one,

particularly on the rear side.

At the beginning, I remember
that they were like,

completely rounded shape
but it's not aerodynamic.

So we managed together with
them the correct curve.

- [Narrator] The team turns
their collective attention

to tuning the rear spoiler.

- And you can see here
one point very important

for the drag and for the
lift too, is the tuning

of this side of the rear, the rear back.

- If you start to mount
wings on your cars,

you haven't spent enough
hours in the wind tunnel.

- [Narrator] Getting the
height of the spoiler right

is a critical step to ensure that the car

stays on the ground at high speed.

(upbeat music)

- We are looking for downforce,

which gives you a totally stable driving

and handling also at high speeds.

It's the magic hand which
pushes the car on the road.

(car zooms)

- [Narrator] Downforce
keeps the car on the ground,

but it's the multi-generational workforce

that helps keep Alfa planted.

- Many of the people,
they are in the third

or the fourth generation
working for Alfa Romeo.

- Giuseppe is an artist, as in one of

our most experienced workers.

14 years here in Alfa Romeo,

and also he drive a old Alfa Romeo.

So your son working Alfa Romeo, right?

In Cassino.

All the family working Alfa Romeo.

(Giuseppe speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] I work at
Alfa Romeo for 38 years

and I am proud to be part
of this company, Alfa.

That is an historic brand for Italy.

- People that come here for
work first love the car.

Second, love the mechanics.

When they stay home, they
work about their car.

They have all Alfa Romeo car,

especially the old Alfa Romeo.

Tuning, fixing anytime, they try to

tuning their Alfa Romeo at home.

- They really do believe in
the product and the brand.

I don't think they even have to tell 'em

where the company love every day.

They would do it gladly because
they love these companies.

- [Narrator] Pride and honor echo

the affection for the machine,

but building a new supercar
is often a risky proposition.

The future for both the brand

and its workers is on the line.

- So when you bring into production

a concept car is always fantastic bet.

- [Narrator] If the bet pays off,

the passion for Alfa Romeo will reignite.

If it fails, one of the most storied

car companies will
crash and burn for good.

And the deciding factor
could be as simple as carbon.

(car zooms)

For over 50 years, Ferrari
and Lamborghini have battled

for Italian supercar
supremacy on the world stage.

One is a mecca for Formula 1,

the other is known for extreme machines.

What they both share is a
liberal use of carbon fiber.

- That is really at the
top edge of the technology.

It's something you can find in an IndyCar

or in a Formula 1 race car.

(car zooms)

- [Narrator] Now, Alfa
Romeo, the third oldest

Italian automaker is hinging
its latest renaissance

on the very same elemental technology.

- It absolutely is a
automotive trickle down.

You know, Ferrari has been
developing carbon fiber

for a long time, but those
cars start at $250,000.

- Sure today, carbon fiber is a material

that gives you the highest
strength related to the weight.

It's used in aircraft,
it's used in race car.

It's almost undestructible.

- [Narrator] Even though
the cost of carbon fiber

has come down, using it
as a structural component

in a modern sports car is still

a very time consuming process.

- Making a carbon fiber
tub is very complicated

because it's done by hand.

- Carbon fiber could be
the material in the future.

Right now this is a very
labor-intensive process.

- [Narrator] To manufacture
the 4C's carbon fiber chassis,

Alfa turns to the Adler
Group in southern Italy

where the state-of-the-art tub begins

as a pile of 40 carbon fiber sheets.

- It starts with fabric is you can imagine

like braiding, no?

Like your grandmother does at home.

It's a little bit more high tech,

but at the end of the day it's like this,

and then you cut parts and pieces of it.

- [Narrator] Craftspeople
trim predefined patterns

using an air cutting table.

The rough pieces are then
hand glued onto a mold

using a resin that's
vacuum-sealed into place.

Next, the entire tub is
put into an autoclave,

which is essentially a large oven

and baked for over four
hours to set the glue.

- At the end of the day
it's coming out of the oven.

It looks like one piece,
but it consists of

many, many layers of carbon fiber.

- [Narrator] The finished
tub weighs just 65 kilograms.

- Carbon fiber is a really
interesting material.

The reason why you see it
only in really expensive cars

is because they spend a
lot of time making sure

it's as lightweight as it can be,

but also as strong as it can be.

