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The Alfa Romeo 4C has been chosen by Eurosport Events as the safety car of the 2014 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). The 12-stage championship will start next month in Marrakech, Morocco, and will wind up in Macau in November.

The decision is a result of the Alfa 4C being named "Most Beautiful Car of 2013" at the 29th International Automobile Festival of Paris. Designed by Alfa and built at Maserati's Modena plant, the 4C is a mid-engined, RWD, two-seater coupe that was unveiled in production form at last year's Geneva show.

Powered by a 240 hp "1750 Turbo Petrol" engine, the 4C is capable of 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds, 1.2g of deceleration force and lateral acceleration forces in excess of 1.1g. This is thanks to optimum weight distribution (40:60) and lightweight construction. Made largely of carbon fibre, aluminium and SMC, the 4C tips the scales at just 895 kg. It does the Nurburgring in just 8:04, and you can see a video of it in action here.

At the recent Geneva show, Alfa Romeo showed off a topless Spider version of the 4C. The production soft-top will hit the market early next year.

Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Design Preview - Geneva 2014