Alfa Romeo 4C

Alfa Romeo is known for producing distinctive and exotic-looking cars. You may know the 8C coupe or even the recent Spider concept. So it's a bit surprising to learn that when the production version of the Alfa 4C arrives in 2013, it will be only the second street-legal, midengined car ever built by the Italian manufacturer.

The other is the iconic 1967 Alfa 33 Stradale (the road-going version of the Tipo 33 racecar), a car so exclusive and rare that it makes the Ferrari 250 SWB (160 units built) seem positively mass-produced. Getting your hands on a 33, or T33 as it's often called, requires some serious due diligence along with about $2.5-3 million in cash.

By that ridiculous frame of reference, the Alfa Romeo 4C looks like the bargain of the century, as Alfa is claiming it will cost only $55,000-$62,000. We have our doubts, though, as the 4C shown at the Geneva Auto Show employed a carbon-fiber-intensive structure similar to the KTM X-Bow, and even with an off-the-shelf Fiat engine and transmission, it promises to be an expensive project.