The fact that you can get it in a car

that costs less than 100 grand

is like nothing short of a miracle.

(calm music)

- [Narrator] Workers
check the tub for defects

before shipping it to
Fiat's Moderna facility

where they start to
assemble the body by hand.

- People have sort of an image of

what an Italian factory ought to be like

based on maybe old movies
or old stereotypes.

These days, you can't really turn out

a poor quality product anymore.

So an Italian factory
really isn't that different

than any other automotive
factory around the world.

- So the line of this car,
you will not see robots.

This is all handmade.

That's also one thing
that makes it special.

- [Narrator] Freshly
made carbon fiber tubs

enter the facility at station one

on the body and white line.

Here, 16 craftspeople
will build up the exterior

using a mixture of materials.

- We assembly carbon fiber,
aluminum, and plastic.

SMC is a special sort
of plastic and composite

- [Narrator] SMC or sheet molding compound

is a kind of fiberglass that's
20% lighter than aluminum.

- They use this material for the NASA,

you know, the space shuttle.

- [Narrator] They swing the
tub onto a reference palette

which ensures dimensional
accuracy throughout the build.

(Adalberto speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] In this
area, the front frame

with the mono car and the back frame

with the carbon fiber mono car.

- [Narrator] The crash
structures are the first

of over 136 parts needed
to build up the body.

Each one is installed by
an artisanal craftsperson

with years of experience.

(Giuseppe speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] I'm almost 60.

I did all the manufacturing
to produce the vehicle

starting with the welding first
but everything was manual.

Now things are different.

- [Narrator] Instead of using
traditional welding methods,

the assembly team uses an
advanced polymeric glue

that sets in just seven minutes.

At station two, they
install the side skirt,

roll bar, and bulkhead.

- You can see the first
process was the rocker,

which was glued to.

Now people are putting on
the doors on the hinges.

We fine tune all the gaps and steps

until we have the perfect quality.

- [Narrator] Next comes the
windscreen frame and roof.

Finally, the doors are added.

At this stage, most of the large pieces

have been set in place,
but when you're building

a sports car with supercar technology,

it's the little details that matter.

- It's absolutely a delicate stage

because the car have to
go out for the painting.

So if you make wrong something here,

the car arrive with a wrong profile.

We control the profile.

Thanks this.

So the profile have to
respect 0.5 millimeter.

So our workers is able to control

all the profile with this machine.

If they control that is two millimeter

or 1.5 millimeter, they can move.

They're able to move and
respect the perfect profile.

- [Narrator] It's a very
manual way of building a body

that adds a touch of
individuality to each machine.

- I remember once I visited a famous shop

who produces violins.

They look all the same,
they seem to be the same,

same wood is used, but
each and every is unique

and it's true also for this car.

- [Narrator] The amount
of hand work required

to build the body is
extremely time consuming.

Each day, they produce just 18 units.

- This is not the process
that you can really

make industrial in a big way.

- It's hand-built, it's hand-done,

and that limits the amount of cars

that Alfa Romeo can build.

They just don't have the
capacity to build more.

- [Narrator] At station nine,
craftspeople inspect the car

by rubbing on an
alcohol-based contrast fluid.

This helps highlight any
defects or blemishes.

- This is the final station

of the body white of the Alfa 4C.

So in this station, we
control the profile.

We control if all the assembly is okay.

We wash with a special additive.

And now the car is ready for the painting.

- [Narrator] Every day
at a random interval,

the team selects one very special body

to go through an additional step.

Inside of the metrology
lab, they digitally scan

over 400 verification
points to double check

that the panels fit perfectly.

After a stamp of approval,
sub-assembled bodies

are then sent offsite
for a splash of color.

Once again, the 4C's quest
for lightness makes things

just a little bit more
difficult than the average car.

- This is plastic so it cannot be painted

in a traditional painting
facility for high volume cars.

This car is painted like a specialty card.

They're painted one by one

in a specific facility outside the plant.

- [Narrator] Great paint
starts with great prep.

11 team members spend three
hours using over 200 meters

of tape to mask the bare carbon fiber.

(upbeat music)

(Denis speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] To paint the
body for the Alfa Romeo 4C,

we need about eight kilograms
of paint for the base coat

and about eight kilograms
for the transparent gloss,

which means about 16 kilograms
of paint for each body paint.

(sprayer hisses)

- [Narrator] The
operators spend 20 minutes

applying the first coat.

(sprayer hisses)

Then it's time for a pair of
robots to get in on the action.

(sprayer hisses)

They take just 11 minutes to paint

the remaining 85% of the car.

(sprayer hisses)

Finally, after more than 40 hours

of manual labor spread over six full days,

a body is ready to return to Moderna

and enter the final assembly line

where over 200 craftspeople
will bring a 4C to life

and hopefully help rejuvenate

one of the icons of Italian motoring.

(car zooms)

Alfa Romeo is one of Italy's
oldest car companies,

and perhaps it's most revered

inside of Fiat's Moderna factory.

(Emanuele speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] I am Italian.

I know that Alfa is part of
the history of our nation.

I work on a very ambitious
project both for the brand

and for the country and I'm
happy to be a part of it.

- When I think to Alfa Romeo,
I think about the race.

I think about fast car.

I think about the red that
go wait on the street.

- [Narrator] The brand's latest reboot

comes down to the success of
their new halo car, the 4C.

- It's beautiful and it's
fast and it's unique.

It's a desirable thing,
it's a luxury good.

- Look at that car, listen to it.

It's a feast for your senses.

- There's certainly a sort of sexy appeal

of having a car that's built in Italy.

- This is not an ordinary car factory.

This is a high tech assembly shop.

Usually the car stops
for 20, 30, 40 minutes

and people are executing
very complex tasks.

(high energy music)

- [Narrator] That sexy appeal
is infused at a factory

where they've been handcrafting cars

for over 3/4 of a century.

(car zooms)

- Producing vehicles is always

something that will make you happy.

Producing a car like
this one, you can imagine

it is even more satisfying.

- [Narrator] The factory's
gone through a lot

throughout the years, yet
they've never lost their love

for turning dreams into
driveway realities.

(Giuseppe speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] Speaking for myself,

when I see a 4C outside
completed on the road out there,

I say to myself, there, there is my work.

As a worker, I am so proud to have

a part in completing this vehicle.

(Giuseppe speaks in foreign language)

- [Narrator] It's taken over a week

for the 4C's bare body to be painted.

Yet when it returns to the line,

little time is spent admiring the beauty.

The first order of business is to remove

all the colorful bits.

(Adalberto speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] At the
first station, the vehicle

is completely stripped in
order to provide access

for the installation of the
components, but this also

protects the components
from damage during a semi.

- [Narrator] The vehicle
is hoisted onto the line

and turned onto its side using a sea hook.

- In this special station,
we have a big hook

that move the car in this
way so our workers can move

inside the car and under
the body of the car.

- [Narrator] Craftspeople
don't have to reach for parts

thanks to Alfa's simplified
logistics system.

- We create a domino
kit that our logistics

bring directly to our workers.

Our workers not have
to work but only turn,

take a screwdriver, and
the other part of the car

and make only this movement.

- [Narrator] While a
pair of workers install

the oil and brake lines, across the aisle,

craftspeople prep the 4C's
1.7 liter turbocharged engine

on a subassembly station.

(Adalberto speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] This is the
area where the motors arrive

and they're connected
to the other components

before being installed in the vehicle.

- [Narrator] The brand new
engines are mated to the 4C's

paddle-driven double clutch
transmission and kitted out.

- [Interpreter] Yes,
actually born in Moderna.

And I'm extremely proud to
make Alfas here in Moderna.

Most of all, since Moderna
is the land of motors,

it had to produce a
supercar like the Alfa 4C.

- [Narrator] True
moto-passion is put on display

just a few meters down the line.

In Motor Valley there is perhaps no more

important factory location
than the engine install.

(Giuseppe speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] Here
we are at station four,

and this is where we connect the motor.

(Adalberto speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] Without
a doubt, the station

that is the most complex
of the entire assembly line

is the motor station where you will see

the engine being
installed inside the body.

- [Narrator] In a land full
of high-performance passion,

This is everyone's favorite spot.

(Adalberto speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] As you
know, we are in Moderna,

the land of motors.

We produce this vehicle
here with so much passion,

a vehicle that will reach
every corner of the world,

so we are very proud of this.

- [Narrator] When the car
moves to the next station,

the dashboard arrives
from its subassembly area.

- [Interpreter] Here we are at

the dashboard preparation station,

a fundamental part of the vehicle.

This team is primarily
female of the dashboard team

because women are more
meticulous, precise.

Since it is a component found
in the interior of the car

and it makes a first
impression on the customer,

it needs to be perfect.

- [Narrator] Every 25
minutes, the team sends

recently completed
dashboards to the final line.

- Okay, in this section
we prepare the part

for insert the dashboard.

So we attack the last cable
for put the dashboard inside.

- [Narrator] The engine
makes 237 horsepower,

yet it's the car's airbag
that might go boom.

Keeping everyone alert
to the danger comes down

to a very simple solution.

- Inside, there are things
that can explosive, explode,

so we use the military box.

People remember to our
workers that can explode.

- [Narrator] Cycled later, it's time

to install the car's suspension.

This includes the front brakes,

primarily made from aluminum,

which helps save two
more kilograms of weight.

(craftsperson speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] Right now I am mounting

the front suspension of the 4C.

- [Narrator] The team uses
high-tech torque wrenches

to ensure that the mounting
tolerances are exact.

(upbeat music)

The 4C uses glass just
four millimeters thick.

That shaves 15% off the
weight of a normal windshield.

(Marcello speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] We have
positioned the windshield

in order to center it to make sure

it is centered on the bottom.

- [Narrator] Then it's time to reinstall

the colorful trim pieces
taken off earlier.

(Emanuele speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] Here we assemble
most of the vehicle really.

Fenders, bumpers, doors,
all the finishing touches.

- [Narrator] They use a special RGV

or robot-guided vehicle to
bring the doors to the line.

It's the only automated
system in the factory

and the only tool with its own nickname.

- We call it our RGV, our robot, Emilio,

because it's a automatic
robot that bring the doors

and other things during the assembly line.

- [Narrator] Installing the doors

requires absolute precision.

(Andrea speaks in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] Inserting the connector

is the most difficult, inserting
the connector from the door

to the body because sometimes
there may be obstacles.

- The car is nearly complete.

I think we have another one
or two stations, another hour.

(car revs)

- [Narrator] When the 4C rolls
off the final assembly line,

it looks finished, yet its journey

to a dealership has just begun.

Each brand new 4C takes
a 40 kilometer road test.

When a freshly tested machine
comes back to the factory,

it heads to the finishing area.

- When the vehicle comes in here,

it has already gone
through all of its assembly

and also a road test.

- [Narrator] The machines are reviewed

by independent auditors.

Then each car hits a rolling road

before taking a quick shower
in the water test booth.

- We have at least 100
people that touch the product

before it leaves our doors.

It's a rather complex vehicle.

Even though it's small in size,

it is very particular in the details.

One of the challenges with this vehicle

is there are exposed
portions that wouldn't

normally be aesthetic to other vehicles,

so we have to pay close attention

to these aspects of the car.

- [Narrator] Finally, after weeks

of passionate hand-built
craftsmanship, a finished 4C

is ready to head to
customers around the world.

- 4C matters because this
is the return of Alfa Romeo,

this triumphant brand that's
been around for all these years

that we haven't seen in
so long, and here it is.

Look at it.

That's why it matters, look at it.

(tense music)

- [Narrator] Some of those new machines

might even find their way to America

where the brand hasn't sold
cars for over 20 years.

- It's a big deal to everyone
who's grown up hearing about

those great Alfa Romeo
sports cars in the past.

- [Narrator] At its core,
the 4C is a throwback

to sports cars from a different era.

- Classically, a sports car was a toy.

It was something you
drove just to have fun.

It was something that
existed just to be exciting.

- It's very clear from
the second you get in a 4C

this is not a car that's trying

to be all things to all people.

- Today's sports cars are way
more focused on performance,

on lap times and quarter mile
speeds and all this stuff.

The 4C is more of an old school
approach to the sports car.

- This is clearly not a car
that you want to drive your kids

to school with because they don't fit,

and if they did, they'd be miserable.

- This is absolutely a less is more car

because the less weight
you have to carry around,

the faster you can go, the
quicker you can corner,

the more nimble the car is.

- [Narrator] Alfa's fanatical obsession

with weight reduction
pays off on the track.

Fully fueled, the machine's wet weight

is just 1,202 kilograms.

That's 138 kilos lighter
than a Porsche Cayman

and gives the 4C power to weight ratio

of one horsepower to every five kilograms.

- If you think about what
the definition of a supercar

used to be, in the '80s, oh,

everyone had to have a
Testarossa or a Countach.

They were loud and uncomfortable

and the interiors weren't great.

But they made beautiful noises
and they were really fast

and they looked amazing.

(car zooms)

And this is the first time
you can really reach out

and grab it if you have the means.

(car zooms)

- [Narrator] The 4C charges from zero to

a 100 kilometers per
hour in just 4.1 seconds

and has a top speed of
258 kilometers per hour.

- 200 and something horsepower is a lot

when the car doesn't weigh a lot

and that's the point of
that carbon monocoque.

Car's light, doesn't need a big engine,

doesn't need to be super
horsepowery to get the speed.

- [Narrator] Speed is only
one part of the attraction,

so is the machine's
surprisingly gutsy sound.

- Alfa just played the
oldest trick in the book.

It doesn't have a
muffler, like none, zero.

(car zooms)

- [Narrator] A muffler isn't the only part

of the 4C experience that's missing.

- Its interior is basically stripped out

from everything that it doesn't need.

- [Narrator] Stripping
out the non-essentials

even includes a manual transmission.

- Why no manual transmission?

Alfa Romeo's official answer
is they would like to think

of this car as closer to Formula 1,

which uses paddle shifted
automatic transmissions.

Frankly, it's the
biggest flaw on this car.

This car with a naturally aspirated engine

and a manual transmission would be

the best supercar in the world.

- [Narrator] The lack of creature comforts

is the clearest example of
Alfa's unyielding desire

to shave extra weight and
cost from the machine.

- Rationally, you can get
into a 4C and say, "Wow,

this is like a playschool
version of my first Ferrari."

(tense music)

- The 4C makes the Italian
exotic car approachable

and attainable for a lot more people.

- [Narrator] It's an Italian calling card

best enjoyed in the corners.

- Driving this car on a mountain road

will make you smile like crazy.

- It has fantastic steering,
it has great bucket seats

that hug you in, and
every time you get in,

you want to go find the
twistiest, curviest road you can.

- [Narrator] Driving a 4C is
easy compared to figuring out

how the brand keeps them affordable.

- I don't know how Alfa
Romeo is building this car

and selling it at the price it is

without losing huge amounts of money.

But look, marketing costs money.

You can buy billboards, you
can buy TV advertisements,

or you can build a car
that everyone looks at,

everyone wants, and you
lose some money on it.

- [Narrator] Years of fits and starts

and half-baked resurrections
have left the mark

with minimal market share.

- Alfa Romeo doesn't
want to be a niche brand.

They wanna sell sedans here.

They wanna sell family cars.

- [Narrator] The goal of the 4C

is to reshape the future of Alfa Romeo.

- The 4C is meant to be
the halo of the brand.

Hey look, this is what Alfa Romeo is.

It's sexy, it's sporty,
it sounds exciting.

- If you talk to car company executives,

they will all say the same thing.

You can only survive if we
sell eight billion cars a day.

Wrong.

Alfa has never sold in volume.

- [Narrator] Like an old vine stressed

into producing great wine,
sometimes it's the struggle

that brings out the very best.

- What I find most exciting
about the 4C is that it exists.

I mean, cars aren't
made like this anymore.

Something that feels like it was

almost snuck past the bean counter.

- [Narrator] For over 110
years, Alfa Romeo has fought

to stay alive and to stay relevant.

Their latest renaissance
is the direct result

of two men and a shared dream.

- I don't think there's gonna be

another generation of a 4C.

I think what you see now is probably

what you're going to get.

Alfa could always surprise
us and bring out a new one

and prove it, but I think they
have some bigger fish to fry.

- [Narrator] A 50,000-euro
fantasy whose success or failure

is now up to customers around the world.

- We tried to do something
that was different

from what you can find out there,

and that was bringing
the skies of uniqueness

and performance to a much wider audience.

The pleasure of driving is
not in the zero from 100 time.

It's something more complex.

The numbers are there just
to to be seen on a magazine,

but then you have to feel,

and that's not easy to
express with a figure.

There's something that
you must feel personally.